GENDERED POLITICS AND PRESIDENTIAL IMAGE CONSTRUCTION - A REASSESSMENT OF THE FEMININE STYLE

Current feminist rhetorical scholarship celebrates the presence of the ''feminine style'' in contemporary political discourse. We argue that such a style potentially masks the reliance of political image constr uction on a hegemonic masculinity that serves to preserve politics as a patriarchal system. An analysis of five presidential campaign films reveals the utilization of the ''feminine'' style in these films and s uggests that social constructions of masculinity work hegemonically in two ways. First, presidential image is constructed by the association of candidates with traditionally patriarchal institutions that affix to candidates ''masculine'' characteristics necessary for successful p residential leadership. Second, these films offer a portrayal of women that marginalizes their status in the political process. The implicat ions of this analysis for politics, culture, and the criticism of poli tical communication are addressed.