Hillary Harassed by Sexists Saying "Iron My Shirt"

Posted by Cara Kulwicki, The Curvature at 7:03 AM on January 10, 2008.

I woke up this morning, turned on the computer, opened my web browser and this is the first headline that I saw: Protesters ask Clinton to Iron Shirts.

That’s how you know it’s going to be a good day.

Must. Breathe.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign stop was interrupted Monday when two men stood in the crowd and began screaming, “Iron my shirt!” during one of her final appearances before the New Hampshire primary.

Clinton, a former first lady running to become the nation’s first female president, laughed at the seemingly sexist protest that suggested a woman’s place is doing the laundry and not running the country.

“Ah, the remnants of sexism — alive and well,” Clinton said to applause in a school auditorium.

The two men were removed from the hall after raising a pair of signs that said, “Iron my shirt!” They also shouted the same slogan. [. . .]

“As I think has been abundantly demonstrated, I am also running to break through the highest and hardest glass ceiling,” she said.

Clinton later joked about the incident as she invited questions.

“If there’s anyone left in the auditorium who wants to learn how to iron a shirt, I’ll talk about that,” she said with a smile.

Oh, really AP reporter Philip Elliot? The protest was seemingly sexist? Wow, I didn’t see that one coming. After all, these things can be so hard to tell.

I can’t yet decide if I’m impressed or annoyed by Clinton’s casual and affable response. I know; she didn’t have a choice. An angrier, more feminist reaction might have worked for New Hampshire audiences, but wouldn’t have gone over well on a national stage. And yesterday, the media had already gained enough sexist fodder to use against her. So. Impressed, I guess.

Now the biggest question: will any of the other candidates feel compelled to make a snarky remark about the incident?

Cara Kulwicki is the founder of The Curvature, where she blogs daily about a wide range of feminist issues.