Why Sarah Palin's Wardrobe Budget Matters
I'm tired of hearing right-wing pundits and more than a few feminists bemoan the recent response to Sarah Palin's $150,000 wardrobe budget courtesy of the RNC.
As most of you know I am, one, so in the bag for Obama that I made the bag and two, a horrible feminist. However, I promise you neither of those have anything to do with my feelings on this matter.
In business one's brand is immeasurable. You live and die by the public's perception of your authenticity. Think it's a joke? Ask Coke about the "new Coke" campaign or Wal-Mart how their upgraded wadrobe line went over. It's not that people aren't willing to try a new cola or buy cheap chic from discount retailers. It's that people, deluged with demands for their attention, depend on a brand to save time as they make purchasing decisions. So, when a brand betrays its promise, consumers feel personally violated. In many ways, they have been.
Sarah Palin marketed herself as a PTA- attending hockey mom from middle America whose only extraordinary attribute was her extra-ordinary existance. So, when one finds out that the mom next door has almost $200,000 to blow on designer duds from retailers that wouldn't be caught dead on Main Street, USA it is not a matter of sexism or political myopia but authenticity. Palin can be as sexy as she wants to be. I myself wouldn't run for block captain of the neighborhood watch team without a carefully selected outfit. I understand being fierce. I am most in my element when I know i look my best. I could forgive Palin for wanting to upgrade her armor as she wages a nasty campaign.
What is harder to forgive is her betrayal of the brand she sold America. She's no hockey mom in matching yoga suit and ponytail. She's not even a proper feminist in a boxy pantsuit and criminally desexualized pumps. She's a high-end fashionista.
And that's ok...if that is how you introduce yourself.
The problem with Palin's expensive wardrobe is the same problem one would have with a budget line from Saks or a trendy upscale line from Payless - it's a lie. It is a betrayal of the brand. It is inauthentic. Whether it was a choice made of lack of identity or an intentional effort to manipulate the public, one cannot be sure. But, the American people have the right to wonder who, as Palin is fond of asking the other guy, "is the real Sarah Palin?"
As most of you know I am, one, so in the bag for Obama that I made the bag and two, a horrible feminist. However, I promise you neither of those have anything to do with my feelings on this matter.
In business one's brand is immeasurable. You live and die by the public's perception of your authenticity. Think it's a joke? Ask Coke about the "new Coke" campaign or Wal-Mart how their upgraded wadrobe line went over. It's not that people aren't willing to try a new cola or buy cheap chic from discount retailers. It's that people, deluged with demands for their attention, depend on a brand to save time as they make purchasing decisions. So, when a brand betrays its promise, consumers feel personally violated. In many ways, they have been.
Sarah Palin marketed herself as a PTA- attending hockey mom from middle America whose only extraordinary attribute was her extra-ordinary existance. So, when one finds out that the mom next door has almost $200,000 to blow on designer duds from retailers that wouldn't be caught dead on Main Street, USA it is not a matter of sexism or political myopia but authenticity. Palin can be as sexy as she wants to be. I myself wouldn't run for block captain of the neighborhood watch team without a carefully selected outfit. I understand being fierce. I am most in my element when I know i look my best. I could forgive Palin for wanting to upgrade her armor as she wages a nasty campaign.
What is harder to forgive is her betrayal of the brand she sold America. She's no hockey mom in matching yoga suit and ponytail. She's not even a proper feminist in a boxy pantsuit and criminally desexualized pumps. She's a high-end fashionista.
And that's ok...if that is how you introduce yourself.
The problem with Palin's expensive wardrobe is the same problem one would have with a budget line from Saks or a trendy upscale line from Payless - it's a lie. It is a betrayal of the brand. It is inauthentic. Whether it was a choice made of lack of identity or an intentional effort to manipulate the public, one cannot be sure. But, the American people have the right to wonder who, as Palin is fond of asking the other guy, "is the real Sarah Palin?"
