ABSTRACT
Learn from other women who have been successful in politics, starting with Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher had no sympathy for feminist policies, and had almost no women in Parliament to bond with even if she had sought female allies. Thatcher's rise to power was made easier by Britain's parliamentary system, which rewards party participation. Thatcher is as important a symbol for women candidates as the Barbie doll is for Miss America. Democratic pollster Geoff Garin has discovered that voters respond positively to women who have batded breast cancer. For women in public life, the price tag is often femininity. Hillary Rodham Clinton once said she started lightening her hair after reading that Thatcher thought all women benefited from lighter hair as they aged. Female candidates need to get comfortable with the constant scrutiny of their appearance. 'It's not sexism', says Deborah Tannen.
