By Sarah Parry
When I think about being a young woman in the United States in 2016, I feel an overwhelming amount of pride for how far we’ve come. We are on the brink of electing our first woman president. More women have voted in this election than ever before. Women are holding (and dominating) positions of power throughout the government and in huge, multinational companies. We are in some ways at our highest point in history. But then I begin to think about the amount of women I know who are voting for a sexist man this election and I think to myself, how on Earth can any woman support someone who inherently believes that women are lesser than men? Apart from his obvious disrespect of women, Trump has time and time again proven his inability to be president. There are thousands of articles debating his morality, discussing his similarities with Hitler, and questioning his lack of experience. But here we are, on the day of the election, crossing our fingers that hope, common sense, and integrity prevail. There’s one woman I still want to hear from, though. I want to hear her reasons for tirelessly supporting this man after everything that’s come to light in the last few weeks. I want to know how she can put her faith in someone who says “grab her by the p****” to be our president.
Ivanka, it’s time you take a stand against your dad.
Ivanka Trump has received quite a bit of media attention because of her father. She has continued her support of him, regardless of how many times he’s creepily hit on her, touched her butt in public, or told the whole world if she wasn’t his daughter, he would date her. Not to mention the astounding accusations against Trump in the past few weeks. There are many things I can respect about Ivanka, but the same question keeps coming back to me, how can any woman support this man for president? When allegations accusing Trump of sexual assault came to light, people started boycotting Ivanka’s clothing line and the stores that sell it. The New York Times quoted Ivanka from her visit to “Good Morning America” in October saying, “People who are seeking to politicize it because they disagree with the politics of my father—there’s nothing I can do to change that.” If he won’t listen to or respect his own daughter, is there hope for anyone else?
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After the audio leaked of Trump speaking with Billy Bush, Ivanka remained silent for some time, taking the opportunity to promote her new book and stay out of the campaign. CNN wrote “Since the Republican National Convention, her public involvement with the campaign has primarily been to push the paid family leave proposal that runs counter to GOP orthodoxy and which she convinced her father to add to his platform”. This is where my respect for Ivanka stems from, her push for her father to be better, to include women’s equality issues in his campaign. But here’s the problem: Ivanka Trump isn’t running for president. Her plans and ideas aren’t a guarantee if Trump wins the Oval Office.
So, where do we separate our distaste for Donald Trump and our respect for Ivanka? Are they mutually exclusive? Can we support Ivanka after her continuous support of her father? I don’t think that there’s a right answer, but I do know that as a young, educated, millennial woman I cannot give my full respect or support to a woman who is okay with the things her father has said, done, and believes in. Does that give me anti-feminist qualities? I don’t know. But I can’t find the logic in supporting Ivanka.
As little girls, we often grow up idolizing our fathers, seeing them in superhero capes and always swooping in to save the day. I was blessed to grow up with a dad who not only encouraged me endlessly, loved me without question, and accepted me for who I am, but who never looked down on me or told me I couldn’t do something because I was a woman. What kind of country will we live in if girls don’t grow up believing the same in themselves? It’s time that every little girl believes she can do anything a boy can do.
Ivanka has grown up to be incredibly successful and talented, but we can’t keep encouraging those whose lack of action overpowers their small steps. Although Ivanka’s beliefs seem to be opposite of her father, she hasn’t taken the initiative to stand up for the good of women. She’s still supporting someone who has consistently degraded women, their bodies, and their rights.
I just hope that tonight little girls all over the country are looking up at their TV, watching women take the White House.