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?"
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I agree with you on this point. The right and all its surrogates have this scam down pat. The speil that they pitch to the masses, which can be known as "joe six-pack", "rednecks", or "small-town, hard-working americans" is that I am just like you, and they're pretty damned good at talking the talk. They know that if they connect with the frustrated masses, their appeal is a lucrative opportunity. All the while, they are raking in the cash and living a hoity-toity lifestyle on the sly.
I noticed it with a radio show where the two hosts have a lot of appeal with common folk because they sell themselves as also being common folk. My husband listened to the show and said it was a funny show, so I thought I would listen for some humor. Then one day, the host started talking about cars and how he bought his wife a BMW and how he drove a cadillac. This in an of it self is not bad, however, I couldn't help but notice that as he admitted this, there was a noticeable pause where he was contemplating whether or not he should really be admitting this to his listening audience. That was my a-ha moment. These folks spew stuff that they may or may not believe so that they can get rich. They know, without a doubt, that angry rednecks will always a reliable source of income and they are laughing all the way to the bank, or to Nieman's as in the case of Sarah Palin.
I haven't tuned into that show since, and I am glad that it appears that some people are coming out of their stupor for this election, but as long as those 10 percenters are out there, they will be a source of income for the right until the end of time, just ask Rush Limgaugh.
October 23, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, what, she's supposed to campaign in hand-me-downs and Good Will items? If she did that you'd call her trailer trash.
Sorry, but I find this post disingenuous.
October 23, 2008 7:10 PM | Reply | Permalink