White House Correspondents’ Dinner - Gender

This past week, at the White House Correspondent's Dinner, Cecily Strong stole the show. She had the best jokes and zingers, and became an internet star seemingly overnight. But my favorite joke, and the one i want to write about tonight was when she assembled member of the media to repeat a pledge:

“I solemnly swear not to comment on Hillary Clinton’s appearance, because that is not journalism.”

You can view her entire set here:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/04/26/the_best_joke_of_the_white_house_correspondents_dinner_and_11_runners_up.html


The joke rattled the audience more than any moment of the night, since the entire audience was the media. To Strong, she was just commented on what she saw, which is that commentary and coverage over the years about Hillary's changing hairstyles, her penchant for pantsuits and other assorted appearances are the direct result of Clinton being a woman. A man running for president would never be subjected to similar treatment. The media was making her gender too big of an issue, and I agree. Clinton has dealt with more scrutiny for how she looks for the past two decades more than any male, and that's not fair. 

In terms of the CDA, the media was using appearance and looks to judge a candidate, regardless of their politics. Googling clips of Hillary Clinton and her looks will give proof of this. What is refreshing, especially at an event full of the media, and a clip that has now gone viral, is that Strong called out the media for this. And it seems like the American people agree. The overwhelming support of Strong and her set is proof of that. The American people are tired of the media using their influence and ideology to speak on gender and appearance, especially when it unfairly targets women. In the past, the media would use their ideology to target Hillary and her appearance, and people, through their exposure to this content, would agree. But in 2015, it seems the tide is turning. Why? I think our society is more informed of these issues and care about them more. Women aren't fully treated equally yet, but we are more accepting. And those who disagree with women's rights are in the minority. It's refreshing to see the media held to more accountability. Especially when gender is going to be a big part of the 2016 election.