Virginia Postrel, Columnist

Clinton Isn't Everywoman. She's a Politician.

Seeing misogyny at every turn is its own form of sexism.

October 18, 2016 at 2:58 PM UTC

Virginia Postrel is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. She is a visiting fellow at the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy at Chapman University and author, most recently, of “The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World.”

Can we talk about how women talk about Hillary?
Photographer: Ty Wright/Bloomberg

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At the conclusion of last week’s town hall debate, a participant asked the presidential candidates to “name one positive thing that you respect in one another.” Hillary Clinton cited Donald Trump’s children while Trump lauded Clinton’s tenacity. Did those responses flip traditional gender roles -- praising the man for his child-rearing and the woman for her fighting spirit -- or reinforce them, with the woman highlighting family and the man focusing on toughness? You can spin it either way.

When many people look at Clinton, they don’t see a specific politician with a particular background and personality. They just see a woman. Many of these people are Clinton supporters. Many of them have jobs that reward finding gender grievances in every news story.