Palin: Newsweek Cover Sexist, Country Needs To Exercise More (Update)
While we wait for Sarah Palin to activate her still dormant Twitter feed, and keep our fingers crossed that Barbara Walters‘ interview with Palin, beginning today, is slightly more hard-hitting than Oprah’s was, we’ll have to rely on the old Palin standby (UPDATE: Meacham responds below): Facebook.
Late last night Palin posted a response to Newsweek’s cover of her (our thoughts on that here), which hit stands after her interview with Oprah had been taped. Here’s what she had to say:
The choice of photo for the cover of this week’s Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this “news” magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner’s World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness – a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention – even if out of context.
You know what, she’s right. She is devoted to health and fitness — or as she told Oprah “sweat is my sanity” — and as Rachel Sklar noted yesterday during our liveblog Palin is a great example on physical fitness. Also, it’s hard to argue with the idea that this nation does need to exercise more. So there’s that. Next!
UPDATE: Jon Meacham responds to claims of sexism (via Politico)
“We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover, which is what we always try to do. We apply the same test to photographs of any public figure, male or female: does the image convey what we are saying? That is a gender-neutral standard.”
So yes? Since the theme of the cover struck us as fairly marginalizing and sexist, than absolutely Newsweek chose the best picture with which to illustrate this point.
16 comments
Rachel Sklar says: All about health and fitness! And the flag! Because everyone exercises and then comes home to an American flag draped casually over a chair, and then rests casually on it, and then is photographed that way to a controversial response….about the American flag. Yep, totally sexist to highlight that moment of bad judgment and political mis-stepping. ‘Cause Sarah Palin just wants to SWEAT.
It’s a matter of context – the picture was for Runner’s World, this is Newsweek – supposedly a news magazine (and one that recently made a move to become even more highbrow).
I think the decision to use the image was one made to make her look bad, politically nonviable and ultimately unpresidential.
The female zombie race hates her so much. The vast majority of them are fat and only exercise when they’re heading to another white table cloth restaurant to stuff their mouths with more calories. On the other hand you know how we feel about Barry Soetoro. He was a Community Organizer with ACORN for goodness sake! What were his qualifications? He went to Harvard. So did Bush. He wrote a book or had it ghost written by that little weasel, Bill Ayres, who decorated his ears with those gaudy earrings. Same with Sarah. At least she was the Governor of a state and was doing a great job while she was their. He was in the ILL legislature and voted PRESENT on most bills. Never sponsored one on his own. His best friends were Communists and domestic terrorists and anti-Americans. Tell, me, Sir, which one of those things qualified THE Manchurian Muslim to be President? I’m waiting.
Palin LOVES that Newsweek chose something even marginally controversial. Nothing helps Palin more than being able to rail against the media – it’s where her arrows hit closest to the target. She’s not interested in going after Levi (or even Schmidt), she doesn’t want to talk about her resignation: she wants to talk about how the liberal media is keeping her down.
Win-win for Newsweek and Palin, both of whom are topics on conversation on this in ways that they’re comfortable with.
As for the picture itself: Sarah Palin, politician, wanted to show off her legs. Doesn’t matter the magazine. (That picture is about health and fitness like Mediaite is about crocheting.) That’s an odd decision, and one that encapsulates the divide over Palin. I doubt many of her supporters see it as a bad photo.
Rachel Sklar says: “I think the decision to use the image was one made to make her look bad, politically nonviable and ultimately unpresidential.” Ummmm Steve if she looks like that in that image perhaps she bears some responsibility for that?
I also think it’s really interesting that people are focusing on her legs. The controversy over this image was about the flag draped over the chair, and her leaning on it. There all sorts of photos in that Runner’s World series, including Palin bending over and stretching in spandex, which if Newsweek was seeking to marginalize her based on sexualization, would have been a better image to use. This is the image they chose, and the image that emerged as most controversial from that Runner’s World series – because of the flag. Her legs, as it turned out, took second place to an actual political controversy.
Hello! Real world time! Palin posed for that photo happily. It is not some stealth paparazzi nonsense. Is is a posed and carefully lighted shot. Claiming it is sexist is just goofy.
@Chuck Varrick:
Problems with women? All fat? By the way, Obama was also a Senator. And, oh, yeah – Palin quit her governor’s job mid-term.
ImNotBlue says: Rachel Sklar says:
November 17, 2009 at 10:32 am
“I think the decision to use the image was one made to make her look bad, politically nonviable and ultimately unpresidential.” Ummmm Steve if she looks like that in that image perhaps she bears some responsibility for that?
Ah yes, the old “Let’s judge a book by its cover” line. Apparently politics never made it through elementary school “diversity training.”
