The Body Politic: Cutting Meghan McCain Down to Size

by Julie Neumann · 2009-03-21 06:00:00 UTC
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The personal is political, but does that mean political pundits should critique the size of your thighs rather than your values and actions?

Meghan McCain was pulled into the public eye when her father decided to run for president. Once the race was over, she made a conscious decision to stay in the spotlight, keeping up McCainBlogette.com and joining the Daily Beast as a columnist. As a young woman promoting, and sometimes criticizing, the Republican Party, she had to see the hits coming. And when she went after GOP darling Ann Coulter, she pretty much painted the bull's eye on herself.

It doesn't surprise me that mud starting flying, but I am incredibly disappointed it was directed at her body rather than her brain. Laura Ingraham had plenty of criticism for McCain's beliefs, but the conservative radio personality couldn't resist taking a dig at her size as well. Which doesn't surprise me either, but it highlights the way our culture reduces women to physical objects.

What do McCain's curves have to do with it? Why did Ingraham think belittling her physical appearance was an appropriate way to criticize her political ideology? When will our words become more important than our weight?

In an interview with Glamour this summer, McCain shared a surprisingly balanced body image. "I got to a point where I was like, I just don't care. You think I'm fat? Fine. I don't care how much you weigh." And she is already fighting back against Ingraham's comments. Despite the personal nature of the attack, McCain is keeping it professional, effectively focusing on an issue that goes beyond party lines.

Regardless of whether or not McCain makes a serious mark in politics, she is already having an impact on the fight against society's objectification of women.

Julie Neumann
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