How Old Is 37? Depends on Your Gender (NYT, Jill Filipovic)

[Exotiki]

It’s not just women’s and men’s paths that look different; it’s also how reporters tell their stories. Ms. Gillibrand’s red-district folksiness got her branded by some as “a country bumpkin who is in over her head.” Mr. Buttigieg’s is cast as a bonus — he doesn’t wear a jacket (“I just feel more comfortable with my sleeves rolled up,” he said) and can win in a red state.

Ms. Gillibrand entered the Senate as its youngest member, a designation that was an immediate liability. Although she was at times called a “rising star,” she was caricatured as a clawing Tracy Flick, ambitious but unwilling to pay her dues. Her “aggressiveness seems almost gauche, even for a politician,” a journalist wrote. She was cast as “a young woman in a hurry.”

Few seem worried that Mr. Buttigieg is in a hurry. Instead, people wonder whether America is ready for a millennial president, a question not asked in relation to the admittedly unlikely Tulsi Gabbard, also 37.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/06/opinion/sunday/age-women-men-2020.html

[sfwriter]

1. Pete's been asked about his age in nearly every interview.

At least the ones of any length.

If Gabbard does not get the question and Gillibrand does, as stated in the quoted section, or gets sexist swipes at it, then it’s hard to argue the question itself is sexist.


My guess is they all get it, but the form of the question is sexist. Buttigieg gets the answerable, “aren’t you too young to be president.” It’s easily answered, “No. Reasons...” Women get the unanswerable, “Aren’t you moving to fast?”

[lark]

2. We have different standards for men vs. women on almost everything, sickening as that is.

Women in their 50s are older, aging, greying, etc. Men that age are mature, at the peak of their game, experienced, knowledgeable, wise. Women are still almost always viewed as "the lesser' sex.

We have progressed socially in some ways, but not much in our male vs female understanding and acceptance. We will see all the ways this misogynistic tendency plays out during this election cycle.

[Renew Deal]

3. Tulsi isn't going anywhere

So I don’t think anyone takes her seriously. But it’s a good point overall.