bright red lipstick and suggestive blouses. Davis’ sexualized presidency fits well with the
proliferation of female objectification in popular culture. It is difficult to imagine a prime time
television program featuring a professional female protagonist who is not sexualized (e.g., the
female characters in the original “Law and Order” and its spin-offs, “Gray’s Anatomy,”
“Desperate Housewives,” and “Sex in the City,” to name a few). However, the presidency is
unique in its conflation with masculinity, and female presidents cannot be portrayed in the same
way as female attorneys or doctors. President Allen’s sexual imago carried with it the damaging
side effect of diminishing her status as a possessor of knowledge, making her character as the
most powerful political leader in the country implausible. Additionally, as a sexualized,
feminine being without military experience, President Allen could not be considered a citizen-
soldier. She lacked many of the informal credentials required for the presidency that are difficult
if not impossible for women to acquire.
While some of the critical media coverage of “Commander in Chief” was warranted,
much coverage was dismissive of the program and/or Geena Davis without necessary
explanation. According to an examination of 109 newspaper articles written about “Commander
in Chief” from twelve randomly selected major newspapers, 30.2 percent of articles were critical
Most of the criticism focused on the show’s prospects for success, noting that
it was doomed to fail given some aspect of its content, time slot, or other characteristic. For
example, one reporter shot down the show early in the season:
Geena Davis makes history tonight, taking an oath as the nation’s first female president.
OK, it’s just pretend. But we can see what it might be like for her, her children, and her
husband, who is now the first gentleman. Will he select china and state dinner menus?
Will the military respect her? Not with all that lipstick on, Geena.
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Convention