政界歧视 肥胖真的影响竞选吗

Is fat really an electoral issue?

肥胖真的影响竞选吗？

Even before Bridgegate and questions around his conservative credentials began to erode Chris Christie’s poll numbers, his weight was a point of contention in discussions about whether the New Jersey governor would make a credible presidential nominee.

甚至在桥门事件(Bridgegate)之前，在针对克里斯·克里斯蒂(Chris Christie)保守政绩的质疑开始影响他的支持人数之前，这位新泽西州长的体重已经是他能否成为总统候选人的讨论焦点。

Back in 2012, Barbara Walters asked Mr. Christie whether “you couldn’t be president because you’re too heavy?” And in a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released in February, 53 percent of New Jersey voters found that he did not have the “right look” to be president — despite the fact that he had lost significant amounts of weight after lap-band surgery in 2013.

2012年，芭芭拉·沃尔特斯(Barbara Walters)问克里斯蒂“你是否会因为太胖而无法成为总统”。今年2月发布的拉特格斯-伊格尔顿民意调查(Rutgers-Eagleton Poll)发现，53%的新泽西投票人认为，克里斯蒂没有总统的“样子”——尽管他在2013年接受胃束带手术后，体重已经下降了很多。

But while that in turn gave way to all sorts of editorializing about whether the United States was a fattist country, and so on, it turns out that the weight thing, when it comes to political campaigns, is not in fact solely an American question.

由此出现了各种社论，讨论美国究竟是不是世界上最胖的国家。不过，事实证明，在政治竞选中，体重不只是美国独有的问题。

It has popped up in Britain, too. And as its electoral cycle kicked off last week, when Prime Minister David Cameron officially asked the Queen to dissolve Parliament, it was front and center, thanks to an interview Mr. Cameron gave to The Times of London, in which it was revealed that he had lost 13 pounds in three months by renouncing peanuts and cookies and cutting down on carbs.

这个问题也出现在英国。上周，英国首相戴维·卡梅伦(David Cameron)正式提请女王解散议会，启动大选。体重问题成为当时的一个焦点。卡梅伦在接受伦敦《泰晤士报》(The Times)采访时称，通过不吃花生和饼干、减少碳水化合物的摄入，他在三个月里减了13磅。

This came after an earlier pledge to lose weight made in January on BBC Radio Sussex, in which the prime minister called his efforts to slim down “a great patriotic struggle.”

今年1月，首相卡梅伦在BBC萨塞克斯电台节目中发誓减肥，说自己的减肥是“伟大的爱国行动”。

And it was followed by praise for Chancellor George Osborne’s previous and significant weight loss, achieved by going on the 5:2 diet (the one made popular by the Jennifers Aniston and Lopez in which you eat what you want for five days, and then effectively fast for two).

之前，财政大臣乔治·奥斯本(George Osborne)通过5:2减肥法（随心所欲吃五天，然后有效禁食两天，这种方法因被詹妮弗·安妮斯顿[Jennifer Aniston]和詹妮弗·洛佩兹[Jennifer Lopez]采纳而广为流行）明显减轻体重，获得人们的赞扬。

As the race to become the next prime minister begins two years of Western electoral cycles, with Canada expected to go to the polls later this year, America about to descend into a 16-month race that began last month with the Ted Cruz declaration, and France gearing up for its 2017 election, the weight card is shaping up — pun intended — into something of a modern strategic tool. At least (and this is particularly interesting) among the men.

英国首相选举拉开了西方国家两年大选期的序幕：加拿大有望在今年晚些时候开始投票；上个月，特德·克鲁兹(Ted Cruz)宣布参加美国总统选举，标志着为期16个月的美国大选开始；法国正在为2017年大选做准备。“体重牌”正成为一种现代战略手段。至少在男竞选人当中是这样（这一点特别有趣）。

In 2012, part of François Hollande’s pre-election makeover involved a public promise to diet (one of his less flattering nicknames was “Flanby”) and a subsequent 15-kilogram (33-pound) weight loss. In 2006, Mike Huckabee, a potential candidate from Arkansas, actually published a diet book, “Quit Digging Your Grave With a Knife and Fork.” Jeb Bush has revealed he follows the Paleo diet. Such history would suggest that where Mr. Cameron has gone this time around, all three may soon follow. (Mr. Huckabee, who has gained a fair amount of girth in the last few years, certainly has opportunity here.)

2012年，弗朗索瓦·奥朗德(François Hollande)的预选策略包括公开承诺减肥（他的一个不太好听的绰号是“Flanby牌焦糖布丁”），后来他减了15公斤。2006年，阿肯色州潜在总统候选人迈克·赫卡比(Mike Huckabee)出版了一本减肥书——《不要再用刀叉自掘坟墓了》(Quit Digging Your Grave With a Knife and Fork)。杰布·布什(Jeb Bush)曾透露他采用旧石器时代饮食法(Paleo diet)。这样的历史表明，既然卡梅伦能实现诺言，这三个人可能很快也会减肥成功（在过去几年里，赫卡比的腰围已经减了不少，他肯定能成功）。

Fitness, for obvious reasons, has always been part of the leadership arsenal, with the workout photo op seeming almost de rigueur, be it jogging (Bill Clinton, Mr. Cameron); golf or basketball (Barack Obama); or hunting (Vladimir Putin). But the public discussion of executive waistline issues is a relatively new development. And presumably a calculated one.

