Controversy: Bill Richardson’s beard

Is it just me, or was anyone reminded of the Hillary Clinton pantsuit "controversy," or the cleavage-showing-shirt "controversy," or the general large amount of attention paid to her appearance rather than her qualifications, today when CNN kept going on and on about the fact that Bill Richardson shaved his beard?  Obviously, lack of facial hair in no way reflects on his ability to be Commerce Secretary.  At first I felt a bit vindicated that finally it was a man’s appearance that was getting so much more publicity than his credentials were, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this wasn’t a victory against sexism so much as it was sexism targeted at males.  Thoughts?