Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Teach Us about Ourselves

by Frans de Waal

One is that while being attractive and good-looking is great for men (think of John F. Kennedy or Justin Trudeau), it doesn’t work out equally well for women. This is related to how sexual competition interacts with an electorate that is half male and half female. Attractive women, especially those of childbearing age, are perceived as rivals by other women, which makes it hard for them to get their vote. When John McCain ran against Barack Obama in 2008, he selected a relatively young woman, Sarah Palin, as his running mate. Men in the media regarded it as a brilliant move, calling Palin “hot” and a “MIL F,” but no one seemed to realize how much male enthusiasm might harm Palin’s standing among women. Obama barely won the male vote (49 to 48 percent), but he ran away with the female vote (56 to 43 percent).