Not a lot of people seem to know that while McCain was in a Vietnam prison camp, he had a wife, Carol, at home taking care of his three children. During this time, Carol McCain got into a terrible car accident that left her permanently crippled. When her husband returned, he was shocked to see the change in his former-swimsuit model wife and, even though Carol claims her accident was not the cause of this, he soon left her for a younger woman - Cindy McCain.
The article linked above points out how important female voters are in this election, and how something like this could be particularly damaging, should it come to the media forefront. Referring to female voters - "Many of these women have walked in Carol's shoes. / They have loved men when their lives were low only to be cast aside when their spouses' stars began to rise."
Should this become a bigger issue, do I think this will affect the opinions of American female voters? Absolutely. It's hard not to be swayed by a candidate's personal character, and this is an issue that hits very close to home for a lot of American women. If John McCain is cast as the philandering husband and Cindy McCain as the homewrecking other woman, while Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are portrayed as the all-American husband and wife team, I think this will have a major impact on female voters.
Just take a look at these magazine covers:
Cindy McCain - "Behind That Smile" versus Michelle Obama - "She shops at Target, loved Sex and the City and never misses the girls' recitals. The untold romance between a down-to-earth mom and the man who calls her 'my rock'"
As an American woman myself, Michelle Obama has that she's just like me element to her, while Cindy McCain comes off as cold and sneaky. I know this is based on superficial images and, well, magazine covers... but imagery works! How many women browsing through the magazine shelves at their local supermarket or book store are going to see these images, perhaps next to one another, and think the same thing (probably without even reading the articles inside).
How would you vote for First Lady?
3 comments:
Excellent points! And a bit scary to think just how much media impacts the voters of America.
My moms group (ages 36-40) all like Michelle because she worked her tail off to get where she is. They feel Cindy came from a priviledged background and used her looks to get where she is. They have also stated they can relate to Michelle, while Cindy reminds them of the girl they all hated in school - the pretty cheerleader who had everything.
cindy looks like an alien.
I agree. Imagery definitely plays a large part in how someone can be perceived. I think that an added fact would be the different magazines that each woman is on. People Magazine is, for me, much more approachable and relatable than Newsweek can sometimes be. It's going to be tough for Cindy to get past her, well, past history and really show America that she is just like everyone else.
Post a Comment