When news broke yesterday that the prez had a sit-down with Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive last month for a story that will run in the mag's November issue, the news blogosphere literally imploded. Political journos lashed out at Obama, whom has held only one press conference in the past eight weeks, blasting him for speaking to the women's mag and ignoring more traditional news pubs. Jim Geraghty, contributor to National Review Online, blogged: “Can’t wait to see what he thinks of the new fall collection. Next month, the Cosmo interview!”
Some background: The interview hasn't been released yet, but it's reasonable to assume that the president was questioned about women's health issues, a hot-button topic for the 2012 campaign. There's also a precedent here: In 2008, then-President George W. Bush gave an interview to Glamour at the height of the conflict in Afghanistan. We get that political journos are miffed about the extended silence on the part of the administration, especially at a crucial time in their coverage.
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But, lashing out at Glamour and the president does more than just reveal a petulant, foot-stamping attitude — it exposes a certain dismissiveness toward women. Those outspoken critics have essentially stereotyped the magazine's 12 million readers — and by extension, most women in the mainstream — as frivolous types who don't care about politics, social issues, or anything other than fashion. And that, quite frankly, has gotten us pretty steamed.
Now, your turn: What do you think about President Obama sitting down with Glamour after ignoring traditional news sources? (Women's Wear Daily)
Photo: Courtesy of The White House/Pete Souza