As for the flag… really? THAT’S the argument? From people who believe the flag can be burned, worn, stomped on, etc… and all of that should be federally protected… Palin “leaning” on a flag is “offensive.” Wow… get a grip.
germ says: @keeva
Yes, Gov. Palin posed for that photo for the context in which it was orginally used for: a short profile of Gov. Palin’s health and fitness routine. In that context, it is the perfect photo.
I think the problem most people have is the Newsweek article focuses on her politics, yet uses this picture of her. I think Bob Beckel stated it correctly when he said, “Is she running for office or for head cheerleader?” when discussing what the narrative of the cover photo is. You don’t see any liberal women being portrayed in the same light, nor do you see any of Newsweeks 30+ cover photos of Pres. Obama in his gym shorts driving the lane during one of his basketball games.
I believe that this photo has less to do with the actual picture than it does with the narrative (especially with the headline “How do You Solve a Problem like Sarah?” – have they never never watched “The Sound of Music”?) it describes on a “News” magazine discussing her politics.
TfT says: I wonder what kind of sales this issue will have and I wonder what kind of feedback Newsweek is getting for using this photo. I know I sent them an email on it.
It is typical of the liberal media, attempting to diminish a strong pro-life, pro-Christian, conservative woman. It says more about Newsweek than it ever will about Palin. This is the picture that Newsweek, a supposed “news” magazine chose to put forth. It reeks of disrespect, but then again, this is Newsweek who is in some sort of arrangement with MSNBC who despises all things conservative/republican.
Newsweek is oftentimes written as newsweak for a reason, this cover is a prime example.
Jim Treacher says: “You know what, she’s right.”
Are you gonna be okay?
Jim Treacher says: “All about health and fitness! And the flag! Because everyone exercises and then comes home to an American flag draped casually over a chair, and then rests casually on it, and then is photographed that way to a controversial response….about the American flag. Yep, totally sexist to highlight that moment of bad judgment and political mis-stepping. ‘Cause Sarah Palin just wants to SWEAT.”
Careful, you’ll chip a molar.
Since “She posed for it” becomes the new standard then are we going to see the media flocking to run that “controversial” image of Barack Obama wearing the Muslim attire? We got lectured how running that photo was completely unfair and taken out of context, and it was possibly racist to do so. I guess now it will be on the cover of the springtime issue of “Mother Jones”.
TfT says: With the update, I would expect that Newsweek must be getting a lot of negative feedback, good, they deserve it.
TfT says: More on this, time time from Runner’s World Magazine (h/t The Corner):
From Runner’s World magazine:
On the cover of this week’s issue of Newsweek is a photo that was shot for the August 2009 issue of Runner’s World, in which Sarah Palin was featured on the monthly “I’m a Runner” back page. Runner’s World did not provide Newsweek with the image. Instead, it was provided to Newsweek by the photographer’s stock agency, without Runner’s World’s knowledge or permission.
@germ
Yes, she posed for it in that context at the time. but when those photos were circulated widely on the web, no complaints. That said, she has to know that photos end up everywhere and once the photo is taken, it is taken. Newsweek used that photo to sell magazines. Nothing more, nothing less. If they wanted to embarrass her on the cover, there are literally hundreds of news photos that do that.
Is it sexist? Not so much. Poor taste? Yep. Bad choice for a news magazine? Definitely. Indicative of Newsweek’s desperation to both sell magazines and somehow become politically relevant? For sure.
@MartiniShark
As to the photos of Obama, if they were taken with his knowledge, then they are fair game. Plus as public personalities, they have to accept that. How often do we still see Obama on the beach? I did not complain about the native attire photo of Obama because he stood there and let the photo be taken. That photo is as fair a game as the one of Palin.
“She/he posed for the photo” is actually a standard. If it can be proven that the photo was taken surreptitiously, that is different. This was a carefully set and posed photo. By the way, an extremely well composed photo I thought.
Fox, MSNBC and CNN do the same thing with their female anchors. All cleavage, all the time for ratings. Even The Weather Channel does that.
What I find most entertaining is the clowns at MSNBC calling the photo sexist when they used a fake photo of her in a bikini repeatedly.
And shame on Runner’s World for not buying the photo flat out. By allowing the photographer to resell it via a stock photo agency, Runner’s World effectively surrendered control of the photo and really has no valid complaint.
When I do a photo shoot, I buy the photos to prevent the photographer from reselling them. And when there is a photo that the model was obviously not prepared for (yawning, laughing, etc.) it gets deleted.
And Keeva, the whole issue is how the pics are presented. As a stand alone story they are fair game and not a big deal. “Look at her in tight shorts, look at him in tribal gear.” But put the President on a cover in the Muslim attire while you ask readers if they think he is good for the country and you have a completely incindiary issue being made. Like you said, poor taste and a bad choice for the magazine, which appears like a desperate hook for readership.
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