How does his physique benefit Pedro Sánchez?

In Europe and the United States they call him Mr. Guapo, Mr. Beau / With how good the president is, it doesn’t surprise me that (in the PP) they feel this disgusting urge / Do you think Pedro Sánchez was going to maintain this juggling government if he didn’t have this little face? / In the next general election, I will vote for Sánchez because he is handsome. Let’s see if there is anyone who can refute this as well.

These are just some of the recent comments on the President of the Government’s physique, Pedro Sanchezpronounced both by the politicians of his party (Juan Marcano in the Madrid Assembly) and by important figures in openly left-wing Spanish society, according to the presenter Jorge Xavier Vazquez to the filmmaker Rock Almodóvar.

“Telegeny, charisma or beauty” of political actors has always been a subject of interest in the electoral field, explains the political scientist to EL ESPAÑOL Ana SalazarManaging Director of Idus 3 Strategy.

“It is not only important that he looks good, but that he looks good in front of the camera, which helps strengthen the bond between the voter and the candidate,” explains this expert. They know it well Justin Trudeau (Canada), Barack Obama (United States) or Emmanuel Macron (France), and Pedro Sanchez is no exception. His physical appearance has always sparked comments and analyses. Does your personal image have an impact on public perception and therefore on voting?

Obviously yes. Even if it is not the only factor to take into account, a candidate’s image is crucial in the age of audiovisual communication. The famous debate of Richard Nixon against John F. Kennedy in 1960, where those who followed him on the radio gave the winner to the first and those who saw him on television to Kennedy, shows that having a good image counts. That’s how he stands out Jordi Virgiliprofessor of political communication at the University of Navarra.

Today, with the rise of “extremely emotional” social networks, image culture is becoming more relevant, “whether we like it or not”. Persuasion and attraction, according to Virgili, are elements that “enable” the political message to more easily reach a larger number of potential voters.

Because voters associate, often unconsciously, certain physical attributes with leadership characteristics. Playing with personal attractiveness is therefore an asset that can give good electoral results, agree the political scientists consulted by this newspaper.

Even if, these same experts insist, physical attractiveness alone does not guarantee electoral success, but rather it must be combined with a solid and credible political message as well as a good campaign strategy.

“Trivialization”

The problem arises when everything is reduced to accentuating the aesthetic qualities. In fact, this is what happened to Sánchez himself when he landed in the Moncloa Palace in 2018 after the motion of censure against Mariano Rajoy.

THE international pressfrom specialized fashion magazines to the most serious media, have indulged in its charms. “His reassuring smile is reminiscent of that of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau” (Vanity Fair); “Will it be the most beautiful of the G20?” (Financial Times); “Mr. Beau” (AFP, The Daily E-mailBBC); “Elegant, athletic, sexy” (Italian edition of I make a donation); “the Cary Latin Grant” (The World)… The Italian press came to baptize him “Pedro il Bello”.

And now, with the compliments of his party colleagues or the flattery of Almodóvar (“I would ask him things not only on the political level, but also on the physical level”), the debate has taken on a new dimension. Even Minister Isabel Rodríguez went so far as to say that the head of the Executive was “beautiful” and that “it was disturbing”.

“It’s the trivialization of politics,” laments Jordi Virgili. Instead of addressing the management of public life, political discourse infiltrates other “more superficial” categories, which “impoverishes the debate and causes rejection,” adds this expert in political communication.

This is what we call in the sector pop politics either policywhen politics and entertainment mix. “What should be a competition of ideas becomes a beauty contestIt’s very sad,” Virgili rejects.

Women

But being beautiful can become a double-edged sword. “Although it is a positive attribute, it is also used to criticize, especially in the world of women,” explains Ana Salazar, who gives as an example the case of the second vice president of the government and minister of Labor and the Social Economy. Yolanda Diaz.

Díaz “invested time to change her image” to obtain a “more modern and feminine” appearance and is “extremely criticized” for this, continues Salazar, who recalls the sexist attack of Alphonse Guerra.

“The vice-president criticizing the lack of legal and political rigor? Her? She had to spend time between one hairdressing salon and another,” the former socialist leader even declared.