Hillary Clinton has been especially busy this week, traveling to China and India and accomplishing all sorts of important tasks. While the media has been dutifully covering all of her travels, she's also gotten a bit of attention for something that has nothing to do with her actual job: Hillary had the nerve to show up at several events this weekend in India looking decidedly un-made-up. She looked that way, duh, because she wasn't wearing any of her usual make-up. She did have on lipstick, but otherwise her face was sans pancake powder. She wore her glasses, and her hair was just hanging there, not done up in some fancy poof. And you know what? She looked great. Sure, she looked different than her normal extra-polished self, but she still looked damn good—in a new and totally refreshing way.


As the Washington Post points out, if a male politician showed up in front of the cameras looking a bit ragged, nobody would bat an eye. But when Hillary does it, it's news. But it's good news. After all why should she be fussing over her appearance when she's working around the clock and traveling through distant lands? This is a signal that she's both got her priorities in the right order and that she's comfortable enough with who she is and how she looks to show us the real her. And, indeed, she told CNN,

I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now, because you know if I want to wear my glasses I'm wearing my glasses. If I want to wear my hair back I'm pulling my hair back. You know at some point it's just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention.


You go, girl. Let's hope this sets a trend which results in women in public office showing off a more natural side of themselves whenever they damn well please. Either that or we'll have to demand that John Boehner and the rest of Congress show up in full make-up the next time they emerge to speak to the press after an all-night negotiating session.

Hillary Clinton, barefaced and bespectacled, is a refreshing image in politics [Washington Post]

Clinton addresses 'au naturale' moment [CNN]