Sarah Palin Underweight, Anxious, Needed "Emergency Help" For Thinning Hair: New York Times

Update: Sarah Palin's hairdresser speaks! 9 days after the Times pondered the possible reasons for Sarah Palin's sudden withdrawal from the Alaskan governorship, at least one thing has become clear: it wasn't really a hair emergency. "It wasn't like I did an intervention,'' Jessica Steele, Palin's long time friend and hairdresser, told the Boston Globe in a phone interview from her Wasilla beauty parlor, the Beehive. "I think the combination of traveling and just being down there in the lower 48... We needed to get her back to shiny.''

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The New York Times has a lengthy story on Sarah Palin in Monday's edition, examining the personal and political pressures that may have driven her to resign her governorship.

The article, like many others before it, describes Palin's political operation as largely dysfunctional, to the point that prominent Republican adviser Fred Malek felt the need to personally urge her to have someone "set up a mechanism so you can return calls."

"You are getting a bad rap," he recalled saying. "Important people are trying to talk to you. And she said, 'What number are they calling?' She did not know what had been happening."

The piece describes Palin as obsessed with her critics, and under severe strain from souring relationships with Alaska legislators and encounters with the national media and paparazzi. Perhaps the strangest details of the story come from accounts from Palin's friends about her physical deterioration:

Friends worried that she appeared anxious and underweight. Her hair had thinned to the point where she needed emergency help from her hairdresser and close friend, Jessica Steele.

Read the full story here.

Comments

[C0Y0TE2]

Remember that 3:00AM phone call?

SP would just quit.

[noamjunior]

then blame the media

[hottingers]

Nah, she'd just let Todd answer it.

[duncansdad]

Nope! She let the machine get it.

[noamjunior]

God bless the Palins and I wish them all the best- as long as Sarah stops commenting on topics that she doesn't understand - like politics or current events

[tandrmcdonald]

I'm not taking swipes at her for a while. I think there's more going on with the woman's health than she thinks we have a right to know. She looks awful and I couldn't help but notice the trouble she had breathing during her resignation announcement. The last person I heard who sounded like that was Peter Jennings. I hope I'm wrong.
Gramma Rose

[Francis99]

Perhaps she does need a good long therapuetic rest. It certainly would make us feel better.
And she could try some of that mothering stuff during her time off.

[Cantinflas]

It will be hard to feel sorry for her if she keeps up her campaigning and public speaking schedule.

[RedNane]

Remember what happened to pinocchio when he told a lie? Well, Sarah when you started making demeaning remarks about community organizers, palling around with terrorists then your hair too a dive.
Guess you are just not presidential material if you can't take it. But then why did you start it and set such a low tone.? Oh, I know because this is who you are.

[diak0n0s]

"demeaning remarks about community organizers"

To what are you refering?

[moodyring]

normally, i don't have positive feelings toward that woman, but as someone whose mom's hair began falling out when she was stressed, i can feel some empathy regarding that situation

[noamjunior]

did your mom lie to the national media too

[Francis99]

She always was a lightweight.

[rflctammt]

Something about this article has really changed my heart.

It brings to mind the studies of people who win lotteries, and how after five or ten years, the majority of those folks say it was the worst thing that ever happened to them, that it ruined their life! It seems when you instantly acquire huge amounts of wealth it becomes very difficult to know who your friends are and, perhaps, even more difficult to remember who you are.

In a way, I think this is what happened to Sarah Palin. She basically won the "Politics Lottery" when McCain chose her as his running mate. Virtually unknown, totally unprepared, and in all honesty completely unqualified she was suddenly thrust upon the world stage with spotlights on her and a microphone in her hand. (We won't mention the make-up artist, clothes, entourage, etc.)

Yeah, I'd say there were all the ingredients for a serious meltdown in her future.

(( Rflctammt's Conclusion Coming in 3 minutes!))

[MisterHands]

Palins makeup artist, was paid $22,800 for the first two weeks of October, making her the highest paid McCain.

[ShakeYourComplacency]

I agree, I think it was way too much, way too fast. And when she tried to wing it, it just got worse. She would have been better off if she played the new Gov card instead of the know-it-all card. She could have stayed charming, answered questions to the best of her ability, reminded people how new she was to the governorship, and basically put it all on McCain's shoulders. People would say, well she's a nice lady trying hard to govern, she's interested in what people think, she wants to help the country, did her best for McCain....­etc. That way, she would have a shot in the future, set herself up real good. But instead, she fought with McCain staffers, ran ragged and put her foot in her mouth everywhere she went. And Now? It's obvious she's running.

[bubbepenny]

oh dear poor sarah. maybe now she will go far far away and we will never hear from or about her again. wouldnt it be loverly.

[CaptainVideo]

Palin took Harry Truman's advice.

She cannot take the heat, so she is getting out of the kitchen.

[DFutureIsNow]

Breaking: Hair QUITS Palins scalp... lol

[GAPeach99]

Need "emergency" help for thinning hair? Try a wig.

[jaslyn]

Her thinning hair is the least of her problems. Anyone who goes to a salon called "The Beahive", is going to have a few jokes at their expense.

[joeinknoxville]

Go Sarah! Yeah! You go girl! You maver-icky thang. Go on, girl! Go! Farther. No, farther. Keep going.. that's it... a little more... a little more... and... then there are none.

And she said it was Dems who 'cut and run'.

Guess what, you die hard 30%'rs, if you call Sarah at 3am with a crisis, she won't answer because she quit. Probably, someone named Twix or something will ask you to leave a message. You betcha!

[Waltfl]

The left wing liberal press did that!

[wonketteRAWKS]

What a bunch of sad hateful comments. And wow, the headline sounds like it was taken directly from The National Inquirer!

[MESGAIN26]

remind me a lot of palln hateful comments during the campaign kamara is a %$#*

[annetteK]

You didn't think the comments on the campaign trail were hateful?

[MisterHands]

Sarahcuda's hair quit.

[psbintl]

Talk to the hand!

After what she did during the campaign! You have got to be kidding!

Get real!