Representation of women in the media - Essay Example

Such long winded but common public discussions pertinent to Senator Clinton’s cleavage or demeanor only provided irrevocable evidence that in fct, sexism in the media was very much alive and well. “The highlight reel included lengthy discussions about the senators cleavage and comments about how men hear "take out the garbage" when she speaks. The video was a reminder that, at least where Hillary Clinton was concerned, sexism remained very present in the media”(Seligson, 2008). Senator Clinton’s confidence mistaken for masculinity was only the beginning of the sexist fueled media frenzy which all but defined the 2008 presidential campaigns.

When Senator John McCain appointed Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate on the republican party ballot; sexism was seemingly reborn not only in the media but in the very individuals who would wish for the public to see them as anything but sexist. John McCain made a grossly offensive mistake by quickly selecting Palin when it would appear that Senator Clinton was no longer a contender for the office of the presidency. Most of the media and the general public for that matter, quickly saw his all too timely choice as one which seemed to desperately attempt to draw as many votes from would be Clinton voters; presumably because Clinton voters were only interested in a female candidate.

This was an enormously poor oversight on the part of the McCain campaign which did not go unnoticed by many voters. This was not the extent however, of the highly sexualized, recent election. Palin was criticized for everything from her wardrobe to her pregnant teen daughter to her home state of Alaska. Even well known conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh made lewd references to Governor Palin’s legs while other well known media commentators referred to her in a number of highly inappropriate ways, “CNBC host Donny Deutsch commented numerous times on her "sex appeal." Liberal