Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Should Be Your Biggest Role Model in 2020

Do we really want to live in a world where a political superpower enables their representatives to make perverse comments about the physicality of women? Or do we want to facilitate a political climate where femininity is encouraged and considered a strength in critical conversations? As more women follow the lead of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), the latter is surely on the horizon.

In anticipation of the 2020 presidential election, we must recognize that the political climate in America in the past few years has filled young women with anxiety and fear. As Canadian women, we may feel uneasy reflecting on this political climate and realizing that our political sphere continues to be largely dominated by men. Thus, it is important to shine a light on the female political leaders who encourage the involvement of women in politics and empower us to feel confident in a room where we have to fight to be heard.

AOC is an empowering icon for young women because she demonstrates that our femininity is what sets us apart from men and equips us to implement change. Feminine (or femme) people are constantly attacked for the way we express ourselves, and in politics, a woman’s appearance often dictates whether people perceive her as adequate in policy making. Throughout the past four years, we’ve seen President Donald Trump comment on the weight, age and attractiveness of influential women in multiple public sectors. This maneuver attempts to objectify and dehumanize women, prompting us to feel insecure about our femininity in the presence of men. AOC has responded to this degrading tactic by showcasing her femininity as a strength rather than a weakness. She demonstrated this in a recent video with Vogue in which she went through her glam routine while discussing her belief that femininity holds power in today’s political landscape.

If we continue to allow our femininity to be seen as a downfall, we will enable the perpetual domination of masculinity in politics. Women like AOC, who are vocally defiant against portraying femininity as a weakness, are crucial to deconstructing the toxic notion that women cannot succeed in political spheres because of gender barriers. Importantly, AOC challenges the patriarchal dynamic between gender and politics, and encourages young women to do the same. 

• 2020 Presidential Election
• empowerment
• feminism
• politics
• representation