THE MAKEUP THAT WON THE ELECTION

On the eve of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, it is worth noting that the first-ever televised presidential debate took place 52 years ago. 

On September 26, 1960, 70 million TV viewers tuned in to watch Senator John Kennedy of Massachusetts and Vice President Richard Nixon state their arguments.  It was the first of four televised "Great Debates" between the two candidates.

The Great Debates marked TV’s grand entrance into presidential politics. They afforded the first real opportunity for voters to see their candidates in competition. The visual contrast was so dramatic that voters who heard the debates on radio thought that Nixon had won, while those who saw the black-and-white telecast considered Kennedy the clear winner.

The Kennedy-Nixon debates are legendary as well because of the role that makeup played in benefiting one candidate versus the other.  Though accounts vary regarding if Kennedy wore makeup for the first telecast or simply sported a great California tan, one clear lesson from this moment in history is that Nixon’s refusal to wear makeup may have cost him the presidency that year.

The Great Debates of 1960 made television and election history.  Nixon later admitted that it was a mistake to refuse makeup.  

Kennedy used effective body language and dressed in a contrasting "power"suit. Nixon, in a drab gray suit, looked uneasy and awkward in his chair.

Here’s the story:

In August of 1960, Nixon had seriously injured his knee and spent two weeks in the hospital with the flu. By the time of the first debate he was 20 pounds underweight, his pallor poor. He arrived at the debate in an ill-fitting shirt, and refused makeup to improve his color and lighten his perpetual "5:00 o'clock shadow," after overhearing his opponent refuse makeup for himself. 

Kennedy, by contrast, had spent early September campaigning in California. He was tanned, confident and well-rested. "I had never seen him looking so fit," Nixon later wrote.

Viewers who watched the first debate saw Nixon still sickly and obviously discomforted by Kennedy's smooth delivery and charisma. The television audience focused on what they saw, not what they heard.

In the subsequent three televised debates, Nixon was outclassed again by Kennedy’s telegenic presence, body language, astute choice of wardrobe and poise. 

More than once, Nixon wore a gray suit, which provided little contrast with the background of the set.  He also had a tendency to sweat profusely under the hot studio lights and had to wipe his face repeatedly, which betrayed his confidence with the debate topics. 

Kennedy wore a dark suit and used makeup to keep up the healthful tanned appearance.  He was also coached on how to sit with legs crossed, hands folded confidently on his lap, and to look at Nixon when he wasn't speaking.

The sharp contrast in the appearance of the two candidates and the back story regarding the use of makeup make the Great Debates of 1960 a valuable lesson for the Exceptional Spokesperson.