Ann, forgive me, and I know you certainly didn’t mean it this way, but that sounded almost sexist. You seemed to be saying (at least in my opinion) that because Palin wears her hair a certain way or because she likes a certain style of clothing then she cannot be taken seriously because she’s playing into a female stereotype.
Now, as a male I’m not sure I can speak to this notion with authority, but as a person I do have an opinion so here goes. To me to “transcend” your gender as you describe it would be to actually “conform” to some standard you think you need to project in order to be taken seriously. To me that isn’t transcendence that’s conformity. I’m not sure if you’re a fan of “The Simpsons” cartoon, but I’m struck with the remembrance of the episode where Bart got an earring. When his sister Lisa saw it her remark was, “How rebellious in a conformist sort of way.”
To “transcend” at least to me would be to strive to be one’s self despite expected conventions. One could argue that Queen Elizabeth is very dignified, but is so because it’s expected of her. Indeed, as I understand it much of the criticism that was leveled her way in regards to Princess Diana was that she did not feel that Diana always “conformed” to the ideal Queen Elizabeth thought she should be. So, is Queen Elizabeth transcending her gender or simply conforming to the notion of what she feels a monarch should be?
Margaret Thatcher on the other hand seemed (again in my opinion) to be much more her own person. Her dignified manner was not there because she felt the need to be dignified, but rather that such dignity was something she found important and was simply part of her nature. She wasn’t what she was expected to be she was what she chose to be. And that to me is transcendence.
So, say what you will about Sarah Palin, like her or not like her, but she did stand up to her own party when she condemned corruption within the Alaskan Republican Party. That was hardly conformity. Also, I don’t think you can dismiss the fact that she went on to become the Governor of a state. Many feminists write books and give lectures, but how many actually go out and lead? In an age where there is still sexism in the work place she took the top job in a state. Isn’t that “transcendence” to a degree?
I’m not entirely sure of my opinion of Governor Palin at present, but I do know that to casually dismiss her would be to willfully turn a blind eye to what are some considerable accomplishments.
Anyway, that’s just my two cents.
