Mitt Romney: Spray Tanner

Alexandra Owens,Allure magazine

Everyone is gossiping about how Mitt Romney achieves his youthful-verging-on-Oompa-Loompa glow. According to experts and inside sources, his pale ears, mismatched hands, and reddish tinge are dead giveaways of (not very good) spray tanning.

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If that is indeed the case, the Republican nominee wouldn't be the first politician to get misted. As Anna Stankiewicz, whose business Suvara reportedly counts several New York politicians, including mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, as clients, pointed out in an interview with Buzzfeed.com: "It's not like Mitt Romney can go chill out on a beach right now; he needs a quick fix." Of course, just as common are politicians denying the practice: Romney and Quinn's camps both claim their hues are natural.

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Is getting a spray tan such a serious political transgression? As long as the $200 to $500 sessions aren't being paid for with campaign or government money (and everything's above board according to Romney's sources), Romney isn't doing anything technically wrong. So why bother lying to the press and sneaking around? Wouldn't it be refreshing if Romney would just say, "Hey, I got that treatment for the same reason I get haircuts and take my suits to the dry cleaners: So I look good on TV and when I'm making my 14th stump speech of the day. Now can we get back to discussing my five-point plan?"

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That said, I understand why he's not eager to come clean. If you look back on all the recent scandals (John Edwards's haircuts, Nancy Pelosi's new face, Sarah Palin's makeup artist, etc.), it's clear that voters don't want to see their elected officials spending too much money or effort on how they look. They should be somehow above the petty concerns of physical appearance. And no one wants to imagine their president stripping down for the spray tan wand.

So what do you think: Should our nominees own the efforts they have to go to look good on TV-or should they keep their private grooming rituals to themselves?


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