It’s one of the (many) gripes women have had about the unfair world of political gender bias, when men run for office, they are judged by their policies and by their positions on certain issues and topics, and when women run for office, they are judged on a skirt suit they wore in 1992.
Democratic candidate and First Lady veteran is no stranger to this. In fact, some might say her treatment at the hands of the American press during her husband’s presidency could be considered very beginning of the press’ over-scrutiny on women’s style and attire.
So, it’s nice change – and a refreshing surprise – to see her joke about it.
On a recent campaign stop in South Carolina, the White House runner made a point of poking fun at what will be one of the most asked – and most tiring – questions of the campaign tour: her age and her style.
“All of our presidents come into office looking so vigorous,” said Clinton with a smile, “Then we watch them. They grow greyer and greyer and by the time they leave? They’re as white as the building they live in.”
After a smatter of applause and laughter, Clinton continued.
“Now I may not be the youngest candidate in the race, but I have one big advantage: I’ve been colouring my hair for years,” she joked, “No! You’re not going to see me turning white in the White House.”
But this is not the first time Mrs Clinton has made the ‘hair’ joke – in fact she’s done it multiple times. The 67-year-old candidate once joked that in the midst of her husband’s presidency, if she wanted to bump something off the headlines, she’d call in her hairdresser.
“If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle,” she laughed, after she famously made headlines for weeks when she wore a headband.
The Yale law graduate touched on the subject again when she spoke at a Yale Class Day speech in 2001.
“The most important thing I have to say to you today is that hair matters,” she said in pseudo-seriousness, “This is a life lesson my family did not teach me, Wellesley and Yale Law School failed to instill: Your hair will send significant messages to those around you. What hopes and dreams you have for the world, but more, what hopes and dreams you have for your hair. Pay attention to your hair, because everyone else will.”
And with her hair styled into a sleek blonde bob, it seems Mrs Clinton did indeed take note.
