The answer to this question will depend on how one defines “conservative,” and what the context is. On the Stanford campus, I have no guess as to what viewpoint is dominant referring to Bush, international politics, or money. I would think the majority of women on campus are liberal (at least for personal/family issues), even if they may label themselves conservative and vote Republican. Liberals (who vote Democrat) are often extremely intolerant of other viewpoints and values, so to say that “the conservative woman” is marginalized is, first of all, obviously a play with liberal political slogans (and the same applies to celebrating “diversity”). As to the ways and degrees that conservative women in particular, or their viewpoints, may be marginalized on campus, it would depend on the context. Marginalized in what sense?

With regard to this aspect, the association that comes to my mind with this photo is that this is the “morning after.” It’s morning, and they have slept together and she is still in her nighty, and the morning coffee cup is on the counter. We see her left hand, but there is no ring on it. There is another issue here which is “libertarian” versus “social conservative.” In this sense, what I think they try to reinforce is that she is very liberal in these above mentioned realms, but she supports Bush and policies to benefit the rich (which refer to political party positions, that is “Republican” conservative). That’s partially the reason for the “yeah, she’s a conservative,” yeah, she will go on a one-night stand and still vote for Bush.

“In each case, pretty and/or sexually available women are offered up as the face of a political viewpoint, presumably to entice heterosexual men to consider joining as well.”

In respect to enticement, given that this ad is distributed to a wide audience, encompassing every kind of person, any such image would presumably entice not only heterosexual men, but also women with a bisexual and/or homosexual mindset.

Libertarians, like liberals, are not opposed to pornography nor liberal concepts of homosexuality, and putting women with men, women, horses or dogs, is not an issue for them.

Regarding her hip/leg, she’s not a watermelon, she’s a slender model. There’s nothing Photoshopped about her hip or leg, the length proportion of both legs are correct. Her left side/hip wouldn’t be thrusting out from behind her arm unless she was chubby, which she is not. She’s not aneroxic, but she doesn’t have a ring of fat around her hip either. It’s not conservative women who don’t have a normal anatomy, but liberal women who are too dense to get glasses when they obviously need some.

What I found interesting to note are the four chosen criteria to frame the “conservative” concept in this case:

- bush/hitler (intl politics)
- rich aren’t bad (rich/money)

- taxes (taxes/money)
- terrorists (military/terrorists/intl politics)

Basically, it’s all centered around international politics and money (and conservatism is much more complex and broad-ranging than that). The label “conservative” can be applied to very different (and opposing) combinations of political and ideological profiles.

Further down in the ad, there are the 3 categories: “fascinating free-thinker,” “liberatarian looker,” and “charming conservative.” Although the first and last one are pretty straightforward as concepts, what is a “looker?” And what is a “libertarian looker?”

In any case, again, we have the reinforcing of “libertarian” as a definition of conservative in this case. This ad/contest seems therefore to be mislabeled or too vaguely labeled. It would have been more ideologically precise and correct, if they had employed the label libertarian in place of conservative, because it seems that is how this student group aligns itself.

On the other hand she did move to London, so perhaps it’s OK.

Also, if the article is not a joke then why are the tenets of conservatism dumbed down or included at all? Should a college-age woman who identifies strongly enough with it to enter a contest not know how to define it? Maybe they are looking for amateur models with no better job offers who can do a sort of Miss America talking points thing into a microphone. “I just feel so strongly and warmly that all of the homeless in this country need to get off their asses! Yeah, lets hear it for them!”

Another example of this: I went to a fresherman fair at my university a couple of years ago. At the Oxford University Conservative Association stand, where they were recruiting, was a poster: it was an attractive girl with the slogan ‘Life is better under a Conservative’.

News story: http://www.cherwell.org/content/7818

You can see a small version of the poster at the bottom of this google search:
http://images.google.com/images?q=life%20is%20better%20under%20a%20conservative&rls