Moonlight and Valentino
Why are the media so clothes-minded when it comes to Palin?
It's a story that gives the tired old dichotomies of Palin’s controversial candidacy (conservative politics versus liberal; street smarts versus book smarts; folksiness versus erudition; elitism versus Joe-six-packism; blah versus blah) a Pygmalionesque implication: that by bringing the outsider onto the GOP ticket and into the party’s echelons, McCain and his team have invited the common to infiltrate the exclusive, thereby daring—expecting?—the ... Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
Her only reason for being the VP candidate was her personal narrative - the outsider from Main Street, Wasilla AK. Her insistence on repeating this message -- and nothing else -- left her especially vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy. It was naive to expect the press to give her a break when she attacked them repeatedly for supposedly being elite, unreal etc. And, given that the shopping spree was organised and paid for by the campaign, and happily sanctioned by Palin, it made their collective judgement look foolish and out of touch with the country as a whole. So, although the news media played it a little too arch, yes, Palin's wardrobe is relevant.