显然，健身始终是展示领导能力的武器，发布锻炼照片几乎是常规做法，不管是跑步（比尔·克林顿[Bill Clinton]、卡梅伦）；打高尔夫球或打篮球（巴拉克·奥巴马[Barack Obama]）；还是打猎（弗拉基米尔·普京[Vladimir Putin]）。不过，公众对国家领袖腰围的讨论是相对较新的发展——很可能是一个蓄意策划的发展。

Party leaders need to use every tool at their disposal, including personal weight battles. At least judging by how it is working in Britain.

政党领袖需要利用自己能够支配的所有手段，包括个人减肥。至少，目前看来，这种手段在英国有用。

After all, one of the biggest complaints about Mr. Cameron is that he is part of the old-boy network: a former member of Oxford University’s exclusive Bullingdon Club and hence too removed from the experience of average Britons to be able to understand their concerns. Admitting to a shared human weakness (and on the human weakness scale, a yen for fatty food is relatively harmless) serves to render him accessible. He can relate. Your problems are his problems.

毕竟，民众对卡梅伦最大的一项不满在于，他是老伙伴关系网中的一员：他曾参加牛津大学极度排外的布灵顿俱乐部(Bullingdon Club)，因此与普通英国人的生活离得太远，无法理解他们关注的东西。承认自己有一个人类共同的弱点（在人类弱点的天平上，喜欢吃油腻食物相对无害）能让他显得更可亲近。他跟你有关系。你的问题也是他的问题。

Paired with Mr. Cameron’s admission in Woman & Home magazine that his wife, Samantha, buys his clothes for him, the diet discussion casts the Tory leader pretty neatly as a regular Joe.

卡梅伦接受《妇女与家庭》(Woman & Home)杂志采访时承认，他的衣服都是妻子萨曼莎(Samantha)买的。再加上关于减肥的讨论，让这位托利党领袖看起来很像普通人。

A regular Joe who has (this is key) won the battle. Stuck to his plan. Did what he said he would do. Exercised discipline. And otherwise exemplified qualities that are generally considered desirable in a leader. Especially one engaged in justifying an austerity drive.

一个能战胜自己（这是关键）的普通人、坚持计划、实践承诺、严于律己。这些优秀品质通常是人们希望在领导人身上看到的，尤其是对一个推行紧缩政策的领导人来说。

Indeed, it is probably not a coincidence that the political weight stories are all success stories.

具有政治用意的减肥故事都以成功告终——这很可能不是巧合。

Just as it is probably not a coincidence that the one thing that is never mentioned regarding a female candidate, be it Hillary Clinton or Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish National Party or Marine Le Pen, is her weight. Clothes and hair are fair game, it seems, but weight is the off-limits topic.

人们从来不提女候选人的体重——不管是希拉里·克林顿(Hillary Clinton)、苏格兰民族党(Scottish National Party)的妮古拉·斯特金(Nicola Sturgeon)，还是玛丽娜·勒庞(Marine Le Pen)——这很可能也不是巧合。谈论她们的服装和发型似乎还算公平，但体重是禁忌话题。

Indeed, when the Christie-poundage brouhaha began, there was some Twitter noise about the discrepancy (“Just wondering why the press always makes an issue of Chris Christie’s weight but never mentions Hillary’s ampleness?” shannon allen @usacsmret), but it never found any real traction. Weight is so bound up in classic questions of gender discrimination, identity and eating disorders that no one dares go there. (Except, maybe, Susie Orbach.)

的确，当关于克里斯蒂体重的争吵开始时，有些人在Twitter上质疑这种差别待遇（“只是不明白为什么媒体总是讨论克里斯·克里斯蒂的体重，却从不提希拉里的丰满？”shannon allen@usacsmret），不过，这样的质疑从来没有引起很大反响。体重问题太容易触发性别歧视、身份和饮食紊乱等老生常谈，所以没人敢碰（当然，也许除了苏茜·奥巴赫[Susie Orbach]）。

Unless the subject is a man.

除非谈论对象是男人。

We go on and on about how unfair it is to women in positions of authority that their fashion statements are endlessly discussed and dissected, as opposed to their vocal statements (though I would say the two are related).

权势女人的服装风格总是被没完没了地讨论和剖析，而她们的主张却没有引起那么多关注（虽然我认为这两者是相关的）——我们经常抱怨这样的不公平。

Yet here is a case of appearance-centric talk that is men-only. And it is a discussion that has been started largely by the candidates themselves, to their own ends. Which is why I would guess it is going to continue.

围绕外貌的讨论仅限于对男士。这些讨论大多是候选人自己发起的，是为了实现他们自己的利益。所以我觉得这种情况还会继续。

At least if Mr. Cameron comes out on top on May 7. After all, Jim Messina, one of the masterminds of President Obama’s 2012 re-election, is working with the Cameron team. He’s going to be looking for another candidate to coach soon enough. This may give him something to chew on.

至少如果5月7日卡梅伦获胜的话，情况还会是如此。毕竟，目前卡梅伦团队中有吉姆·梅西纳(Jim Messina)，他曾是巴拉克·奥巴马2012年第二次竞选总统时的主要策划者之一。如果卡梅伦获胜，他很快将再找一位候选人进行指导。这是他大做文章的一件事。