What's It Mean to Look Presidential?

"Mitt Romney is seen as someone who looks presidential, " Tim Russert gushes. "You can't get more presidential-looking than Mitt Romney," an overheated Bill O'Reilly exclaims. He finishes with the observation, “I think that means a lot in America.”

What does it mean to look presidential? Maybe it's best to see who doesn't fill the part. Hillary Clinton is an easy one, who's ever heard of a woman running the United States? It's also pretty obvious that Barack Obama lacks the requisite paleness for the title. Obviously, to look presidential excludes people of entire continents; last I checked there haven't been any Asians, Africans or Native Americans.

If history is the judge, to look presidential requires that one, not only have alabaster skin and external genitalia, but be tall like Washington, with a full head of hair like Clinton, square jawed, large-headed, and sculpted-nosed like a proud and pure Anglo-Saxon.

But before you think I'm going to that old standby of saying American presidents are just a bunch of old white guys, hold your horses. Guys who should fit the bill like Rudy Guiliani sure don't get the presidential nod. Ignore the hair thing, and you'll see that there have not
been any Italians behind the desk in the oval office. In fact, there haven't been any Norwegians or Spaniards, Greeks or Russians, Poles or Frenchmen. The Northern European, whiter-the-better-model, only holds true to a narrow subset. A couple have roots in Germany, some from England, while the vast majority come from Scotland by way of Ireland.

To look presidential is to look Scottish. Now we know. Looking presidential doesn't mean having brains or convictions, or standing up for what you believe, having courage or vision, or compassion or passion, it simply means you fit the mold in looks and carriage of a Scottish highlander. Picture Ronald Reagan or Warren G. Harding in kilts chasing sheep and you'll have the man most likely to look presidential.

Is it racist to say someone looks presidential? It is only racist in the fact that judging people by how they look, giving admirable qualities to them based on physical proportions, and promoting certain physical characteristics that elevate one group of people over another are values generally shared by racists.