On Being a Republican Woman
by sarah selip
One of my favorite political buttons says, “A Woman’s Place is in the House and Senate.” And I’ll stand by it. I’m all for supporting women in running for public office, from local to national, and I’m passionate about it.
But I completely understand why the button was made.
Very few things are as annoying as walking into a store and seeing the walls plastered with “Nasty Woman” merchandise.
It’s been almost ten years since Donald Trump referred to Hillary Clinton as a “nasty woman,” but the phrase is still everywhere. And honestly, you can’t escape it.
Yet, the pop culture fanaticism about being a “woman” interested in politics means that if you are a woman, you support Hillary Clinton-esque Democrat establishment or the far-Left narrative.
Social media plays a massive role in this. Most of the pro-woman graphics on Instagram are posted by AOC fangirls… and it feels counter-intuitive to post something from an account you don’t support, even if you agree with the message on the graphic. And, honestly, it makes you look bad.
Being a Republican woman can make you feel like a pariah and sometimes lonely in a world full of RBG t-shirts and Nasty Woman tote bags.
Like I said in my last piece, there’s a difference between liking and respecting a candidate.
I respect RBG. She was a pioneer in her field, paving the way for many young women on both sides of the aisle to be interested in politics. As a woman, I do respect her, even though I disagreed with her on almost everything, especially abortion.
That doesn’t mean I’d buy a sticker with her face on it.
When most people ask me why I work in politics, the follow-up typically goes like this:
“So, you aren’t a feminist.”
“Why do you hate your gender?” (This is so ironic because gender means nothing to Democrats these days.)
I once got into an argument at a bar with a woman I was chatting with who almost threw her drink in my face for being a Republican just based on the fact that I’m pro-life. I was adopted, so I have a different take altogether. They don’t care. Republican equals devil incarnate.
I love being a woman in politics, plain and simple, but I disagree with merchandisers that this fits their demographics that because of this, I’ll order Kamala stickers that say, “We did it, Joe!” or buy a koozie that says something like “Chill-ary Clinton.” It gives me the ick.
In 2023, Feminism is a four-letter word. If you don’t support abortion, vote for Hillary, or bow down to Queen AOC, you’re a misogynist. I consider myself a feminist in the traditional sense, not the new-age sense.
Remember the #MeToo era when everybody said, “Support All Women?” It’s progressed further into a “support only Democrat women I agree with on politics, gender issues, blah blah blah.”
It’s alienating. And I feel judged when browsing a small business who carry these things. I look at this Nasty Woman merchandise, and move on. And the employees probably think, “She must hate women.” That, or I’m a far-right psychopath.
I’m proud to be a Republican woman. I truly am. But I’m sick of the judgment. I have friends on both sides of the aisle who don’t talk politics, respect opposing views, are always open to discussing both sides of arguments, and honestly, support each other for their success.
When the Barbie movie came out this summer — which I saw with these friends — the internet quickly dove into this feminism vs. anti-feminism argument. I’ve been in rooms with Republican colleagues (both male and female) who create ideas about how Barbie is anti-woman.
I loved the movie, especially America Ferrara’s monologue about what it means to be a woman and the hardships they face — it transcends politics, and struck a nerve.
When someone asks me about my take, I always respond, “The movie celebrates being a woman, and people on both sides of the political spectrum are excited about it. Plus, hot pink came back in full force.”
But, beyond that, I seriously can never find cute things — let alone pink things — without some liberal quip plastered on it, like: “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” Great.
It would be awesome to find something that supported women in politics that wouldn’t make me feel (or look) like I was a Democrat.
Where’s the equal representation in merchandising for just being a woman?