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I recently was quoted in a Forbes.com Magazine article written by Caroline Howard, the Deputy Online Editor at ForbesWoman.com

My commentary represents my personal statement based on education, work, travel, social, cultural and political history and not necessarily the perspetive of my employer.

Caroline sought the opinion of the ForbesWoman online community group in regards to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor image in the Latina community and her symbolic statement to wear red finger nail polish for her photo shoot for the cover of Latina Magazine.
(See: http://www.latina.com)

I have posted the article: Check it Out!

ForbesWoman Views
Tweets (And More) Of The Week: Why Are We Looking At Sotomayor's Red Nails?
ForbesWoman Community 12.24.09, 12:00 PM ET

Heads turn and mouses click at the sight of "first" photos. Consider the hoopla and steep price tag surrounding the People and Hello! get of the first exclusive photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's newborn twins last year.

While convincing the Hollywood power couple to smile for the camera came in at a reported tune of some $14 million, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor decided to grant her first photo shoot as new justice to Latina magazine. For obvious reasons.

On this month's cover, Sotomayor appears to be pledging allegiance. The colors and her expression convey the muted tones of quiet authority. All except for her bright red nails.

Florian Bachleda, the creative director of the magazine, recently wrote a post about the photo shoot with Sotomayor on the Society of Publication Designers Web site, "A Wise Latina and the Color Red: Latina's Justice Sotomayor Cover." "On the day of the shoot, Justice Sotomayor entered the room with a big smile on her face, and the first thing she did was extend her hand and introduce herself to everyone in the room. Everyone ... it was incredibly refreshing to see."

But what's up with her nails? Bachleda writes that during Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, the justice was fully prepped on everything from potentially explosive questions down to her dress and nail color. She was, apparently, advised to keep the lacquer neutral. But, he continues, "on the day of the White House reception celebrating her appointment, Sotomayor asked the president to look at her freshly manicured nails, holding up her hands to show off her favorite color: a fire-engine red. The president chuckled, saying that she had been warned against that color."

Why red and, really, should we even be looking at her nails? To answer the first question, Latina Editor Mimi Valdés says, "In many Latino families, red is a very important and symbolic color. ... For many, the color is very much a point of pride." We put the second question to the ForbesWoman community.

Gloria J. Bailey, director for Diversity and Outreach at East Carolina University-Fine Arts, weighs in: "Good for judge Sotomayor for being proud of her heritage and the symbols of her Latina Culture. She represents all of the people and also has a right to acknowledge her own history as a part of the American experience. It is time that America accepts the full story of all our people."

Courtney Smith says, "Not sure why this is such an issue ... but after reading the article, very appropriate considering what red is supposed to represent."

Blogger Paola Bonomo, who writes the blog Live From Planet Paola, directs us to two of her posts on similar subjects after informing the community, "I am in favor of women wearing whatever they see fit, including nail colors." One post was on Carme Chacón, the Spanish defense minister who was roundly criticized ("mostly by men, obviously") for presiding over a military parade wearing an elegant pantsuit rather than a dress. The second post was a celebration of the daring décolletage of Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany and No. 1 on this year's ForbesWoman 100 Most Powerful Woman list.

Ratzo Rizzo strikes a similar chord, demanding powerful women have the right to dress feminine: "I wonder why we always want to de-feminize any woman in a position of power or authority. We should feel powerful as women doing all of the things women can do--including wearing fabulous nail polish."

The personal is political, writes Kathleen Meghan Serafin, who sees the red polish as symbol of Sotomayor's bravada: "While I think it is great that a Latina is now a Supreme Court Justice, Sotomayor was the wrong Latina. Based on her previous public statements, it seems she will not make impartial judgments. The red nail polish says 'look at me.' Very distracting. She is supposed to be doing a job, and it is not as the next Oprah."

Marianne Mullen disagrees, noting, "There is nothing wrong or improper about wearing red nail polish. What's next, that women can't color their hair if they are on the bench? Good for her. She's staying true to herself in a man's world."

But a great majority of our community fired barbs at even bringing up the topic. Amy Pietrasanta sighs, "Oh please, who cares? I have a dream--that someday women will be judged by the content of their character and not their nails, hairdos and outfits." Gen Lee adds, "Ditto. She deserves merits on her own, not on how she looks. Let's move on." Jean Kristensen sums up with: "I think that focusing on the color of a woman's nails it ridiculous and completely unfair. I also point out that I love red nail polish and wear it whenever I chose."

Readers, where do you stand in the debate?

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See Also: Judging Sonia

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