Washington Post Columnist: 'Weight Is the New Rape'

After Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) alleged in her book that some of her male colleagues made sexist remarks about her weight, a Washington Post columnist and editorial said that weight is now “the new rape.”

“And by the way, for politicians of both parties, might I suggest that weight is the new rape. It’s really a bad idea to talk about,” Ruth Marcus said on Meet The Press. She was referring to Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” comments that torpedoed his candidacy in 2012.

Marcus also recognized that “there is a difference between the 60, 70, 80-year-old politicians in the way they handle gender issues” and the way younger lawmakers do. But like the rest of the mainstream press, she ignored the groping and sexism of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT). 

The mainstream press has also repeatedly mocked Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s weight, and there is no indication that future comments about Christie’s weight will be held to the same standard as those about Gillibrand’s.