New York Magazine: Calista Gingrich Has A “Stepford Alien Exterior”

New York Magazine seems to be first out of the gate this campaign cycle with a profile of Calista Gingrich, a possible first lady who should either turn herself into a frump or be prepared for a lot of negative press from MSM scribes.

As might be expected, the piece peddles the same old same old liberal media clichés about the wives of Republican candidates. Author Noreen Malone takes aim at Mrs. Gingrich’s “famous platinum helmet of hair” and her “Stepford Alien exterior.”

A Stepford Alien exterior means being blonde and well-turned out and Republican—as opposed to being blonde and well-turned out and a Democrat.  Despite these potshots, the piece isn’t nearly as unflattering as one might expect, given the venue.

Mrs. Gingrich is portrayed as an intelligent woman who plays a key role in her husband’s campaign. (In the Gingrich marriage, it is Newt who charmingly fixes the "adoring gaze" on the spouse.)

The story delves mostly into how Newt and Calista have been able to make their “unconventional, modern marriage” acceptable to the GOP base.

Writers for magazines such as New York can probably forgive a helmet hairdo if you have an unconventional, modern marriage.

But one passage in the piece shows just how far from understanding conservative women members of the MSM tend to be:

The Type-A, high-achieving Republican woman (who might talk about traditional gender roles, but live her life somewhat differently) is newly popular on the right – as evidenced by the rise of the many “mama grizzly” candidates during the 2010 election – and it seems a model that could be just as well-received for a spouse, if packaged correctly.

Note to MSM: There is no hypocrisy between supporting “traditional gender roles” and having a high-powered career.

As conservative-leaning women, we believe that it’s up to women to decide for themselves which path they will take, whether at home or in the workforce.

Which reminds me…that was the subject of a recent debate in the Economist magazine between Christina Hoff Sommers, who says that women should do what they want to do, and Linda Basch, who says that women should do what liberal women want them to do.