Why Referring to Kamala Harris by Her First Name Could Hurt Her Campaign

Women in politics toe a very thin line, experts say. They have to manage the fine balance between being seen as too authoritative and too approachable, and often, being called by their first name is at the heart of that difference.

“The easy answer is we’re not getting the same respect, but I think it could be more complicated,” Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, told Newsweek.

Vice President Kamala Harris, like many women politicians now and before her, has faced people solely calling her by her first name. The disparity can be a sign of respect, or disrespect, and it’s often hard to distinguish between the two.

Tannen noted that people often call each other by their first name because they don’t respect them, showing that they are “lesser.” The same name-calling, however, could also indicate that two people are close.

“People find women more approachable,” Tannen said. “I think that’s inseparable though from respecting them less… In many ways, women are treated by men the same way children are treated.”

In terms of the election, Tannen sees both instances of using a first name to belittle or uplift someone.

She called Harris approachable, smiling a lot because if she didn’t, Harris would be “seen as severe.”

But this can be to Harris’s advantage in the election. Women are often seen as warm and friendly, which can be an attribute politically, Deborah Carr, the director of Boston University’s Center of Innovation in Social Studies, told Newsweek.

“We do need to treat our women leaders as the professionals they are rather than our next-door neighbor,” Carr said. “I think it is a double-edged sword, but unfortunately it’s a double-edged sword only women grapple with.”

Former President Donald Trump has attacked Harris for her laugh throughout his campaign rallies over the past few weeks. He called her laugh that “of a lunatic,” noting that he does not have “a lot of respect for her” or her intelligence. Trump added “Laffin Kamala” to the list of nicknames he has used for her.

This goes hand in hand with the “double binding” women are held to, Tannen said. If a female politician acts like a person of authority, they’re seen as “too aggressive and unlikable.” If they act “as women are supposed to act,” the female politician in turn is considered not authoritative enough.

Even still, Tannen has heard more people calling the vice president “Harris” than anyone would call former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton “Clinton.”

“Part of that is because there was another Clinton,” Tannen said.

Claudia Goldin, a professor of economics at Harvard University, told Newsweek that it might not be a huge issue.

“I’m happy when the various aspects of femineity and womanist spread over the world. If one of them is to personalize our leaders, to make them feel like they’re one of us and use their first name, so be it,” Goldin said.

The “good news,” according to Carr?

“All of the signs people have on their lawns are for the most part Harris-Walz. It’s not Kamala-Tim,” Carr said. “I think there’s starting to be a change.”

Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.