The Salahis: "They Looked Like They Belonged"

Last week, I wrote a blog and mentioned that I would never have gotten into the White House State Dinner because, "I'm not blond. I'm not thin. And I don't make the men of the Secret Service blush..."

In the blog, (Thoughts, Dec. 2, 2009), I wrote:
"Let's just face it: We live in a society where beauty is everything. An attractive person can get into places and do things "average" people can't. They have access to people "ordinary folks" don't. With a smile, flip of the hair or a beautiful red dress, they can go any where... even to the White House."

Well, a friend disagreed with my assumption and admonished me for this claim during a late night dinner.

But in Sunday's Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize winning fashion columnist Robin Givhan, seemed to agree with me. In her column titled, "Why They Got In: They Looked Like They Belonged," Givhan wrote that the Salahis were able to get into the White House State Dinner, pass security and Secret Service, because they "looked the part. They looked well-off."

Givhan reminded us that, "Women who look like Michaele Salahi get more than their share of lucky breaks. …The Bergdorf blonde…is the epitome of the trophy wife." Michaele Salahi, Givhan wrote, "conforms to the cultural standards of what a wealthy, privileged, important person is assumed to look like…tall, thin, white, blond, privilege."

Givhan noted:
"As much as people hate to admit that decisions about who belongs where, who is important and who should be believed without question are based on appearance, it happens all the time. …Appearance trumped caution, skepticism and safety…The Salahis weren't on the guest list. But instead of turning them away, the Secret Service waved them in. Would they have been so gullible if it had been a young Black man in a tuxedo or a short, squat, gray-haired woman in a modest black dress…"

Or what about a short, not-thin brown girl with locks? I think not.
So, I stand by my statement — I would have never gotten in.

To read Givhan's entire column, click here.