Consider us the more sophisticated half of the Western hemisphere if you must, but this past Sunday night South America managed to beat us to the punch: the progressive political milestone the majority of the world's countries have yet to reach. Enter Argentina's first female president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. While her election alone is newsworthy, Cristina's presidency is also quite notable because the president she is replacing ia no regular old Joe; instead, it's her husband, Nestor Kirchner. Imagine that: The new president is the old president's wife, and the position of "first man" is born. Letterman and Leno would have a whole new bag of tricks to work with. It sounds like the stuff of a good soap opera, but hey, America: We could be next.
Okay, so let's say Hillary Clinton is the next Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. With Argentina's election as a precedent, one can't help but imagine that even if our country is to follow in Argentina's footsteps, the differences would be more than drastic. In the current political era in which a woman married to a former president and a black man are among the top contenders for our next president, there is no question that our country is being forced to become more open-minded and redefine its expectations for politicians. However, in the process of doing so, it seems there is still little to no room for deviation from the normal manual for how politicians are to conduct themselves, the model being the standard white male. Similar to such institutions as the Greek system, or the corporate universe, politics is still a man's world: same rules, different game. When it comes to the ideal candidate, there is not much leeway for femininity, or any expression or reminder thereof.
According to CNN, when Kirchner gave her acceptance speech, "thousands of supporters lined up... banging drums, waving flags, and chanting, 'Cristina, Cristina.'" Let's be honest, if Hillary wins, I'm pretty sure there's not going to be any spontaneous marching band. Maybe lots of polite clapping and some modest cheering, but definitely no chanting and no flags. So South America seems to have us beat on unabashed, unfettered enthusiasm for politics as well. Due to our country's ever-growing love for gossip and scrutiny and our eagerness to criticize, the spotlight on politicians is daunting and unforgiving. While this sharp focus is certainly a type of enthusiasm, it's directed at all the wrong things. Celebrities are idolized for their brushes with scandal, while nothing less than pristine perfection is tolerated from the political set. Agree with her platform or not, none of the candidates right now feels this pressure more than Hillary, and for that she deserves enormous credit. While Hillary and Cristina have obvious similarities, Cristina sports a flashy fashion sense and proudly exudes an undeniable sex appeal. The main difference is that if you placed Cristina in Hillary's position, we would judge her on all of these superficialities that Hillary has to carefully avoid in her campaign at all times. No doubt Argentines certainly noticed their new president is stylish, but this is not the only thing they have to say about her. That she is a PILF, if you will, is merely a bonus.
In order to be taken seriously, Hillary has to strip herself of all outwardly feminine behavior, including her emotion and compassion. I mean, no one wants a softie running the country. Since she first announced her desire to run, there has been a continual abundance of jokes and criticism surrounding everything from Hillary's hairdo to the shoulder pads in her pants suits via blogs, the press and late-night TV. Cristina Kirchner proudly owns her femininity in her presentation to the public and Argentina, rightfully, is not phased. Yes, men and women should be considered equally for political office regardless of gender, but this doesn't mean that gender should be ignored altogether.
A candidate should not have to be gender neutral, which, in our country's case, is always defined as leaning heavily towards masculine. Rather, he or she should be able to self express without having to suppress any inherent qualities that arise from gender. Argentina has managed to progress from feminine first lady Evita Peron to feminine president Cristina Kirchner. As for us? Everyone loved Jackie O, but let's face it: She might have started a lasting trend in big sunglasses, but no one was about to let her run anything. As we approach a new election in the 21st century, perhaps it's time we learn to grow up.
