Candidates do what they gotta do. For Romney, who is often seen as too stiff and robotic, wearing jeans is probably his way of trying to be seen as more of a regular guy. I don't think women have that leeway, at least not yet: women are judged far more harshly on physical appearance, plus they still need to work harder to convey authority. Men, especially tall men, don't need to do that.

Even shorter men have a harder time being seen as leaders, so most women are at a disadvantage right off the bat. I think women have to be veerrryy careful about how they mix it up. Get too casual and you're not serious; stay all buttoned up and you're too stiff. Wear your heels too high and you're trying to be sexy, etc.

Plus, I think a lot of the men get away with intemperate language more than women would -- again, mostly because women are such a minority as political figures. Just yesterday Santorum yelled, "bulls...t" at a reporter; I can't imagine a female candidate getting away with that. In addition, they can whine or complain or get testy all they want; if a woman does it she's emotional.