Most Favor Hillary's Pragmatic Pantsuits

By JEANNINE STEIN

April 7, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Last week we asked for your opinions on Hillary Rodham Clinton’s penchant for pantsuits. The first lady and U.S. Senate candidate has been criticized lately for preferring pants over skirts, and we asked you to weigh in with your opinions.

The overwhelming majority voted to support Mrs. Clinton’s decision to wear whatever she likes, as long as it’s not jeans and a tank top. But some felt that pants are inappropriate attire for a first lady.

And some mentioned that perhaps Mrs. Clinton wears pants because she wants to hide her legs, which were often described as a “figure flaw,” along with more crass descriptions.

A word about that: If something is considered a “figure flaw,” it implies somewhere there is a standard of an unflawed body. Is it a 5-foot, 10-inch supermodel? How many women look like that? If we champion Mrs. Clinton’s choice of wearing pants, why do we then put her down for having “flawed” legs?

Something to think about.

Without further ado, here are your responses:

“Of course Hillary should wear pantsuits if she chooses. I attend a number of trade shows and report my findings on television--in stylish pantsuits. I became tired of the restrictions associated with skirts and dresses. In pantsuits, I can get on with my job without the worry of cold legs, runs in my stockings and getting in and out of cars. And to those people who feel that a woman is not appropriately dressed unless she’s in a skirt, careful, your bustle is slipping and we can see your ankles!”

“Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying out for the New York Senate seat, not the Rockettes! Let’s face it, her gams aren’t her most attractive feature. Hillary’s simply upholding the law of fashion by wearing those chic pantsuits; she’s masking her flaws and accentuating her assets.”

“I don’t agree with Hillary wearing pants in public places or any other place for that matter. Maybe long skirts with boots would have looked a little more chic and feminine. She’s tough and it shows. I think this is going to be a minus for her in New York. I have learned that looking and acting more feminine gets me more places.”

“Each politician and/or candidate should wear what he/she looks best in. For some women that is a dress (Mrs. Dole, for example). A pantsuit is more casual, while a dress is more formal. For a formal or dressy occasion, Mrs. Clinton would look best in a dress or suit with a longish skirt. Pantsuits are very modern, and politicians should look as if they have a grasp of current trends, without being ‘trendy.’ ”

“I would like to say I’m shocked that certain people grumble about Ms. Clinton’s choice, but I’m not. I am a graduate of one of the East Coast’s elite graduate programs in the humanities. Every year as female students prepared to go off to job interviews, the discussions would turn from what they were going to say to the ‘really important’ question--’What are you going to wear?’ Amazingly enough, feminist students were told by their equally feminist advisors that it was not OK to wear a pantsuit, at least for the most formal part of the interview process. It comes down to this: Getting a job means convincing those in power, which in this case was often men in their 40s and 50s, to pick you. And someone is under the impression that men of a certain age believe women who really want their respect will make this clear by putting on a skirt. Anything less is ‘inappropriate’ or ‘disrespectful.’ ”

“Martha Stewart is vilified for wearing pants to a White House function and Hillary Rodham Clinton is criticized for pants on the campaign trail. Gee, could this be another, more insidious, way to snipe at accomplished, self-assured, successful women? In terms of appropriateness, I would favor any pantsuit Hillary has ever worn over any skirt some celebrities like Mariah Carey have ever worn. I rest my case.”

“Women are so critical of each other, instead of being supportive. Can you even imagine a bunch of guys sitting around picking each other’s outfits apart just for sport? Sure, Mrs. Clinton isn’t a Kennedy in figure or panache, but not many of us are perfect.”

“Some of us didn’t burn bras. Or read Gloria Steinem’s books. Or believe the women are better than men. That doesn’t mean we aren’t feminists. As a feminist, I sincerely believe that each of us should be able to have control over our own lives, and that includes bloody choosing what we want to wear!”

“I believe that Mrs. Clinton wears pants because she does not have the greatest legs. Good for her. She is accentuating the positive. Most women would do the same.”

“There are no occasions at the White House or when she is representing this country that pantsuits would be appropriate. I saw her wearing pants while departing from Air Force One in a foreign country, and this is offensive to that country as well as the United States, since she is representing us.”

“Would someone raise the question of voting for a male candidate based on whether he chose a traditional necktie or a bow tie? Of course not! So why should the issue of skirt suits versus trouser suits make a difference for Hillary? I think it is a prime example of the old double standard and, although we have made progress toward a single set of standards, it is clear we have a ways to go.”

“I agree that Mrs. Clinton wearing pantsuits to campaign in is entirely appropriate because they are tailored outfits. If they were casual pants, I would say no. She is just substituting the pants for a skirt. Better than the skirts worn by Barbara Bush, which never looked good on her. Way to go, Hillary. I am a working grandmother of a certain age, and I wear either skirts or pants to work, as do most other women.”

“I suggest that those retros who think Mrs. Clinton should wear skirts or dresses consider her schedule and her activities before attempting to mind what is, after all, her business. Let the ladies among them spend some time getting into and out of automobiles, hiking up and down the stairs on aircraft, standing on elevated platforms and dealing with rain, sudden gusts of wind and other vagaries of the weather, and then come to some sort of informed opinion as to how to do these things with any degree of modesty. As for the men, go pay your nickel and look up the skirts of someone who gets paid to let you do so.”

“If there are people out there who still believe women aren’t appropriately dressed unless they are in skirts or dresses, they probably still believe that the Earth is flat and that bathing is dangerous. Generation X will begin filling the political seats soon, and they will hopefully bring about fundamental changes in thinking.”

Write to Fashion Police, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax to (213) 237-4888, or send e-mail to [email protected].