Clinton's Pneumonia Reveals Sexist Double Standard

Hillary Clinton waves as she leaves her daughter's New York City apartment in New York City on 11 Sept. 2016. Image Credit: Craig Ruttle / AP
Misogyny alive and well in coverage of Clinton's recent illness

You don’t have to like Hillary Clinton as Democratic nominee for President of the United States. You don’t even have to like her as a person. But you do have to realize how hypocritical and ridiculous the double standards she has to live with are. The media seems to care more about her daily fashion choices than her foreign policy experience. If she is too shrewd, she is a bitch. If she makes a joke, she is not serious enough. Conversely, I have never read an article about Donald Trump’s outfits. When he says something outlandish, even racist, he has been deemed strong and decisive. So when news broke that Clinton had pneumonia, it was no surprise the media had a field day. The double standards of Clinton, a woman, and Trump, a man, became more evident than ever before during this election.

It is safe to say the average person would collapse after a single week of presidential election campaigning, let alone an entire year. I know I would. On top of the constant media circus, you are traveling, attending countless daily meetings, giving speeches, preparing for debates and trying to maintain a semblance of a personal life. You are never alone. You are constantly surrounded by staffers, reporters, advisors and bodyguards. The extreme levels of mental, emotional and physical stress would surely affect your immune system. And that would be okay, unless you are a woman.

Yes, pneumonia is a serious illness which should be cared for immediately and with great care. But the thing is, it’s 2016. Pneumonia is not nearly as deadly as it was before the advent of antibiotics. It is not a chronic, recurring condition which will affect someone’s decision making for longer than the duration of the illness itself. It is very unpleasant, but chances are, you will be just fine in a week or two. Clinton fought through her sickness and continued doing press conferences, talk shows and met with her staff as per usual. She barely skipped a beat. Meanwhile, if I am vaguely feverish I lock myself away from society and binge watch Netflix and drink ginger ale for as long as it takes for me to feel human again.

Hillary Clinton on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on 22 Oct. 2015. Image Credit: Evan Vucci / AP 

The media made sure to let everyone know that this is not about a presidential nominee having a cold, it is about a female presidential nominee having a cold. No man has ever been subjected to the level of health related scrutiny like Clinton has. I can prove it too.

Let’s journey back to Franklin D. Roosevelt. He led Americans out of the Great Depression, revolutionized social welfare and beat the Nazis all while confined to his wheelchair. Oh, and he was also elected four times. Granted, most people did not know his physical abilities were as limited as they were, but the double standard is still there. If Clinton showed up to a press conference in a wheelchair, she would never be elected. Female presidents are not allowed to sit even if they have to. There is a deeply unsettling implicit bias against handicapped persons in the United States, and an even more apparent bias against women.

Then there was John F. Kennedy. People remember him for his involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis, his push for civil rights reform and his tragic demise. He is commemorated as a strong man, the kind who could woo Marilyn Monroe while still projecting the family man image. People never seem to talk about his chronic health problems, his back pain and his addiction to prescription pills. If Clinton was prescribed cough syrup, the media would insinuate she had a drug problem. You may think I am exaggerating, but this is the nature of the depressing media landscape Americans live with every day.

And just to even the party playing field, let’s talk about the Republicans. It has been said Ronald Reagan’s cognitive abilities deteriorated by the end of his presidency due to the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Clinton's mental health is called into questions on a daily basis simply because she is a woman. In 1992, George H.W. Bush vomited all over Japanese Prime Minister Miyazawa Kiichi. If Trump vomited on a foreign diplomat, it would wind up as a gaff on Saturday Night Live. If Clinton vomited on a foreign diplomat, her physical and cognitive competency would be scrutinized to the point of insanity.

Trump is playing by a different set of rules, and the media feeds into his lack of social responsibility everyday. He has yet to release his tax returns while Clinton has released every record since 1977. While Trump demands Clinton release her medical records, he himself has yet to release a single one. Instead, he had his longtime personal physician, Dr. Harold Bornstein, write a letter asserting he would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” The doctor wrote this letter in less than five minutes as Trump’s limo waited outside his office.

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid was quick to defend Clinton and blamed reporters for their coverage of her illness. He claimed everyone was being "unfair" to Clinton.

“She’s off the campaign trail for a few days," he said. "She probably needed the rest anyway. So you folks have magnified the problems she has.”

He then confronted Trump and the double standard the candidates are judged upon. “He [Trump] complains about her health? What does he do? He’s 70 years old. He’s not slim and trim. He brags about eating fast food every day. Look at his health a little bit.”

Twitter was also quick to chime in and defend Clinton. Here are some of my favourites:

It is quite obvious American media is more concerned about Clinton’s pneumonia than Trump’s paranoid manic outbursts. Sadly, the sickness Trump has cannot be cured with antibiotics.

Written by Lianna Bass

Lianna Bass is a humanist, writer & traveler. She enjoys topics of cultural studies, cuisine, fashion and the arts. Lianna enjoys skydiving, meditation and rock music. She also makes the world's best pesto. Originally hailing from coastal Asbury Park, New Jersey, Lianna currently lives in Paris.