A panel of students, faculty and community members came together Tuesday to discuss the implications of race, gender and class in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Lipstick and Pigs: A Feminist Presidential Roundtable, named in reference to Barack Obama’s quote “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig,” opened a discussion on issues raised during the election from a feminist viewpoint.
“Our goal was to provide a space for feminists to talk about the issues of the campaign and create a dialogue on campus,” said Carol Stabile from the Center for the Study of Women in Society and professor of English and communication. “I didn’t want one prevailing idea to set the tone for the entire discussion.” The issues covered stayed diverse throughout the evening. Subjects ranged from candidates’ media portrayal and political policies to Tina Fey.
Panelists debated whether this election could change the definition of feminist. Gov. Sarah Palin, with her girly charm and hockey-mom persona, could represent a new facet of feminism that emphasizes women’s rights and strays from the stereotyped “man-hater,” suggested some panelists.
University history professor Ellen Herman said feminists dislike Palin for her conservative views, not because she dresses in skirts and heels.
In addition, panelists commented on the issue of identity.
“As a black woman I haven’t really been spoken to in this election… I don’t feel like I should have to choose between two identities,” University student Kari Herinckx said.
Obama has motivated more Latinos to register to vote because immigrants relate better to him, said Guadalupe Quinn, a leader of CAUSA, an organization dedicated to immigrant advocacy.
Herinckx said Obama’s campaign is doing more than just reaching out to racial minorities and has become a catalyst for inspiring young people.
Though the issues were serious, the atmosphere remained friendly. The panel even showed Saturday Night Live skits of Palin and a slideshow representation of the media’s coverage of the election during the discussion. The slides included a picture of Palin on the cover of Vogue and a Hillary Clinton nutcracker.
Panelists included Herman, Quinn, political science professor Joseph Lowndes, philosophy professor Bonnie Mann, political science researcher Priscilla Yamin, and University students Herinckx, Patrick Hayden, and Kelsey Rook.
The event was co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Women in Society, the Women’s and Gender Studies program and the ASUO Women’s Center.
[email protected]