The Daily Dose of Hilary (Rodham)'s Physical Appearance

Life recently published a series of photos of Hilary Clinton, but this time when she was Hilary Rodham. The photographs and accompanying story describe her college intellect and how she strove for "success in public life." The valedictorian of Wellesley College c/o 1969, she gave a speech which appeared in the June 1969 issue of Life along with 4 other college graduates who also gave their message to peers. I found the article insightful to Hilary's long journey into politics and her character as a public figure, but I was shocked - or maybe I wasn't - to find that almost all of the comments were about her physique, from giving her advice on touching up her hair and wearing a little lip gloss to crude remarks about her sex life. I began wondering that if the media perpetually remarks on a public figure's physical attributes, even just what they wear to public events, does that engender the idea that the public is allowed to berate a person for their physical attributes as well? And if and when this happens, can that public figure ever step into the public sphere without receiving criticism for their physicality? I find it interesting that while the article itself in this instance never touches on her physical appearance, almost all the comments do, disregarding the purpose of the story. I'd be interested to see a public figure who broke away from the constant barrage of critique and criticism and how he/she did so.