By Kate WardPLAY Columnist

At the north end of Manhattan’s shopping district, near Central Park, sits a New York institution so plated in gold you’d expect to find chocolate inside. Though it’s not quite the Godiva box it seems, the interior of Trump Tower is nearly as tasty, complete with skylights and fountains that boast incredible wealth and elegance.

Too bad Mr. Trump isn’t as classy. The most publicized feud since the Shiites vs. the Sunnis, Donald Trump vs. Rosie O’Donnell began quite innocently with a hair joke and questioning of Trump’s moral character after he granted a second chance to coke-snorting-trainwreck of the month, Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner (step aside, LiLo). But talk show banter escalated into a gloves-off brawl, complete with name-calling, threats of legal action and more comb-over jabs. Now Trump is reportedly insulting Rosie-defender Barbara Walters (gasp!) and befriending Rosie-rival Star Jones-Reynolds (double gasp!).

But in his efforts to take down Rosie, is Trump also undermining Rosie the Riveter and the entire women’s movement? It certainly appears so. The Donald has never been shy about his (ahem) appreciation for beautiful women. Since the feud began, Trump has repeatedly appeared on air voicing his opinion about O’Donnell, calling her a “big, fat pig” and “my nice fat little Rosie.” Outside of insulting her looks, Trump seems to have very little material against Rosie; his claim that her talk show failed is invalid (O’Donnell, after multiple Emmy awards, retired from the show) and his threat to find a friend to steal her partner Kelli O’Donnell away from her is just plain ridiculous. Trump’s insults seem to suggest a modification of the age-old idiom about children: women should be seen and not heard. Unless, of course, they look like O’Donnell, then they shouldn’t be seen at all.

But The Donald’s misogyny seems to extend beyond his distaste for the opinionated women of The View and into his own reality show, The Apprentice. Very rarely, if at all, has a female contestant vying for his attention sported less-than-stellar looks (several men in past seasons could have afforded to drop a few pant sizes), and only one female has won The Apprentice title in five seasons. And his attention to beauty rather than brains only continues on his Web site for this season’s Apprentice – female contestants have been given nicknames alongside their profiles like “The Hottie” and “The Blonde” while male contestants are labeled “The Philosopher” and “The Perfectionist.”

So where is this “believer in second chances” that Trump speaks of? If he can give a fresh start to the fetching Miss USA, where’s his sympathy for the Queen of Nice and overweight women nationwide? My guess is that it’s hidden somewhere alongside his dignity – and his comb.

Medill senior Kate Ward is a PLAY pop culture columnist. She can be reached at [email protected].