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Part of me thought she’s a US friggin’ senator and we’re
focused on her weight and then quickly I corrected myself. It doesn’t matter if
you’re a senator people care about weight and the vast majority of people personally
care about their weight and image too. In Gillibrand’s case there
were the countless comments colleagues (I should say other politicians) made. This
one was priceless, a male colleague’s comment when seeing Gillibrand at
the congressional gym, “Good thing you’re working out, because you wouldn’t
want to get porky!” Gillibrand’s response: “Thanks, a—hole.”
Gillibrand says she’s been every size from a 4 to a 16 and
in a testament to my belief that the busier
you are the more you get done she managed to lose 40 pounds while running for
election. Yes, senators (and CEOs and celebrities) keep food journals. Gillibrand
also emailed with her sister for support and has seen a nutritionist. So
there’s something private and relatable about Gillibrand’s transformation. She
has talked about her children saying, “I hope I’m setting a good example for
them by making health a priority.” She has talked about her husband’s support
in making sure she had time for her morning run.“If I find an hour a day for myself, I’m a better mom and
senator.”
But there’s another piece of this and that’s what happened
to Gillibrand’s approval ratings with her weight loss. The Post summed it up this way “Senator Kristen Gillibrand went from
plump and obscure to thin and popular.”
And though there’s been talk of Chris Christie’s weight, this Washington Post writer summed it up best
“appearance matters in politics, for male
and female candidates. But it is an inescapable fact of political life that for
female candidates, appearance matters more.”
Politics is a game, Gillibrand seems to be playing it well
but playing it with integrity. While weight loss may have boosted her you can’t
lose weight without really putting the time in and doing the work. And you
can’t keep weight off for a job or because you “should”.
Were you aware of Gillibrand's weight loss? Do you think weight matters in every profession? Do you think it's different depending on your gender?
