Well, this is a hot topic in the UK!

Do you think it's important for the wife of a prominent Government minister or senator to look smart?

Your President Bush was over here this week to meet Mr Gordon Brown, our Prime Minister.

Now, politics per se don't interest me (they do their own thing anyway ) but one thing about this visit had me squirming in my shoes, I was sooo embarrassed.

There was a photograph in one of our national papers showing Mr Brown (who always looks like a sack of potatoes) and his wife. His wife, although apparently a very nice woman, has absolutely no dress sense at all (in fact, most of our female politicians and politicians wives usually dress like bag ladies).

Here's a photo to illustrate what I mean:



Laura Bush looks poised and classy whereas Mrs Brown looks soooo awful!

Do you think it's important that the wives should ensure they look smart and sophisticated - or do you think it probably doesn't matter? I'm really interested in your opinion!

I think that as a politician's wife, you are supposed to uphold an image of sophistication.
If this is something that you can show in your personality though, I don't think it's absolutely the most important thing.

The problem is, in things like this, we really don't get to know the wife/partner of the person in question. In 'real' life, as in where we get to meet and perhaps get to know a person, then of course, it is not at all important whether they have good dress sense or not. If they are a kind and thoughtful kind of person, or gregarious and make you laugh, then their personality will outshine their outfit.

But in circumstances like the this one, that photograph of Mrs Brown will have been beamed round the newspapers of the world and I think it really does make a bad impression.

It's like if you go for a job interview. You don't wear your old jeans and favorite sweater hoping that the interview panel will be dazzled by your buzzy personality - more likely they will wonder why you didn't feel they were worth making an effort for!

I don't think that her outfit is all that bad. Not something I could see myself wearing, but not horrible either. I would be much more concerned if she was dressed like a Paris Hilton.

I do think that a politician's wife (or even a female politician herself) does have an image that they need to uphold. That includes wearing some type of impressive outfit when they are in public.

I think that there are some cases where we do get to know the lady behind the ugly outfit.

For example a lot of people knew the personalities of Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush when they were the first ladies. They just had a personality that radiated from them no matter what they were wearing.

I guess that isn't the case with this particular woman though.

hahaa, they look "great"!

I totally agree. Mrs Bush always look so classy. Hiliary always looked sophisticated too when she was First Lady. I think that politician's wives all have a duty to look nice. Mrs Brown definitely does not look classy in this photo.

Her outfit isn't too terrible. I've seen worse on women who were supposed to be the height of sophistication...well, at least should set a good example for both women and girls alike. I think we've all seen Britney Spears look rather homely in one or two pictures.

That doesn't mean that it's the end of the world if someone is dressed like that, but it just adds fodder for Tabloids and Celebrity Magazines that will ridicule and embarass these people.

When you are a public figure or closely connected to one, you have to bear the burden of looking good at all times, even when you are watering your flowers. lol. It just comes with the office. I am sure if that picture was taken from another angle, she would look ok.

Perhaps Mrs. Brown needs some help in putting together her public figure, I noticed that she looks slightly hunched over and we all know that standing tall with shoulders back is the way to go, even if we don't always do it.