Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can both struggle to pay her rent & have a nice jacket | Opinion

November 19, 2018 2:14 pm

Read philly.com as Career Wardrobe Executive Director, Sheri Cole, talks about economic struggles and professional presentation:

Philadelphia –

After her historic election as the youngest member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made headlines by doing something truly radical: She admitted she was living paycheck to paycheck.

Of course, it takes financial resources to move to a new city to take a new job, but how do you do that if you won’t start collecting a paycheck for a few months? Like Ocasio-Cortez, many Americans need better jobs, but lack the time and money to actively job search while working a full time or multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet. It was refreshing to see an elected representative struggling with these relatable issues.

I thought this was a moment of progress in our political discourse, understanding just how many barriers to economic security there are in people’s lives.  But as I scrolled through my Twitter feed late Thursday night, I was discouraged to see a now-viral tweet by Eddie Scarry, a writer for the Washington Examiner: “Hill staffer sent me this pic of Ocasio-Cortez they took just now.  I’ll tell you something: that jacket and coat don’t look like a girl who struggles.”

Screenshot of the tweet. It has since been deleted.
TWITTER – Screenshot of the tweet. It has since been deleted.

In addition to the misogyny of calling an elected official a “girl,” the tweet also implied that someone can’t be struggling economically while looking professional and put together.

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