Cynthia Nixon wants the temperature at her first debate to be 76 degrees for this feminist reason
Cynthia Nixon is gearing up for her first debate in the New York governor race. The former actress and current progressive candidate will face incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo in a televised debate tonight, August 29th. And if Nixon has any say in the matter, the event will be heated (literally); the challenger has requested that the thermostat be set to 76 degrees.
The New York Times reported yesterday, August 28th, that Nixon’s team made the request because of the current governor’s preference for cold rooms. One of Nixon’s top strategists reportedly took the opportunity to call this out, suggesting that icy office temperatures are “notoriously sexist.”
According to Science Magazine, many offices still use a model developed in the 1960s to determine what temperature is most comfortable for their workers. This model used the metabolism of the “average office worker” at the time (a 40-year-old man) and came to the conclusion that 70 degrees Fahrenheit was the optimal office temperature. But, as the article notes, women tend to have slower metabolisms than men, meaning they get cold easier. This also means that modern offices, which largely consist of both men and women, are still catered to the male body (if you’ve ever worn a skirt or sleeveless blouse to work, you probably already knew that). false
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1034627657290444800
You know…I wasn’t a fan of Cynthia Nixon, but damn girl is making some sense. Temperature should never be held below 72. Always way too cold in the office and other public spaces.
— 🌬Mizz Allie (@mizz_allie) August 28, 2018
L. Joy Williams, a strategist for Nixon, implied via Twitter that the Nixon team is hoping to meet Cuomo in the middle.
Maybe you say 76 degrees and get 65 degrees instead of freezing at 50 pic.twitter.com/yPejE3BsMq
— L. Joy Williams (@ljoywilliams) August 28, 2018
Whether you think 76 degrees sounds perfectly reasonable or unbearably tropical, the fact remains that office temperatures generally cater to men rather than women, and we love that Nixon and her team are calling this out.
