Paying More Attention to His Appearance Than Hers

They’re the same age, but pundits and voters can’t stop talking about how much older Tim Walz looks than Kamala Harris. It’s not the only way her running mate seems to be absorbing some of the scrutiny usually heaped on female candidates.

Historically, women in the public eye have been described as women first, and everything else second: “women politicians,” not just politicians; “women authors”; or “women artists,” for example. Along with the labeling comes the long list of expectations, especially in politics, which typically breaks down into three basic categories: body (Is she pretty enough, or maybe too pretty? Does she dress badly or too well?); temperament (Is she nice or overbearing? Is she too emotional? Too ambitious?); and family (Is she a childless cat lady? A mother? Is her husband really running the show?).

Remarkably though, Kamala Harris seems to be evading much of this, starting with her perceived age. Ms. Harris will be 60 in two months. Yet she seems just somehow outside the category of age — not young, but also not old or even middle age. True, she is more than 20 years younger than President Biden and telegraphs energy and exuberance. She dances; she sings; she laughs; she’s friends with Quavo. But when she rebukes a disruptive protester at a rally with her trademark, “I’m speaking,” she is the adult in the room — fully mature, yet nowhere near “old.” And also free of the staid or matronly connotations of the “middle-age woman.”

Also remarkable was the fact that, when Ms. Harris named Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, suddenly, his perceived age, hair and appearance became the issue. At first, the press seemed unaware of Mr. Walz’s actual age, which is 60, a mere six months older than Ms. Harris. A reporter on MSNBC explained that Governor Walz “balanced the ticket,” because he was “old” and Ms. Harris “young.”

His real age established, everyone started talking about how much older Mr. Walz looked. Social media blew up with people marveling (or complaining) about the “visual age” gap between Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz: “Even his military photos look like he was in Vietnam despite having enlisted YEARS after the Vietnam war ended,” wrote one poster on X. Or this quip: “Walz doesn’t look a day younger than Bernie [Sanders].” A few wags started posting pictures of Mr. Walz alongside more glamorous peers, such as Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

Unruffled, Governor Walz affably blamed the stress of his high school teaching career for his weary look and sparse white hair.

When the Harris campaign highlights Mr. Walz’s career, they emphasize how his politics demonstrate his warm, empathetic relations with others. His creation of the free school lunch program in Minnesota, for example, is publicized with a photo of a beaming Mr. Walz being squished in a group hug by happy school children. Ms. Harris even refers to him at times as “Coach Walz,” reminding us of his days coaching high school football.