Great! A theory I have constantly propounded like a broken record that’s spinning with the needle on it, and an expression I often use are included in Maureen Dowd’s article in the International Herald Tribune of December 20. Titling her piece Rush to Judgment,

Dowd writes about the grooming that Hillary Clinton has to suffer in her campaign for Democratic presidential front runner.

The unfair business of aging

The theory I constantly trumpet with regret and frustration is: men age much much better than women. Sad, unfortunate, but true. When men grow old and get jowl-cheeked and their hair turns silver or even falls off they attain more personality, stature, charisma, maturity, whatever. In plain simple language they get more attractive. Have a woman showing age and that’s the end of her in the eyes of most men. Grey hair makes her look granny-like (which really is a wonderful state to be in but here used derogatively); wrinkles spoil her face whereas in reality they show she’s wonderful with greater experience in life. The increased girth of a man is overlooked, but commented on ferociously and looked askance at when it happens to a woman due to aging. It seems unfairly easier for a man to look slim and retain his low waist and broad shoulders. The hunch caused by curvature of the aging spine takes hold of only women.

Men seem not to care about getting older. Women are MADE to care. Some like yours truly said that aging was fine, a relief really since it enables one to do away with eroding emotions and live on an even keel. Aging gave greater freedom to be oneself in company and be as easy with men as with women friends. But this was when looks and hair retained themselves almost as before. Even age 60 can be kind to a woman – she can still look good. But get well into that decade and go beyond and that’s IT.

Maureen Dowd writes thus. "One of my male colleagues was explaining why men age better than women. ‘It’s evolutionary, ‘he said, ‘As we wear out our wives, who are running around taking care of the kids, we know we’re going to have to get another, younger wife, so we stay good looking.’ He was kidding (I think). We were discussing Hillary Clinton’s latest hurdle: the Old Hag routine."

Dowd is charitable. She says she thinks the man who explained the gender difference in aging was kidding. I say he was speaking the absolute truth, at least judging from the Sri Lankan perspective. Barring the tiny minority, most wives manage a job, the children, doing for the husband, often looking after parents and parents-in-law and the house and keeping it which entails so much mad running/driving around. They often are wage earners too. The man goes to office well groomed and returns home as groomed as when he left. He may not aim at a second wife but very many do rove-eye as they get older and the wife ages by leaps and bounds in their reckoning.

Rush Limbaugh – radio personality – confirms this idea. "Men aging makes them look more authoritative, accomplished, distinguished. Sadly, it’s not that way for women, and they will tell you. Hillary is not going to want to look like she’s getting older, because it will impact poll numbers, it will impact perceptions. There will have to be steps taken to avoid the appearance of aging. Will this country want to actually watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?"

Damn you Limbaugh! But he is speaking the truth. Even a woman’s popularity at voting time seems to be affected by aging, which should not be. After all she is seeking a position of authority and what better person than one seasoned with experience and the many years she’s lived and learned through.

An un-euphemistic term

The term I mentioned which I use and Dowd has used is Old Hag. It’s a terrible term in both its constituent words. One invariably conjures up an image of Macbeth’s witches. But I use it on myself. When we older dames go for a meal or a trip out of Colombo, I invariably say: "We old hags are going to Kotmale for the weekend" or "The OHs are going to have a day of sun, sea and good eating."

Maureen Dowd uses the term with regard to Hillary Clinton. "We were discussing the Old Hag routine"

This aging before one’s eyes has occurred in all cases of presidents and prime ministers here and abroad. Even the ebullient Bill Clinton aged so much during his two terms as Prez. Chandrika B Kumaratunge too aged. She was clever in allowing her streak of grey hair to show when meeting the rural masses, dressed as she cunningly did in local handloom cotton saris. Come a black tie occasion and she shone in her fabulously expensive saris and jewellery, black coiffed too. But the strains of being at the helm, though she apparently took it in her stride and lightly with peduru parties et al, did age her.

Poor Hillary Rodham Clinton

The first American woman presidential candidate is burdened with much more than the usual wages of campaigning for the Oval Office. It’s absolutely a tough and prolonged battle with many hurdles to overcome – primaries, televised debates, cross country travel and then the presidential election itself. Much worse for a woman candidate since in America of all places, women are still battling against insidious bias, prejudice and not being treated equally with the male of the species.

Dowd says: "When men want to put down a powerful woman in a sexist way, they will say she’s a hag or a nag or a witch or angry or hysterical." True. But I must say that when we had our woman President the men were all charmed by her all through her regime. They invariably commented on her smile. We women discerned her clay feet after being completely adulatory about the beautiful woman who took over the reigns of power, once she was ensconced in power and started to sort of misuse it. But wives are invariably labeled as nags and under the breath muttered to be hags. Even a mild and salutary wifely reprimand is judged to be hysterical.

The Republicans, says Dowd, tried to paint a picture of Hillary as angry. But that did not work as she kept her composure always and smiles and laughs a lot on the campaign trail. So they barge into looks or personal life. Needless to say there is nothing to throw bricks on the second count. So they are zeroing in on her looks.

Dowd comments: "It is true that perfecting the outer shell has become an obsession in this country. Women are still scrutinized more critically on their looks, which seem to fluctuate more on camera, depending on lighting, bloating and wardrobe. Mitt Romney, Barack Obama and John Edwards almost always look good, and pretty much the same, in dark suits or casual wear. Often Hillary looks great, and sometimes she looks tired, heavier or puffier."

And thus in a looks-obsessed culture the perfecting of the outer shell has become an obsession and Hillary has to pay greater and greater attention to her appearance. "She has a much more consistent look than she did as first lady, when she made a dizzying - and disconcerting – array of changes in her hair and style. Hillary doesn’t have to worry about her face. She has to worry about her mask. Back in the ’92 race, Clinton pollsters devised strategies to humanize her and make her seem more warm and maternal. Fifteen years later, her campaign is devising strategies to humanize her and make her seem more warm and maternal." (!!)

An older Iowa man after seeing Hillary in person has said: "Hillary is much more handsome, or beautiful – live. She doesn’t photograph very well."

Thank gawd we in Sri Lanka are still not obsessed with looks and the outer appearance. That comment will surely be in the opinion of Shyamalee Tudawe and her people at HI Magazine and those bringing out the weekly Woman deserving of this philistine of an old hag being beheaded.