Last week, California Senatorial candidate Carly Fiorina was caught on an open mic mocking one of her opponents, sitting Senator Barbara Boxer. Fiorina said, “[a friend] saw Barbara Boxer briefly on television today and said what everyone says, ‘God what is that hair?’” Fiorina then laughed and added, “Sooo yesterday.”
When initially asked about her remark, Fiorina said, “My goodness, my hair’s been talked about by a million people, you know? It sort of goes with the territory.” Really? I didn’t know that trashing women’s looks was a central part of the electoral process.
To her credit, during an appearance on a Sunday talk show, Ms. Fiorina said, “I regret this whole situation. I gave people the opportunity to talk about something petty and superficial. This is a very serious election year about serious issues.”
What I wish she had done next (as I so often want our “leaders” to do) was to use her mistake as a teaching moment. She could have stressed how easy it is to slip into old habits of thinking or speaking. She could have talked about the importance of language and how sexist comments (whether made by men or women) create negative and limiting images of—and therefore beliefs about—women. She could have been a role model, showing young women how important it is for us to support one another—and certainly not to do each other harm.
Carly, if you are listening (and if you are running for elected office, you should be), please use this election cycle for more than your own personal gain. You have the chance to campaign in a way that promotes greater respect for women leaders. Accomplishing that would be the real victory.
Cynthia
