OTTAWA—Following the election of Justin Trudeau as Canada’s next Prime Minister, advocates for equality and civility in political discourse have congratulated Canadian voters for demonstrating that a male candidate can be viewed as both handsome and competent.
“For years, male politicians have struggled to be taken seriously in the face of belittling, irrelevant commentary about their physical appearance,” said Marcia Flosun of rights group Gender Equality Canada. “And this problem is of course the most challenging for those who are considered conventionally attractive. Voters look at them and think, ‘did he get here because he earned it, or because Hazel McCallion thought he was cute?’”
Historically, a rise in an attractive male politician’s popularity has been accompanied if not eclipsed by critiques of his style, looks, and level of “feistiness,” impairing his ability to be taken seriously and get his message across. Yet while Trudeau has been described by news outlets as “hunky,” “sexy,” and even “bangable,” Flosun says Canadians have commendably chosen to look past his traditionally male liabilities of height, a strong chin and a muscular physique. “They have not only refrained from interrupting Trudeau during speeches to compliment him on how well he carries himself, but have actually gone so far as to elect him Prime Minister.”
Trudeau’s success signals the end of a long history of male politicians’ good looks holding them back. For instance many historians point out that Justin’s father Pierre Elliott Trudeau could have become a highly influential figure had his potential for gravitas and statesmanship not been diminished in the eyes of Canadians by his conventionally “manly” looks.
In addition to giving him a pass his appearance, commentators have expressed approval at Canada’s’ refusal to ask questions about how Trudeau, who has multiple children, can balance family responsibilities with a full-time job. “Of course male politicians have long struggled to appear both authoritative and nurturing in order to fulfill conflicting expectations we have of their gender. It’s nice to see Canadians finally leave this tired ideology behind and accept that a man can have both a family and a career.”
At press time, equality rights activists were praising Trudeau’s wife for being supportive rather than embarrassed about having a husband who made more money than her.
