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Last update - 12:52 23/11/2008 If Pnina Rosenblum were a man By Tzafi Saar Tags: Pnina Rosenblum, elections  She doesn't keep her mouth shut, she demands respect, and her statements are not always as polished as they should be, to put it mildly. If she were a man, she would probably have been considered quite a guy. But Pnina Rosenblum, who is now running for a slot on the Likud's Knesset list, is certainly not a guy. She is a blonde ex-model and a cosmetics magnate. These facts, in addition to her obviously flamboyant personality, make people perceive her as a risible figure, the object of countless jokes. What is so outrageous about Pnina Rosenblum? Why does her political ambition generate such resistance, and every public step she takes instinctively arouse such scornful outbursts? After all, we have no shortage of politicians lacking in eminence and stature; their number has been increasing in recent years. Yet most of them do not arouse such strong reactions. Another successful woman, albeit on a totally different scale, was recently in a position similar to Rosenblum's. Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska and a vice-presidential candidate, was portrayed as a fool both during and after the recent election campaign in the United States, due to statements and acts on her part that indeed did not reflect great wisdom. Advertisement Like Rosenblum, Palin is a beautiful, well-groomed woman. She is also relatively young. The American media, in contrast to its customary treatment of men, focused on the wardrobe she bought with her party's money and on whether she could help lead the superpower when she had five children at home, including one with Down syndrome and a pregnant minor - the kinds of questions that somehow never come up with regard to a male candidate. Like Palin, Rosenblum is no feminist symbol. She does not necessarily support her female political rivals. Her image and business endeavors have led some people to believe that she has adopted masculine views of how a woman should look. Yet others see her as a feminist story, even if an unintentional one. Either way, Rosenblum is probably not the first person to turn to for an in-depth essay on political thought. But this is also true of many, very many, other politicians, including people who have accomplished a lot less than she has in their lives. Unlike many of her colleagues, she is a self-made businesswoman who built her career from scratch, without inherited money or connections. She also forged her own way into politics and even managed to serve in the 16th Knesset, toward the end of its term. So why, whenever she appears on a public stage, does she become the object of such contempt? Perhaps because she is a confusing figure. She is a woman who makes an effort to look like Barbie, but has not chosen the course of marriage to a man who would keep her. A woman with bright blond hair who wears pink suits and stilettos is expected to spend her days in a coffee house, not the legislature. The stereotypical "dumb blonde" is supposed to stay in that pigeonhole. Rosenblum, however, has no intention of staying there. She takes gender stereotypes and mixes them. Thus she goes beyond the place that society allocates to her and her ilk. And she does so not in the way that other successful women usually do - with tailored, masculine-looking suits and a restrained manner - but armed with lipstick and high heels. That is what people probably find so hard to accept. The view that if more women were in government, it would run much better than it does today still needs to be proved. Meanwhile, however, it clashes with the reality by which women who do reach the top adopt masculine patterns of conduct. It is a closed cycle, and had they not done so, they would not have made it that far. It is not at all certain that Rosenblum, if elected to the Knesset, will be the one to break this cycle. But disqualifying her in advance not only reeks of misogyny. It also demonstrates that women who want a place in the public arena have a very narrow space at their disposal. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Trailblazer Haula Abu-Bakar named first Arab female professor in Israel. Hills of hostility A stranger coming to Hebron Saturday would be confused.   1.   If Pnina Rosenblum were a man 19:11  |  dan 23/11/08   2.   A Smart Woman 21:19  |  guy 23/11/08   3.   what`s great about Pnina - her Business success 21:23  |  Feminist Capitalist 23/11/08

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