Throughout the years, certain women have been seen as American sex symbols: Marilyn Monroe, Cindy Crawford, Paris Hilton and now Gov. Sarah Palin.
As presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s running mate, Palin of Alaska is only the second woman to be a vice presidential nominee on a major party ticket and the first for the Republican party.
Along with this honor, she has also been subjected to harsh criticism, constant media exploitation and blatant sexism.
Is Sarah Palin a sex symbol or a vice presidential nominee? It’s hard to tell with the recent attention she has received.
Palin is now a household name. Most people in America know her, what she looks like and that she wore maroon heels at the vice presidential debate last Thursday.
A Google image search of Palin shows photos of her face on a cover of Vogue and her mug shot as the runner-up in the 1984 Miss Alaska Pageant.
Many Americans could list her children’s names in a heartbeat. However, this could be because their names sound like subjects students learn in high school.
When it was announced that her oldest daughter, Bristol, will be popping out a baby in December, it hit the news stations faster than a tipsy Creighton student gets sent to CARE.
Even people who do not have an interest in politics or this year’s presidential election could spout off “I can see Russia from my house” at the mentioning of her name.
And you betcha every Joe six-pack and hockey mom in America knows her signature catch phrases. Darn right, they do.
This immense amount of unnecessary media coverage would qualify her for celebrity status, but how about sex appeal?
Herobuilders.com recently released a Sarah Palin action figure complete with different outfits: a business suit, a school girl uniform with a red bra and white knee-highs and a dominatrix outfit of a leather trench coat and see-through mini-skirt.
Another addition to the eroticism of the oil-drilling princess is her recent claim to fame on Internet video game sites. One such game on addictinggames.com allows the player to dress Palin up to the Republican National Convention in an anti-community organizers shirt and an “original maverick” hat.
Palin also won a recent vote on bikini.com for “Most Wanted Bikini Model.”
Various nicknames have also been created for Palin, including “hot mama,” “America’s hottest governor,” “barracuda” and “V-Pilf.”
Is her sex appeal because she’s a politician or because she is a good-looking 44-year-old woman? Well, I certainly haven’t seen Web sites pleading to put Condoleezza Rice or Janet Reno in a partially nude calendar.
When running for such a prominent position, it is certain that media attention will be rampant, although much of it concentrates on her family life and good looks.
However, it is fair to say that emphasis on the issues is now becoming more prevalent as the election rapidly approaches, but the sexist banter is still protruding through newspapers and television screens.
Doggonit, she’s a politician too.