It’s hard out there for a primper

Robin Givhan of the Washington Post addresses the standout items in the recently disclosed expenses of John Edwards’ presidential campaign:

They are the ones incurred at Designworks Salon in Dubuque, Iowa, Torrenueva Hair Designs in Beverly Hills, Calif., and the Pink Sapphire salon and spa in Manchester, N.H.

The campaign paid $800 for two haircuts from the Torrenueva salon. Designworks provided $248 worth of camera-ready makeup. And Pink Sapphire was called on two occasions for Edwards’s makeup needs at $150 and $75 a visit. Together they account for $1,273 worth of professional grooming, from trims to foundation.

Edwards has a bit of an image problem in this area. His campaign is supposed to be all about “the two Americas,” not about him being the “Breck Girl” candidate, or YouTube videos of his pre-interview makeup sessions.

Givhan isn’t terribly sympathetic:

Edwards considers triple-digit grooming expenses a part of campaigning. He listed his salon and spa bills under “consulting/events,” after all. And the truth is that audiences expect politicians to look polished on television. They don’t want to see some washed-out guy with a shiny nose waxing on about his call to public service. And politicians are only human. They want to make the best impression.

But there is a line between grooming and primping. Brushing your teeth is grooming. Giving yourself a big Chiclet smile with veneers is primping. Having an adept barber come around to the hotel to give a busy candidate a trim is grooming. Getting the owner of an expensive Beverly Hills salon to come over, knowing full well that the cost is going to be 10 times what the average Joe is likely to pay for a haircut . . . that’s a Breck girl move.