Likability, Authenticity, Smiles: The Debate Tightrope for Kamala Harris

So, in a way, Ms. Harris has long been preparing for the vice-presidential debate on Wednesday. And, after the first presidential debate between President Trump and Mr. Biden last week failed to present a clear vision on either side, Democrats now view the coming event as an opportunity to rally the country, casting Ms. Harris as a star prosecutor who represents a stark contrast to the current administration.

Yet, experts and aides close to the Biden campaign said that it might be exactly this expectation of who she is that could pose gendered and racial challenges for her in the high-stakes event with Vice President Mike Pence.

“You should also be prepared for the slights, the efforts to diminish you personally, you as a woman,” Hillary Clinton said to Ms. Harris in a recent episode of Mrs. Clinton’s new podcast. “I do think that there will be a lot of maneuvering on the other side to try to put you in a box.”

As the third woman ever to engage in a national televised vice-presidential debate — the weight of which was amplified after Mr. Trump was hospitalized for the coronavirus, reminding the nation of the importance of the second in command — Ms. Harris will be under heightened scrutiny, especially given Mr. Biden’s old age.

On top of that, women in the public eye are consistently held to higher standards than male candidates with little room for error, said Mirya Holman, a political science professor at Tulane University focusing on women in politics. They are also judged by an elusive “likability” factor — a double bind for women in power who risk being perceived as “bossy” and “aggressive” if they behave too authoritatively, but risk being perceived as “incompetent” if they play too nice, she explained.