Academic

Yes We Can, But We Might Do It More Effectively If Average Women Were Included

By Ann Bartow

Remember this powerful video will.i.am made to support Barack Obama? I thought it was brilliant the first dozen or so times I watched it, mesmerized. But after a while I noticed that while the men in the video vary a bit in age and size and traditional indicia of mainstream attractiveness, and most are wearing baggy raiment, the women are all young and thin and beautiful and generally wearing very body conscious clothing. It’s still a great video in a lot of ways, but by excluding average women, it illustrates one of the reasons so many preferred Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Like other humans, older, average women like to feel welcome and represented. Obama’s supporters haven’t facilitated this very well, though the campaign itself is trying hard to mend fences, with Hillary Clinton’s assistance. [NB: If I never have to read about "Obama courting women voters" again I'll be very happy. He doesn't want to date them, he wants their votes.]

The Obama campaign didn’t make the video, but by some accounts (see also, see also and see also) is still struggling to attract older women, whom he will need to win battleground states. I hope he will prevail in November, but if he doesn’t, I think it’s going to be because of the way too many of his high profile supporters ignored or belittled so many women during the primaries.

–Ann Bartow

Full post as published by Feminist Law Professors on September 18, 2008 (boomark / email).