The Dancing QueenCongresswoman
By Caroline McCarthy
Over the past months, the most talked about woman has broken fashion laws in the House, changed the conversation on tax rates, developed a plan to save the planet, and most importantly, started a dance craze.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history in June of 2018 by winning an election against renowned 10-term congressman, Joe Crowley. Ocasio-Cortez is 29 years old and had presumably never run for elective office until the election in 2018. She was sworn in earlier this week as the youngest woman to serve in Congress. She did so in gold hoop earrings and bright red lipstick which, of course, had symbolic meaning. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted “Lip+Hoops were inspired by Sonia Sotomayor, who was advised to wear neutral-colored nail polish to her confirmation hearings to avoid scrutiny. She kept her red,” on January 4, 2019. Ocasio-Cortez paid homage to Sotomayor, a federal trial court judge, while also proving that there is no longer a preconceived image of what a congressman or woman should look like. Every single citizen of the United States is entitled to representation and the right to demand change. Oscasio-Cortez finished the tweet by saying iconically, “Next time someone tells Bronx girls to take off their hoops, they can just say they’re dressing like a congresswoman.”
AOC is a democratic socialist advocating for universal healthcare, free college, and governmental funding to solve climate change. She took a low opportunity upbringing and turned it into her platform to create change in our country. Ocasio-Cortez is the daughter of Blanca and Sergio Ocasio-Cortez. Her father was an architect of Puerto Rican descent and her mother was a Puerto Rican immigrant who cleaned houses in order to make ends meet. She was born in the Bronx but her family relocated to Westchester, New York in hopes of enrolling her in a better school system. Still, she was raised alongside her cousins in the Bronx and was able to see first hand the difference in opportunities her and her cousins received based on their addresses. With scholarship and financial aid she was able to attend Boston University, and earn majors in economics and international relations. She then worked for Senator Ted Kennedy’s office and was able to focus on immigration issues.
Her scrutinized “radical” ideals are what she believes are needed to reform a destructive, mendacious, and corrupt government. She believes that “it has only been radicals who have changed this country,” and she is here to innovate. While it is understandable to not be in complete agreement with all of AOC’s political endeavors, it is impossible to deny the spark she has in her. Republican members of congress, along with most of the members of her own party believe she is naive and overwhelmingly optimistic about what her sentence can accomplish. Yet, she supports every single one of her goals and claims with reasonable fact and valid arguments. She handles adversities such as racism and misogyny with grace and poise while also creating a new pathway for political agendas and radical change. Ocasio-Cortez encourages her haters to continue underestimating her. “That’s what won me my primary,” she said in a recent 60 minute interview.
In a scramble to hinder this political reform, adversaries to Ocasio-Cortez have tried to smear her image by resurfacing a video she appeared in during her time at Boston University. The video was made by the university and starred memebers of her class dancing innocently on a rooftop in attempt to recreate the vibe seen in The Breakfast Club. This attempt to disrespect Alexandria only proved how desperate the competing party is to silence her. To their dismay, and quite frankly, embarassment, she responded, “I hear the GOP thinks women dancing are scandalous. Wait till they find out Congresswomen dance too!” With this she added a video of her dancing to “War! What is it good for?”
MY OPINION
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should be the woman every parent wants their little girl to idolize. She is intelligent, optimistic, well spoken, and turns every problem into an opportunity for political improvement. Her political career is young and full of promise. I look forward to seeing her continue to be a reckoning force in the conservative agenda (and learning a few more new dance moves!)