Final word on scrunchie-gate

I know it's summer and you may have (like me) spent some time at the beach, and some more time basking next to the air conditioner, and basically let some routines go. But I bet no matter what you were reading, you heard about the day Hillary Clinton wore a scrunchie. Oh boy did you. The story was everywhere - you would have thought she stepped off a plane wearing one of my grandmother's house dresses:
Carole Print Sundress, Lilac Floral, Small

And yet I wonder, was the scrunchie really such a problem? I'll let you decide:


We've talked before in this forum about how Secretary Clinton isn't particularly well served by pulling her hair back. It tends to focus us in on each individual feature of her face, instead of seeing her face as a dynamic and expressive whole. I think it's that discomfort that we're really reacting to here. There's nothing wrong with wearing a little white silk ruffle in your hair - and ultimately, that's all a scrunchie is, provided it's clean, well cared for and made of good materials, just like all the rest of your clothing and accessories.

The other thing I think some of my fellow bloggers and journalists were reacting to is simply that it's Hillary Clinton, a woman whose looks have been a lightning rod since her public life began. On another political woman, this might have been a non-story. If you're skeptical, simply ask yourself: Did you hear a single word out of anyone when Kirsten Gillibrand wore a banana clip in the Senate last week?

No, you didn't. Not until now.

The forecast in DC today is a high of 92 degrees. I might pull my hair back. Now let's grow up and get back to work.

Comments