The first presidential debate happened this week.

I could write one thousand articles about everything that was said or done by the candidates, but I’m going to focus on the point of greatest personal relevance to myself.

The double standard here is that Trump can look however he wants and still be in the running for President, while Clinton’s, and every professional woman’s, appearance is under constant scrutiny in relation to their jobs. 

While watching the debate Monday night, I saw a connection with Hillary Clinton I hadn’t noticed before.

I saw a woman being talked over and down to by a man with far less knowledge than herself.

I saw a woman smile and remain poised while a man ranted and yelled.

What Clinton dealt with on that night and in the Trump campaign’s backlash ever since, reveals a double standard with which all American women are familiar.

So it amazes me that some people still deny the existence of this double standard in this election and in our country as a whole.

Many of the arguments Donald Trump made during the debate are dependent upon the different expectations the public has for him as a male candidate and for Clinton as a female candidate.

The discrepancy was obvious for many of the women watching who deal with sexism in their own everyday lives.

But for those who still don’t believe, let’s unpack what happened during the debate.

Let’s begin with perceptions of appearance.

I don’t see what appearance has to do with a person’s character or capabilities, but Trump loves to talk about women’s looks, including Clinton’s and many others.

While Trump stumbled through a justification of his previous quote that Clinton does not “look presidential”, Clinton brought up Trump’s history of shaming women, particularly his treatment of the first Miss Universe winner.

Since the debate, Trump has doubled down on his treatment of Alicia Machado, criticizing her for gaining weight after she won.

Trump has made it clear that whether a woman is a beauty queen or the President of the United States, appearance is an important quality of the job.

Trump is ignorant to the irony of his statements.

We are supposed to believe that Donald Trump, adorned in hairspray and fake tan, looks more presidential than the former Secretary of State.

As for his comments on women’s weight, I don’t have to point out that Trump isn’t exactly an Abercrombie model himself.

But Trump doesn’t have to justify his appearance to the world. Men rarely do.

The double standard here is that Trump can look however he wants and still be in the running for President, while Clinton’s, and every professional woman’s, appearance is under constant scrutiny in relation to their jobs.

Moving on to behavior and temperament, popular topics in this race. Trump closed the debate by saying how Clinton was being ‘not nice’ for bringing up all the allegedly misogynistic comments he has publically made.

Trump followed up by saying he could have treated Clinton much worse, implying that he could have brought up Bill Clinton’s infidelities.

What her husband’s sexual history has to do with Clinton’s ability to lead a country, I don’t know, but Trump wants to be commended for not bringing it up.

The difference here is that Clinton is judged by how she behaved and what she said during the debate.

Trump expects to be judged by how he could have behaved and what he could have said.

Men are taught to believe that they deserve a pat on the back for not being terrible while women are required to smile and be “nice” even if they’re running for the highest office in the country.

Trump is a hypocrite. He bullies women while also pretending to be victimized by one.

He drags up Clinton’s husband’s affairs while being on his third marriage and openly making comments about his attraction to other women.

He expects to be commended for not saying something awful but won’t own up to the awful comments he has already said.

Trump’s supporters don’t see him as a hypocrite, because he takes full advantage of the sexist double standards Clinton is up against.

This is not to say that voters can’t criticize Hillary too.

But that criticism must focus on her abilities, her policies, and her beliefs.

Both her opponents and her supporters must judge her by the same standards as any other candidate whose run for the Presidency.

At the very least, we all must acknowledge the double standard at play in the debate and in this election as a whole. Because we know Donald Trump never will.