When I first heard Donald Trump utter the words “nasty woman” in the third and final debate, I was already exhausted. Having been closely watching the election for the past year and a half, I have been so disheartened by the state of politics in this country. Everyone I talk to echoes this similar feeling of tiredness—at this point, this polarizing competition needs to be ended.
However, Trump continues to spew his hate speech in final acts of desperation. So, when I heard Trump say the words “nasty woman” to a completely composed, mature politician, I wasn’t surprised by the immaturity. I wasn’t even surprised by the fact that he refuses to show Clinton any amount of respect. But I was surprised by the immediate reaction in the media.
People have informed me that this election hasn’t been sexist in any way. To them, I just refer to this “nasty woman” comment. Yes, the presidential election tends to reach a point of character defamation and nasty political games. Despite this, I cannot recall a time when candidates would personally call their opponents’ names. Even Barack Obama stated that though he did not agree with Mitt Romney on practically every issue, he still believed him capable to lead the country. There was still a semblance of respect there. I don’t see that attitude within Trump, which is why I’ve decided that if he’s going to call Clinton a “nasty woman”, then, I too shall embrace that insult.
If I qualify as a nasty woman simply because I believe in pro-choice legislation and same-sex marriage, then I proudly will be that “nasty” for the rest of my life. If I’m nasty because I support immigrants and refugees, then I am fully okay with that label. And if I am deemed to be nasty because I don’t let a man intimidate or change my beliefs, then you won’t catch me being “nice” anytime soon. The intense scrutiny on women to act a certain way—more submissive, less domineering—is not something that is made up. It’s very obvious to see in this election alone, as Hillary gets criticized for not showing emotion as a “woman.” However, what would happen if she did show emotion? Would she be labeled as weak simply because of her gender?
It’s refreshing to see people gradually becoming more educated on feminism as this election progresses. Despite this progress, there is still more to be done than just purchasing clothes that say “nasty woman” on them. We have to destroy the attitude that allows a man to come at a woman in such an immature fashion on such a public stage. We have to create an environment that allows gender to not be a direct influence in an election such as this. If Trump had actually criticized Hillary for her policies instead of her personality, maybe his campaign would actually have a point. Alas, his vitriolic campaign does not; therefore, the “nasty women” of the world are going to show him that on November 8th.