Looking the part: Political image-making

Ever since 1960, when a visibly perspiring Richard Nixon won a debate on the radio but lost it on TV to a relaxed and dashing John F. Kennedy, image-making has been an inescapable fact of life in American presidential politics.

To go with the red tie or blue? The updo? Decisions about which jackets exude authority and the precise spot to put that American flag pin are painstakingly deliberated - behind the scenes.

Campaigns are loath to talk openly about image-making.

Some of the secrecy no doubt stems from the 2000 presidential campaign, when Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore hired feminist author Naomi Wolf to enhance his appeal to women voters. The media had a good time skewering Mr. Gore over reports that Ms. Wolf advised him to wear more earth tones to soften his image.

Revelations that then-Democratic primary candidate John Edwards paid a Beverly Hills stylist $400 for a haircut last year didn’t exactly play well in Peoria either.

US Weekly reports that the McCain campaign recently paid about $5,500 for the services of a Hollywood makeup artist. Not surprisingly, the Republican candidate’s spokespeople are keeping their (glossed) lips sealed on that as well.

Patsy Cisneros, co-founder of Political Icon, a Los Angeles-based image consulting company, says most political candidates for high-level state and national office have someone working on their image.

Different candidates need different things, she says. However, a few standard rules apply: Men’s facial hair needs to be appropriate; men should always wear a dark suit and a white or blue shirt (depending on skin tone); body language needs to be confident; and, in general, clothes need to be right for the candidate’s color and build.

“The whole idea is also that your image still needs to look to the level at which you are speaking,” says Ms. Cisneros. “You need a look that is able to relate to the people, yet you are never to look the people.”

Candidates Barack Obama, John McCain and Joe Biden have had months - years, even - to find their signature look. However, ever since Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was tapped as the Republican vice-presidential candidate in late August, style experts have been working overtime parsing Mrs. Palin’s image - and offering unsolicited advice.

The loose consensus among the pros? There is a lot to like about Mrs. Palin’s look, but more work still needs to be done.

With the skirt suits she wears, Mrs. Palin scores points for looking conservative, which is the first message she is trying to convey as the Republican candidate, says Ms. Cisneros.

“She looks at a level the governor should,” says Ms. Cisneros, who often works with governor-level clients, although she’s not saying whom.

In order to look vice presidential, Mrs. Palin should make a few changes, starting with the hairdo, she says. There is too much of it, and the updo is not doing Mrs. Palin any favors, says Ms. Cisneros.

“She likes her long hair,” says Ms. Cisneros. “And yes, you can wear it up, but it needs to be more elegant so it fits the title of vice president and the global events and people she will be meeting.”

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