Eisenhower: The Last Bald U.S. President

Introduction
Dwight D. Eisenhower was an honorable man who served as a successful commanding general in World War 2. His presidency lead to many positive outcomes for America. He obtained truce with Korea and made insistent efforts to relieve Cold War tensions. There’s also one more characteristic of Eisenhower unique to presidents who obtained office after him: he was bald.

Media’s Influence
America’s media and popular culture grows more and more as the years go by. Our perception of professionalism and trustworthiness of others now goes hand-in-hand with physical appearance. This is due to media outlets and businesses feeding us the idea of what they believe is appropriate and professional. Some of you may be skeptical of this idea and tell yourselves that there’s no way anything could have an effect on what you believe is professional; you have your independence of thought and personal opinion. If so, ask yourself, why was Eisenhower our last bald president?

Our Biased Judgment
Our perception of beauty is based on popular opinion of what’s currently in style. If you saw a candidate for presidency today wearing a suit that was fashionable in the 70′s, your opinion of the candidate’s professionalism and qualifications would be affected. This is an unfortunate fact that candidates face. The pressure on presidential nominees is more intense than ever, given the growth of technology and social networking. If we think someone is a joke based on their physical appearance, we will be quick to tell others our opinion, and then we will all feel justified having the wrong impression of that person.

Obama’s Physical Appearance
During the 2008 presidential election, social networking and other places of high traffic were swarmed with advertising for Obama. Obama’s nomination posters, videos, and appearance were very appealing to young and older people. He was a very handsome man with a great logo and a hopeful catch phrase, and that affected our impression of how professional and qualified he was. Many people who voted for Obama now regret their decision based on current polls. It’s possible that they relied more on his appearance and marketing strategy than his actual plans for America.

Younger Generation’s Role
Frankly, an older man who’s balding is not considered very attractive in this day and age. Younger people now have more of an effect on presidential polls than every before. Older adults are more likely to focus on the president’s plan for the future of America, because that’s what was considered acceptable years ago. Older opinion is now thought to be too traditional and inefficient. However, it’s not our fault. It’s due to how we were conditioned growing up in a very judgmental and media-oriented environment.

Conclusion
Times always change, and maybe our perceptions of beauty and what creates a qualified president will as well. It’s hard to find the truth in a media storm full of rumors and critical analysis of current nominees, therefore it’s difficult to make a concrete decision, so we look at personal appearance as a game changer. Looking on the bright side, this judgment could however be a positive characteristic of current times. We could possibly be weeding out bad candidate’s by using this strategy. It’s hard to say, but America will change and so will our presidents.

Austin, Texas has been Peter Wendt’s writing headquarters for a number of years now. For readers who wish to learn more about this subject, he recommends they check out http://www.californiaskininstitute.com/.