Does anyone really care what John McCain wears?  Or Joe Biden?  Or Barack Obama?

(In answer to the latter, the answer is generally no, unless the question of an American flag lapel pin is raised.)

Hillary Clinton says that’s an example of the sexist media:

“I think you have to ask yourself and it’s a little exercise I’d like everybody in the press, and really all of us, to go through: Would the same thing be said about a man in a similar position and the answer 99 times out of 100 is no. I think it’s been a long time since anybody covered what Barack Obama, Joe Biden, or John McCain wear or their hairstyle or any other personal characteristic like that.”

So I have a little exercise for Hillary.  For a full year, she should do the following:

1. Stop getting her hair done.  Settle on a particular, simple hair style that never changes.  Nothing too poofy, nothing with any kind of dramatic sweep.  The way Bill wears his hair.  Just don’t follow John Edwards’ lead with the $300 haircut.  Any man who spends more than $40 for a haircut — I spend $15 on mine — is going to get talked about in the press, too. (And for that matter, any candidate for president who seems to delight in calling his opponent “elitist” but wears $520 shoes is going to find his fashion choices talked about, too.)
2. Stop wearing jewelry.  A wedding ring is fine.  Nothing else.
3. Stop with the makeup.  A little foundation is acceptable, because in public appearances, any politician is likely to slap on a little powder if he or she knows cameras are going to be around.
4. Stop with the colored pantsuits.  Navy blue, black and grey are fine.  Orange, red, jade and baby blue must go right out of the closet at once.  When did you see Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden or any other male candidate wear an orange suit?

In other words, if you want to be treated like a man, make yourself look like a man in every respect possible.  Is that unfair?  Before you answer, look at Hillary’s own words:

“I think you have to ask yourself and it’s a little exercise I’d like everybody in the press, and really all of us, to go through…”

All of us?  Why, Hillary?  Is it possible — just possible — that it’s not so much just the press that’s being sexist, but our society as a whole?  In many, many ways, the press is a mirror on society:  the press doesn’t create discrimination, but it does very often reflect what’s already there.

If women in politics really want to be treated like men, by virtue of not having their hair and wardrobe talked about, then why would they dress in a way that’s different from men?  You don’t blend in by trying to stand out.

Hillary wants to project her own personal style, yet have no one notice it.  She doesn’t want to look like “one of the guys,” yet resents it when it’s pointed out that she’s not one of them.

Sounds like a double standard to me.

Before the women in my audience start jumping on me about this, let me be clear:  as a voter, I don’t care what Hillary wears.  And I really think that most people don’t care, either.  But when a candidate comes out wearing an outfit the color of a pumpkin, for example, we’ll all notice it.  Most of us will notice it for a few seconds and move on.

To be fair, I don’t notice a lot of coverage about Hillary’s outfits.  Letterman is always good for a laugh on the pantsuits, but no one is considering David Letterman part of the news media, are they?

But if you’re the candidate and you don’t want any notice made of it, wear something else.

It’s only human to notice what’s the same and what’s different about us.  It’s unfortunate, because so many of us have hangups about individual differences that have no bearing on the person at all.

But you can’t make yourself stand out then complain when someone notices what’s different about you.  If your qualifications and your beliefs are the most important thing about you, then make that the first thing people notice about you:  not how well you’ve accessorized.