The Bitch By Michelle Dole: Article Analysis

Improved Essays
1. The Era of ‘The Bitch’ is Coming by Michelle Cottle

In this article, Cottle argues that a Clinton win will lead to a misogynistic backlash. She points out that people often resent cultural change and can act out as a result of this resentment. The behavior of Trump supporters at his rallies and on social media are examples of what might be to come. Farida Jalalzai, a political scientist from Oklahoma State University believes the sexism will become greater when she gains more power because she will become more threatening. In addition to overt misogyny, subtle sexism is also a concern. This is seen in gendered comments such as “She’s not a strong leader” or “She’s too aggressive.” Leonie Huddy, a professor of political science at Stony
…show more content…
Dole was the first woman to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. At times Dole received little coverage compared to her competitors. This was a stark contrast compared to the large amount of coverage of Clinton’s “listening tour” considering Clinton was only considering a run for Senate. Both women dealt with typical coverage of female candidates including coverage of their clothing and appearance. For the most part, though, Dole’s candidacy was taken seriously by the media. The Clinton campaign was treated as more of a celebrity story. Both Clinton and her opponent were treated more as political stars and had few questions of substance asked of …show more content…
According to Steinem, Clinton and other qualified female candidates could not use the same style as Obama or Bill Clinton. If they did, they would be considered too emotional. There is no ”right way” for a woman to be in a powerful public role without being considered a “bitch.” Steinem declares her support for Clinton over Obama because Clinton has “no masculinity to prove.” She writes about her concern that Obama was seen as unifying due to race while Clinton was seen as divisive about gender. Steinem believes that we can “no longer choose our leaders from a talent pool limited by sex, race, money, powerful fathers and paper degrees.” I think this is op-ed is interesting considering the role the topic of feminism played in the 2016 Democratic primary. This op-ed describes how Steinem believes feminism should play a role choosing who to vote for. However, in the recent Democratic primary many young women, including those that considered themselves feminists, chose Sanders over Clinton. Changing views of how feminist influences political choices has implications for women running for office and how candidates reach out to these

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Benevolent Sexism In the article, “The Problem When Sexism Just Sounds So Darn Friendly,” Melanie Tannenbaum explores how sexism is still prevalent in most societies today. Tannenbaum explains in the article what benevolent sexism is, why it is a problem, and how it affects society today. A discussion is necessary to analyze what the article is about, how one can relate to this article, if the arguments made in the article are agreeable, and if there is any bias present in the article. The article begins by explaining what benevolent sexism is; however, it should be noted that benevolent sexism is one of two categories under ambivalent sexism.…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Jo Freedman Summary

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Jo Freedman article gives an overview of the history of women running for president. In an election year that for the first time in history a woman has received the nomination for a major party, it is important to study the women who predate Hillary Clinton. Freedman discusses that the first women who ran for president used it as a platform for discussion of issues that they felt personally about. When reading the rest of Freedman over view it reveals that women for the majority were doing just that same thing. Women running for president worked with minor parties and never ended up on most ballots in the primary.…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Sitting Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, spiked political and social debates during his confirmation hearings in the 1990s. Justice Thomas is a conservative judge appointed by former President George H.W. Bush. (Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas: The Backstory) Prior to his judicial appointment, Clarence Thomas was the head of U.S. Department of Education 's Office of Civil Rights in Washington and the Equal Employment Opportunities Committee, where Anita Hill worked as his subordinate. (Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas: The Backstory)…

    • 1535 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Amanda Marcotte Sexism

    • 1111 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As human beings we don’t have the luxury of being able to choose between becoming a male or a female, and regardless of what technology has to offer in the next generations to come it should stay that way. The idea of a man or women ever being more superior to another is an absolute disgrace to our society. In order for our country to function the way it does, men and women on a daily basis must work side by side under no restrictions. In all honesty, being a male I grew up not having to deal with all the sexism that goes on in a girls every day activities. I don’t blame the strong willed women for rebelling and going against the common stereotypes that are tagged against them, I would do the same.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    While Hillary Clinton was the first woman to run for the United States presidential with the sponsorship of a large party, Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for the president of the United States in 1872 which was 144 years ago, and 50 years before women had the right to vote. The political life of Woodhull paints a picture of the challenges that women have faced in politics which are mirrored by other women, including Hillary Clinton. The two share similar political stands, especially when it comes to the national conversation of having strong stands concerning family, labor and as well as issues concerning women. They established lifelong projects to come up with emerging channels of communication. They also faced similar challenges,…

