Video: Dana Perino teaches conservative women everywhere how to give “the look”

Video: Dana Perino teaches conservative women everywhere how to give “the look”
posted at 8:30 pm on November 16, 2011 by Tina Korbe

This is classic. Yes, Bob Beckel digs himself in, as usual — and even Eric Bolling takes a little heat from his colleagues on “The Five” for referring to Elizabeth Hasselbeck as “intrepid hotness” — but the true gem of the segment is Dana Perino’s wordless-but-oh-so-communicative “look.” The eloquent expression comes at about 2:15.

Click here to watch the video.

Perino later says she used to direct that look to Ed Henry when he was at CNN; an apparently watching Ed Henry quickly tweeted, “@DanaPerino For the record, I remember ‘The Look’ ha.”

The discussion on “The Five” was lighthearted, but it touches on a trend I’ve noticed. Why is it that, among certain people, attractiveness and intelligence are considered almost mutually exclusive? According to at least one researcher, attractive people earn more throughout their lives — but that doesn’t mean they more easily enjoy a reputation for intelligence or oh-so-sought-after seriousness. I’d wager some folks have had to overcome beauty just to be taken seriously.

But surely we’re beyond that. Surely we’re beyond the early days of feminism when women had to downplay their attractiveness to prove their equality. Surely we’re to a point at which beauty need not be either a disqualifying or qualifying characteristic in most industries — to a point at which it can be appreciated and interpreted within the context of the whole person, to a point at which it is neither worshipped nor patronized. Aren’t we?

Most people want to be appealing — but nobody wants to be just a pretty face. Perino’s glance is elegant proof that it’s possible for looks themselves to speak intelligently.