In a post on Humans of New York’s Facebook page yesterday, Hillary Clinton shared a story from her time in college to attempt to explain why she’s frequently perceived as “walled off.” She recalled that while waiting to take a law school admissions test, a group of male students told her that she didn’t “need to be here” and that there’s “plenty else” she could do other than becoming a lawyer.
“I know that I can be perceived as aloof or cold or unemotional. But I had to learn as a young woman to control my emotions,” Clinton wrote. “And sometimes I think I come across more in the ‘walled off’ arena. And if I create that perception, then I take responsibility.”
The Democratic presidential nominee then wrote a second post about how President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton carry themselves with a “naturalness that is very appealing to audiences.” Clinton claimed that it’s harder for women to do so because they often come across as too loud or shrill.
“I know how hard [Barack Obama and Bill Clinton] work at being natural. It’s not something they just dial in,” she said. “And that can be more difficult for a woman. Because who are your models? If you want to run for the Senate, or run for the Presidency, most of your role models are going to be men. And what works for them won’t work for you.”
Clinton makes some good points about how successful women and women in power are often perceived. Independence, boldness, and self-confidence in women are sometimes viewed as being angry or aggressive. In turn, being casual and relaxed is sometimes viewed as being lazy or uncaring. This criticism holds true for women on both sides of the political aisle, as we’ve seen with some reactions to former Republican candidate Carly Fiorina.
“Carly Fiorina is an ice-cold shade queen debate princess and I’m in love with and terrified of her,” Erin Gloria Ryan, managing editor of the feminist blog Jezebel, wrote on Twitter soon after the first Republican presidential primary debate.
Fiorina was a commanding presence on the debate stage, yet Ryan found her to be cold. Hillary Clinton highlighted this problem, but failed to acknowledge that much of her struggle to seem genuine is due to her track record of lying and changing positions on issues.
In addition to lying about Benghazi and her secret server, Clinton has changed her mind on gay marriage, Obama’s immigration policies, the TPP, NAFTA, and her husband’s 1994 crime bill, among others. Her frequent flip-flopping and untruthfulness make her appear inauthentic and forced. That appearance, however, is a correct analysis of her character.
Clinton has proved that her decisions are based on political opportunity — saying anything she thinks is more likely to get her elected. So, while some of the critics about her demeanor might be due to a gender double standard, they are in large part due to the fact that voters can’t trust a word she says.