    • 2015 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    She begins her speech giving a brief history to support the facts in her argument: “First, the history of our country”(1). “Second, the suffrage for women already established in the United States makes women suffrage for the nation inevitable” (2). ” Third, the leadership of the United States in world democracy compels the enfranchisement of its own women” (2). By opening her speech with hard facts, she sets the foundation for her reasoning. Men especially are drawn to listen because rarely do women at this time attempt to take a stand for something so prominent.…

    • 1130 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Tammy Baldwin Stereotypes

    • 1477 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In this gender research paper I will focus on Tammy Baldwin the first openly gay senator and how women are still often stereotyped in the workforce as well as in politics. We will move on in the paper and discuss the concepts of gendered media and how the rhetorical shaping of gender and women’s movements in the United States. The concepts analyzed will further develop how Tammy Baldwin is an impactful influence on Communication and culture. In recent time women have made huge stepping stones and have outgrown stereotypes.…

    • 1477 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    • Both activist represent a liberated, conservative, and a balanced of both, of women in the society. Gloria Steinem typify of a liberated woman. She supported liberation of women in the pivotal era, and she fought equal rights for women. First, she enforced that men and women should share in supporting the family. In doing so, women are not trying to abandon the responsibility of a mother, but to be of service to the family as well.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Précis: In this article “Clinton, Trump and Sexism” Nicholas Kristof discusses how Hilary Clinton is an openly feminist running for president and that people like most about Hilary Clinton’s candidacy is her gender. Kristof also talks about how women are “reshaping” the public debate in good and healthy ways. For example, tax on tampons and other menstrual products. President Obama suggested there should not be a tax on tampons and if this issue this shows that women are impacting the conversation. Kristof also goes off by saying that female leader do not really focus on women's right but when Clinton was traveling as Secretary of State, she discussed issues such as domestic violence, human trafficking, equal pay and etc.…

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This article is all about focusing on which political candidate will be the next president that we will see. The article is about favoring one candidate over the other. The audience of this article is the feminist who have the thoughts of Gail but waited to see if someone had the same views. This piece is intended for feminist who favor Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    King, Savio, and Steinem: The Radicals of an Era The 1950s through the 1970s were a time of activism for many diverse groups who wanted to change the civil, social and stereotypical manners of the United States. Those that were involved in the Civil Rights Movement, Free Speech Movement, and the era of second-wave Feminism, are often referred to as radicals. Radicalism is defined as the extreme advocation for a change in prevailing conditions, views, or affairs. The civil rights activists who peacefully protested for a shift in segregation laws were not as radical as other activism groups. The students from the University of California at Berkeley who pressed for their right to free speech on campus and the women who felt enslaved by their stereotypical role as housewives and mothers, were both extremely radical in the means of exaggeration.…

    • 1516 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    After her time as the first lady, Hillary Clinton secured a seat in the senate, and then served as the secretary of state in the white house under Obama. (4) She was also a lawyer who worked on the Watergate scandal. (5) On the 12th of April 2015, she officially announced her candidacy for president.(1)…

    • 1873 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 2016 the United States will choose its next president. As of now the Presidential race has narrowed down to five candidates. Each candidate is recognizable but one candidate in particular stands out above all others. Hillary Clinton should become the next president due to her experience in politics, her positions on social and political issues, and the fact that she will be the first female president of the United States. Clinton’s experience in politics as First Lady, a senator, and Secretary of State make her a qualified person for president.…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    By not passing the women’s suffrage amendment, the United States falls behind the other democratic countries. She creates a sense of culpability in the politicians because they are the ones not acting; they are the ones not passing the amendment; they are the ones holding America…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Unconscious Gender Bias

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Subject: Communication and Gender Instructor: Dr. Jesical Wiley Name: Anthea (He Hongfu) Assignment: Op-ed essay Overview it is easy to assume that the government which has gender parity will be more effective. Innumerable investigations have shown that the benefits of greater gender equality in the politics. However, in one studies, it shown that women need achieve the higher requirements in the elective office compared with men.…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays