ANALYSIS

The commentary on Donald Trump’s physical appearance during the US presidential race has been a cheap running joke and a journalistic cop out.

Worse still: it drowns out legitimate critiques of the Republican nominee’s outlandish policies.

Since announcing his bid for the White House, Trump has been torn apart for everything from his hair, to hand size and skin colour.

Trump has been called an “Oompa Loompa” on national TV, while an image of him as a child has been compared to a pear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fWbOP84Yro

“I almost feel sorry for the poor fellow because, to me, the fingers still look abnormally stubby,” wrote Graydon Carter, editor of the esteemed magazine Vanity Fair in November last year.

The magazine also implied that images of Trump’s hair can make a person physical ill.

A political campaign ad called on Trump to “reveal the measurements” of his hands, while The Huffington Post has described Trump’s hair evolution as “almost as scary as his politics”.

He’s been likened to ‘the world’s ugliest dog” and an angry-looking Pokémon character.

Internet pranksters have had a field day with the insults, proliferating altered images of the candidate, similar to the one below.

Time to get serious

Even if Trump had no hands at all, it would not change the fact he wants to ban the migration of an entire religion.

His hair might have seen better days, but we should be talking about the many occasions on which he has shown a frightening disrespect for women and for anyone who challenges him.

Trump is not competing in one of the beauty pageants he owned for 25 years. He is close to becoming arguably the most powerful person in the world.

Whether we like it or not, laughing at Trump’s looks undermines the seriousness of the situation the US – and the world – is facing.

This man is a serious contender for the presidency.

Trump is not competing in one of the beauty pageants he owned for 25 years. He is close to becoming arguably the most powerful person in the world.

Does this dog look like Donald Trump? Does it matter?

By concentrating on Donald Tump’s perceived physical ugliness, we detract from the ugliness of his policies.

A victim of his own poor taste

Donald Trump’s own actions have certainly not made it easier for commentators to rise above.

The businessman’s long history of criticising (particularly women’s) appearances is well documented.

He described self-made media mogul Ariana Huffington as “unattractive both inside and out” and actress Rosie O’Donnell “disgusting inside and out’.

Some insults have been more insidious – such as when he mocked a physically disabled reporter.

Not only in America

Of course, insulting politicians for their looks is not unique to America.

Our first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, suffered savage and irrelevant physical critiques from both the media and fellow politicians.

A Liberal National Party fundraiser famously served up Julia Gillard’s “small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box”.

The offensive menu from a 2013 fundraiser. Photo: Twitter

Tony Abbott was mercilessly trolled for wearing ‘budgie smugglers’, Kevin Rudd was taunted for his weight and Bill Shorten picked on for having “man boobs” after his impressive weight loss.

More recently, Pauline Hanson was called “a racist red neck with red hair” by an Aboriginal activist, and the media jumped on it.

To question these insults is not to approve of a politicians’ policies.

It’s simply a call to focus on the size of their hearts and minds – not their hands.