The Bitch By Michelle Dole: Article Analysis

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