Congresswoman Wears Shoes, Eyeshadow

Conservative Hudson Valley Congresswoman Nan Taylor may be a conservative Congresswoman, but she's also feminine.

Courtesy of New York Magazine:

Hayworth's opponent in the traditionally moderate 19th District next year, Richard Becker, quickly sought to tie her to the tea party and the hostage-taking tactics of the debt ceiling. But while Hayworth might look the part — she's a member of the Hudson Valley Patriots and she wears Palin-red pumps — and sound like one of the bombastic female tea-party-affiliated GOP politicians currently having a (long) moment, there are more than a few very New York differences between her and someone like Bachmann. [Emphasis mine]

Awesome paragraph. Great journalism. Trenchant as hell.

Moving along...

Hayworth has quickly learned to dress the part of a conservative politician: The morning we talked, the city was sweltering, but she was in full regalia: knotted bright scarf, prominent pins, dark blazer, nude pantyhose. Her shiny red pumps — Stuart Weitzman, obtained from zappos.com, she confided readily — looked like a slightly more sedate version of the Naughty Monkey peep-toes Sarah Palin famously wore onstage at the 2008 RNC. The semiotics of Republican fashion is a topic to which the former ophthalmologist has given some thought since entering politics in 2010 — "I never wore red shoes before in my life," she told me.

Super. I'm so voting against that virgin/whore the first chance I get.

I'm pretty sure that if when I win the Nobel Prize in Jazzhands, the next day's headlines will read: "Lady Has Penis, Wears Slutty Red Shoes." That's just how these things work. I'm also pretty tired of having to point out that this is bullshit. See also: Liss, who writes approximately 47 pieces a day about assholes perpetuating sexist memes against Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Hillary Clinton, or any other woman with a good job.

There's nothing wrong with wearing pantyhose. Femininity hurrah! But what would happen if Representative Taylor didn't wear pantyhose in August? Would she even be in Congress? She can conform to gendered beauty standards and have journalists ridicule her, or she can refuse to conform and be ridiculed for doing that. That's some choice.

And for the record, back the fuck off from the red shoes bit. Red shoes are the shit. I own three pairs of red shoes: tattered Chucks and well-loved tennis shoes, as well as amazing crimson patent leather Mary Janes with three inch heels. You bet your ass I'll be wearing those if when I'm in Congress. And if when Vice President Jello Biafra invites me to a state dinner, I'll be wearing my red All-Stars. Deal with it.

Via @CapitolTonight