Really? Women are still expected to bare their knees and walk on stilts while men are allowed to walk on more solid shoes and cover their whole legs? This is 2020. The ERA has been ratified by 38 states. Men should have to compete fairly. Since we call these political 'races' why don't we require all male racers to compete in the same racing uniform as the women?
I put the picture up because we are so accustomed to seeing women and men dressed like this that we don't even SEE the disparity. It’s just how things are. I'm hoping readers will start really seeing this sort of thing in the future.
Women candidates are expected to dress 'like women.' They are allowed to dress like men to the extent they may wear pants. But if they wore a man’s suit and tie and shoes, it would be weird. It’s all the media would write about. Male candidates would never show up to a debate dressed like the female candidate in this picture. That alone tells us a lot about male/female equality and power. It’s ok for women to dress a bit more like a man, but not the other way around.
I think candidates in a debate like this should be asked about what they are wearing, how they chose their clothing, why, and how their outfit reflects the power of men and women in our society and in elections.
I suspect everyone responds, viscerally, a little differently. Do the bare legs enhance the woman's appeal to voters? Distract from what she says? How would the man wearing shorts affect voters? There's a lot more to unpack from this picture.
[The photo, by Irfan Khan, is from the LA Times print version of the story (the online version has different pictures) and is of Jackie Lacey and George Gascón both running for Los Angeles County District Attorney.]