my president can beat up your president

both drudge and usa today are running polls comparing shirtless world leaders, with putin faring better among the (more conservative and male?) drudge readership and obama running away with the usa today poll.

i'm curious about the criteria here. are the voters responding to the best-looking leader, the most masculine leader, or the most "presidential" or sophisticated leader?

a couple years ago, i came across a wonderful photography book that showed the bodies of elite athletes of various sports. the diversity was striking, with some looking buff and others emaciated (e.g., the marathon runners).


so, what physical qualities do we look for in a president? it strikes me that president-elect barack obama has the frame of a basketball player or distance runner. russian prime minister vladimir putin is well-trained in martial arts, but he also looks like he knows his way around a weight room. president nicolas sarkozy, on the other hand, is (rather notoriously) a runner.

my sense is that all three leaders are trying to convey a sense of youthfulness, vitality, and everything-is-a-ok-edness in these images.

but they're also sending a message about their muscles and masculinity. whereas prime minister putin is clearly sending a don't even think about messing with me vibe, the images of president-elect obama convey strength and discipline (how many middle-aged americans have a flat belly?) but little menace.

i'm also curious about how sarah palin's beach vacation photos would have been covered, had senator mccain won the election. would we be running polls to rate the hotness of bathing suit shots of the new vice president? maybe the good folks at socimages can help us parse the gender issues here.