“I’ve never seen a pretty Republican girl.” A sentiment I have seen echoed on the internet ever since President Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. A proclamation that can feel triumphant among liberal women amid the harsh conservative climate we find ourselves in today. However, the reality is that when the value of looks enters politics, it only gives more power to men.
Women’s rights are actively in danger in the United States entering the second Trump administration. Despite this, there are many women in this country who voted for him and genuinely believe in him as a leader. From my point of view, it seems that these women are scared and ill-informed, but instead of criticizing their ignorance, we somehow manage to focus on their looks. Amid everything that this country is enduring, pretty privilege remains dominant.
“Hot girls vote for Kamala,” “Being an activist is hot,” and “Only ugly girls vote for Trump.” Quick question – is this really what we’ve become? Calling women ugly versus hot based on their political beliefs? What does this really accomplish? It only supports the idea that “pretty” people are good and “ugly” people are bad. When it comes specifically to women, allowing statements like these to impede on feminism only strips us of our power and gives the male gaze the upper hand once again.
How are we really viewing good women versus bad women in our society? If they’re considered ugly, does their awareness and morality even matter? If they’re considered pretty, can they remain ignorant regardless of the harm? I’m reminded of a certain 1930s wizard-related film in which a beautiful woman tells a pretty girl, “Only bad witches are ugly.”
To state the obvious here, female beauty standards are largely decided by men. Therefore, the more women weaponize their desirability, the more the male perspective continues to encroach on feminism. Physical attractiveness is a fickle and meaningless aspect of humanity, and yet we let it control how we see each other so intensely. How is it that the only way we can get some people to be activists and educate themselves is if we tell them it’s “hot” to do so?
And it’s not just how women see each other, it’s how women see men as well. Prime example: Jack Schlossberg, the sole grandson of JFK and supporter of the Biden administration and the 2024 Harris campaign. Naturally, being a Kennedy, I find him ridiculously handsome. And, seemingly naturally with this attractiveness, no one cares what he is saying. He posts on his social media about important political issues in this country, sometimes sparking good conversation and sometimes being ignorant of certain situations- in my opinion. But regardless of whether his takes are good or bad, you open the comments and see “whatever you say gorgeous.”
It’s a scary world we live in when a good-looking person can spew nonsense and get “whatever you say gorgeous” while a person considered ugly can make good points yet receive comments on their “busted” appearance. It disappoints me that we are living through such a crucial time in the United States where activism is needed more than ever, and we still care so much about looks.
Being pretty is not a political statement but letting go of oppressive beauty standards is.