Not so pretty: Sexism and Jacinda Ardern

In a Herald digi-poll Jacinda Ardern was ranked fourth as preferred Prime Minister. Photo / Brett Phibbs, NZ Herald

I want to talk about Jacinda Ardern - the Labour MP.

In a Herald digi-poll she was ranked fourth as preferred Prime Minister. No names of MPs were offered up, but a chunk of the voting public said they liked Ardern. She is a very popular MP.

Ardern didn't ask to be polled and I'm sure she finds the discussion around her popularity frustrating, because it's still going on, a week later. Some of it centres on her looks, on a cover story she did for Next Magazine, and the fact she is well connected on social networking sites.

String her up. Crikey. That's a trio of sins, right there.

Sadly, much of the commentary centres on whether Ardern is deserving of her ranking in the preferred Prime Minister poll.

Many commentators have said no.

She lacks substance, apparently. She's achieved little as an opposition MP.

Some headlines have been magnificently sexist - "pretty vacant" read one.

Another was patronising - "vote for me, I'm one of the cool kids". Never in Ardern's life would she have uttered such a phrase.

But Ardern must be getting used to this by now, it's been going on for a while.

Think back to the 2011 election. Her Auckland central electorate was dubbed "the battle of the babes". I still can't believe that a news editor let that one through. Ardern was up against Nikki Kaye. Never mind the politics, never mind the issues for that important electorate, let's focus on the sex appeal of the two young women.

It's such tripe, and it's yet another example of the everyday sexism that somehow seems to wash over us in this country.

If Ardern was to walk away from politics, who could blame her? In the last week she's been labelled vapid and a proponent of substance-free politics. And that's when we weren't labelling her "a pretty little thing'.

I'm not suggesting we shouldn't critique Ardern's performance, on the contrary. This is politics, criticism goes with the territory. But would political commentators ever describe a male MP as "vapid" or "pretty vacant"? That sort of language is only every applied to women.

Political parties need new blood, they need fresh faces, they need to rejuvenate, and they need to engage youth.

They need politicians like Ardern coming through the ranks, but what a tragedy that some find it hard to critique her performance because they can't see past her bright eyes and good skin.

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