Newsweek Frets Over Conservative Hotties; Newsweek, Heal Thyself

posted at 3:00 pm on June 6, 2010 by Lori Ziganto
[ Media ]   

Originally posted at NewsReal:

Palin on Newsweek Cover

On June 1st, Right Wing News posted their “20 Hottest Conservative Women in New Media (2010 Edition).” Their first edition was last year and it was born in response to Playboy’s Guy Cimbalo and his disgusting hit piece on conservative women. His article (term used loosely) was a list which was comprised of conservative women that he’d like to “Hate Kedoodle.” Only, you know, he used the F-word.

In full disclosure, I am on Right Wing News‘ 20 Hottest list. According to Newsweek, I should be ashamed of this and feel objectified. Call me crazy, but I’d rather be on this list than on the list made by their fellow lefty, where one gleefully crows about imagining ways to violently and hatefully assault me. But, that’s just me.

In their lame attempt to try to dismiss conservatives by pulling the tired old hypocrite card, Newsweek once again shows that they are willfully ignorant because they don’t understand us and do not care enough to even try to do so, that they are rank hypocrites themselves, and sexists to boot.

They don’t comprehend that as strong and confident conservative women, lacking an ounce of our liberal counterparts’ perpetual victim hood, we embrace all aspects of our gender. As such, we have no problem looking pretty whilst vivisecting you verbally in an argument. We aren’t simpletons; we can multi-task! And we know that if one appreciates how you look, it doesn’t preclude them from also appreciating your mind and your political discourse. Well, at least it shouldn’t. Evidently, that isn’t possible on the left.

Newsweek was so concerned about this list, they decided to sneer contemptuously, disguised as “concern,” while painting the entire list as merely women who look good in face book pages. They also attempted to smear me personally as some dum-dum bimbo. To wit:

“… but by any sensible standard, it’s clear-cut sexism: women trying to compete on the same intellectual playing field as the men being ranked for how sexy they look in their online profile, not how scathingly they dissect Obamacare.

But let’s say you don’t buy the idea that this is objectification. Come on, you say, anyone who calls her blog Snark and Boobs knows she’s trading on sex appeal.”

Listen, Newsweek. Most women like being complimented. Here’s an estrogen-insider secret for you; when a woman asks you if her arse looks fat, it is because she knows it does not. She just wants to hear you say it.  She knows she looks good; she’s already run the outfit by three girlfriends and her sister. She wants to be told she’s purty. And being told she is pretty doesn’t somehow magically remove her cerebral cortex (except maybe in Janeane Garofalo’s case. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened there).

Secondly, If any of your distinguished journalists had bothered to simply ask me, I would have told you what the name meant. No, it is not “trading in sex appeal.” It is meant in good humor. You see, we conservative women like our girl parts and will even poke fun at them from time to time. Good thing I didn’t name it my other thought, Boobsandsammiches, huh? Your heads would have exploded. Oh well, better luck next time!

I’ll speak only for myself because, unlike you, I don’t speak out of my arse – which doesn’t look fat, by the way, even if that offends your sanctimonious sensibilities – for others. I’m not trading in sex appeal. I’m a mother who home schools her daughter. I am a bookworm, a nerd, a person who cares deeply about the state of our country and the world, and someone who is quite content staying home.

I blog at several sites, most of which are comprised of mainly men, and I didn’t “trade on sex appeal” to get there, nor do I bring sammiches. (Although I would, if asked. Cooking doesn’t demean me either. I’m good at it and also enjoy the ego stroke of being told so). I’m also a woman who will not apologize for, nor feel demeaned by, the fact that she can, at age 39, wear a bikini to the pool and look darn good in it.

The problem is, you don’t truly think that is possible. How could a woman look feminine, yet still be accomplished? Worse, a mother! That’s crazy talk! You made that perfectly clear with the oh-so-respectful cover that you ran (shown above) on Sarah Palin. A Governor. With more executive experience than our current President and Vice President combined (and it sure shows now, doesn’t it?) To you, none of that mattered; She can’t possibly have a brain. She’s a beauty queen and all!

Y’all never stopped writing in your slam books, did you? Still smarting from the sting of being shot down for prom? It’s time to grow up. Learn these lessons first: Women are beautiful and successful. Women are feminine and accomplished. Women can look good and spout political opinion with the best of them. Women are not children and can handle being told that they are attractive and not feel diminished by it.

Perhaps it’s not your fault. You must not get out much, since you are busy frantically trying to save your magazine and all. I suggest that once you are officially out of work and have more free time, you look to yourselves and your esteemed colleagues and take on your own sexist hypocrisy.

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