Defending Sarah Palin

Image from AP Photo/Getty images as found on abcnews.com

This post might surprise some of you who know I am not a big Sarah Palin fan. In fact, I am not a Sarah Palin fan at all.

But I came across a link teasing this item on the front page of abcnews.com yesterday and it annoyed me supremely. The headline accompanying this picture proclaimed: Sarah Palin Sports Funky Toenail Polish. The caption with the photo reads:  Sarah Palin debuted spotted black-and-white toenails in Iowa Aug. 13, 2011. This is not the first time Palin has sported a funky nail color pattern -- she also wore red-and-white toenails to an event in 2009.

First of all, who cares about her "funky" toenail polish? It doesn't seem more radical or controversial than anything else I have seen. It's a pattern! Black with white polka dots. It's fun! Red and white. It's cute! Most women I know enjoy getting pedicures or DIYing their own toes by wearing all different nail polish colors or designs, especially during the summer when our toes are likely to be on display.

This is not a news story and it highlights a major inequality between coverage of men and women in the political spotlight.

How much more patronizing can the media be toward female political figures? We don't have to hear about the fashion, hairstyle or makeup choices of male political figures. We can't talk about a woman's platform because the media is too busy covering her glasses or her pantsuit or how she looks in a cover photo taken for a national magazine.

It is sad that ABC News chose to make this a news story and put a link about it on the front of their website. Personally, it makes me hyper-sensitive to the additional challenges facing women running for political office in our country, and it is not just limited to females in politics.

I am really curious to know what you think about this!

Miscellaneous Monday Musings

Sometimes you come across clever, funny, cringe-worthy things on the Internet and you just want to share them.

Have you seen Dear Photograph? How do people even think of this stuff? You take an old picture and return to the place where the picture was taken. Position the old picture to fit in with the scenery and take a new picture. Add a poignant caption, and voila - Internet gold! I could look at this site for hours. Some of the pictures have an almost haunting quality and the stories they tell can be moving. If you are sappy or interested in nostalgia, you have to check out Dear Photograph.

Regretsy is described as Where DIY Meets WTF. It makes fun of random craft projects posted on the popular website Etsy.

Kate Middleton For the Win was cracking me up leading up to the Royal Wedding. It still makes me laugh, but I wish they would update it!

What websites should I be surfing this week?