Slinging fashion tidbits to the obsessed trendsetters, the fashionably corrupt and the temperamental divas, The Fashion Slinger, Rhana Kennedy, is here for you with her unwaivering faith in fashion.

Vogue’s enigmatic and infamous editor, Anna Wintour, wrote a scathing editorial in Vogue’s February issue regarding Hillary Clinton. Missing a previously scheduled photo shoot, Clinton’s people decided against the photo shoot because they were afraid it would make Mrs. Clinton look too feminine.

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With a furious vigor, Wintour wrote,

“Imagine my amazement, then, when I learned that Hillary Clinton, our only female president hopeful, had decided to steer clear of our pages at this point in her campaign for fear of looking too feminine. The notion that a contemporary woman must look mannish in order to be taken seriously as a seeker of power is frankly dismaying… This is America, not Saudi Arabia. It’s also 2008: Margaret Thatcher may have looked terrific in a blue power suit, but that was 20 years ago. I do think Americans have moved on from the power-suit mentality, which serves as a bridge for a generation of women to reach boardrooms filled with men. Political campaigns that do not recognize this are making a serious misjudgement.”

As Wintour points out in the editorial, must you be masculine to be a presidential candidate? Why can’t women embrace their femininity instead of trying to stifle it and be “one of the guys”? A double standard remains in Washington – if a woman looks too pretty or too sexy, she is not taken seriously. If she is too dowdy, however, she is still reprimanded for her looks and the political issues are placed on the back burner. While male politicians slap one another on the back and give high-fives in their splendid suits with power red ties without a peep from the media regarding their fashion sense (although John Edwards walked a thin line when the media outed his $400 haircuts).

Instead of focusing on her Innovation Agenda, being a champion for women, her roadmap out of Iraq and her stance on affordable healthcare, we, as a nation, have focused on Clinton’s hairstyles, accessories and wardrobe.

Robin Givhan of the Washington Post so earnestly proclaimed back in December 2007 

“the pantsuit is Clinton’s uniform. Hers is a mix-and-match world, a grown-up land of Garanimals: black pants with gray jacket, tan jacket with black pants, tan jacket with tan pants. There are a host of reasons to explain Clinton’s attachment to pantsuits. They are comfortable. They can be flattering, although not when the jacket hem aligns with the widest part of the hips (hypothetically speaking, of course). Does she even have hips?”

In a recent interview with Katie Couric on the CBS Nightly News, Çlinton admitted to receiving and accepting some bad advice regarding fashion. Who can forget the long blond hair with the hair band look? Take a look, below.

And what about other female politicians on the hill? Are their fashion mishaps and glories documented as much as their legislative bills?

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives since 2004, has long been an advocate for children’s issues, education and healthcare. But it’s her signature curly hair that has made waves throughout the country. Wasserman Schulz shocked peers and supporters when she straightened her hair in 2006. Check out her photo, below.

Representative Mary Bono of California said in a NY Times article from January 18, 2007 “I am so sick of the matronly box – the rest of America doesn’t dress like that.”

The emergence of Nancy Pelosi to Speaker of the House has brought in a new era on Capitol Hill – strong, politically versed women with a great fashion sense to boot. Wrapped in Armani and St. John suits, Pelosi maintains a certain swagger as she continues her fight for educational opportunities and benefits and programs that will help American families. See Pelosi srtut her stuff, below.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, worked hard to increase democracy throughout the Middle East, but in 2005, Robin Givhan called Rice a dominatrix - the coat and boots Rice wore while visiting Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Givhan wrote, strengthened the fact that Rice is “tough and focused enough for whatever task is at hand.” Check out the outfit on Rice, below.

So in the end, I’m left to question the excuse Clinton’s handlers gave Vogue for missing the photo shoot and the severity of Wintour’s rant.  Perhaps Clinton’s people should have said that they were afraid that Vogue would make Clinton look too sexy or too demure or too passive. But to be too feminine? How could we deny a woman her femininity in any degree?

We do not have female politicians who dress in tight-fitting St. John suits and look like Angelina Jolie in the St. John ads or have the perfect smoky eye that purrs with seduction. But femininity is not about the cut of one’s skirt or the length of one’s hair. It encompasses so much more than the cloth that touches our skin. Femininity is the way we express ourselves and how we embrace our gender.

Wintour should realize that politics is still a man’s world, where women politicians are still the minority, especially in other countries. Isn’t it enough for Wintour that Clinton may become our nation’s first woman president? All the pitfalls and stereotypes Clinton has had to overcome because of the fact she is a woman must not go unnoticed.

And for being the Queen Bee in fashion for so long, I’m disappointed that Wintour fails to comprehend that these female politicians are strong, powerful women that help run our country and they do this with their Nehru-esque jackets, kitten heels and Valentino suits. Everyday they get up and must choose (whether they do it themselves or through an advisor) a wardrobe that will translate their seriousness, their toughness, their femininity.

This is politics, Ms. Wintour, not the Oscars.