You know, it takes a lot to render me speechless, but I think the above might just have managed it. This image is apparently doing the rounds on facebook at the moment.

I don’t think I need to point out that the idea that female political activists’ most important attribute is their eye candy quotient is utterly objectionable. And as Ann at Feministing points out, “Your women are ugly” is not a political argument.

Another thing that’s worth pointing out is that most of the Democrats on the poster are in active poses in which they appear to be actually thinking or debating, whereas all of the Republicans are totally passive. This might just be because the women in question look better in their coiffed publicity shots than in action, but the message is that you can’t be attractive unless you sit down, shut up and look pretty.

I’ve argued at great length before about the fact that associating ugliness with feminism is used to discourage women from getting involved with it and from self-identifying as feminists, as well as giving both men and women license to deride feminism as the pathetic whingeings of fat ugly lesbians who can’t get laid. This is just another example of the same tactic used for a different though not exactly unrelated political agenda.

I’ve nothing more to say about this. It’s just too vile for words.

Posted by Samara Ginsberg on 23 October 2007, at 1:59 PM