Ontairo Premier Kathleen Wynne’s ‘giddy, girly’ makeover gets attention

The questions Ontario's Kathleen Wynne has faced since becoming premier have been tough and sharp and often focus on misspending and various controversies, and what her role in those might be.

It is good to see that we still have time to ask the real tough questions, like: What are you wearing?

The Toronto Sun's Christina Blizzard dedicated 759 words to Wynne's makeover on Sunday, expounding on her geek-to-chic (my words) transformation, hinting that her legs were her best asset (her words) and not for a second suggesting the whole piece was some understated work of satire.

I've read the piece three times. It's not satire, its Cosmo for poliwonks.

Blizzard writes:

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Others reacted similarly to the piece. The Globe and Mail's Steve Ladurantaye and CBC's Matt Galloway were among those perplexed by the article, specifically one passage about Wynne "slowly emerging from a pantsuit chrysalis."

"Is there a dangerous limit to how long one can remain in a pantsuit chrysalis, I wonder?" Ladurantaye wrote.

“Shallow? I think not,” Blizzard wrote in her article. “On royal tours, the most important e-mail for reporters is the one telling them what the Queen or the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing that day.”

Right or wrong, female politicians continue to be pulled into the world of fashion. Male politicians wear a suit and limit the gossip to the colour of their tie (Harper's in red today, what does it mean?) but women are either wearing dresses or not wearing dresses, baring leg or not. They are either freshly made over or in desperate need of one.

Even if they choose to go the route of the simple pantsuit, they risk being assessed as a utilitarian caterpillar waiting for their own rebirth.

In the U.S., Hillary Clinton faced constant comment and criticism on her appreciation of pantsuits.

“Would you ever ask a man that question?” she once shot back at an interviewer who was interested in her favourite designers.

And that is only the tip of the battle she has faced with the fashionrazzi.

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Now, the issue hasn't entirely been contained to female leaders. Justin Trudeau was recently razed for wearing cargo shorts in a video to Liberal supporters. Stephen Harper was mocked in 2005 for the unfortunate cowboy hat and leather vest ensemble he wore to the Calgary Stampede.

Those were one-off wardrobe malfunctions, however. Not critiques on their entire closet.

The writer of the article in question opines frequently on matters related to Queen’s Park, so perhaps it comes from watching the progression of Wynne’s wardrobe over time. Perhaps the underlying suggestion is that Wynne is transforming her look for political gain. (It does happen: read this recent New York Times article on the use of handbags)

Perhaps Wynne’s wardrobe became fair game when she instituted a dress code for her Queen’s Park office staffers earlier this month.

Or maybe it’s fair game because everything is fair game. In which case the bar should be higher.