Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brushed off critics of her recent photo shoot in Vanity Fair, in which she appeared in clothes and jewelry worth thousands of dollars.
Ocasio-Cortez, known for her liberal values, particularly in combating economic inequality, reminded those who accused her of hypocrisy that her clothes were borrowed, not bought by her.
“Republicans are Very Mad (again) about my appearance,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Thursday. “This time they’re mad that I look good in borrowed clothes (again). Listen, if Republicans want pointers on looking your best, I’m happy to share. Tip #1: Drink water and don’t be racist.”
Republicans are Very Mad (again) about my appearance. This time they’re mad that I look good in borrowed clothes (again).
Listen, if Republicans want pointers on looking your best, I’m happy to share.
Tip #1: Drink water and don’t be racist
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 29, 2020
Among those who took notice of Ocasio-Cortez’s fancy looks was Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who shared an article from the network’s website with the headline: “AOC appears in Vanity Fair in outfits worth $14,000 to curse out Trump.”
The 31-year-old freshman congresswoman responded to the host, saying, “100% worth it, would do again.” Ocasio-Cortez added that she did not get to keep the designer clothes.
?% worth it, would do again https://t.co/0crlR7eXWT
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 29, 2020
“The whole ‘she wore clothes in a magazine, let’s pretend they’re hers’ gimmick is the classic Republican strategy of ‘let’s willfully act stupid, and if the public doesn’t take our performative stupidity seriously then we’ll claim bias.’ GOP, get yourselves together. It’s sad,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in a thread.
Others also took to social media to express their thoughts on what they deemed to be poor optics for Ocasio-Cortez, who often rejects the notion of excess capitalism.
AOC on the cover of Vanity Fair. The clothes are estimated to cost $14,000. So happy that AOC is upholding the long established hypocritical tradition of Socialists who believe Socialism is for poor while they enjoy the fruits of Capitalism. pic.twitter.com/g8iTa1my1q
— Sunanda Vashisht (@sunandavashisht) October 29, 2020
I wonder what brand of socialism allows you to get a $14,000 suit for Vogue photoshoots. See you soon, Alexandria. Looking forward to dismantling your socialist agenda in my finest Macy’s clothes like normal working people. https://t.co/KT2olZHqbq
— Lauren Boebert for Congress (R-CO3) (@laurenboebert) October 29, 2020
.@AOC – donning a $14,000 wardrobe on the cover of @VanityFair – made one thing: she’s everything she hates and everything she pretends not to be.
She’s a fraud.
— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) October 29, 2020
The New York Democrat was elected in 2018 after a major upset against a 10-term Democratic incumbent, Rep. Joe Crowley. She is the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress.
Presenting our December cover star: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez! Two elections in, the congresswoman is still fighting the fight—and she’s as sure as she’s ever been.
Read the @AOC cover story now. Photograph by Tyler Mitchell. https://t.co/xAbI0YAekC pic.twitter.com/lEeKmw5mGh
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) October 28, 2020
Her spread in Vanity Fair focused on her upbringing as well as her own identity and barriers she faced being a woman of color on her pathway to success. One incident she highlighted was her confrontation with Rep. Ted Yoho on the steps of the Capitol building earlier this year.
Ocasio-Cortez also touched on President Trump’s minimal tax returns as reported in an investigation led by the New York Times, where some took offense of her foul language on the subject.
“These are the same people saying that we can’t have tuition-free public colleges because there’s no money,” she said. “When these motherf—ers are only paying $750 a year in taxes.”
With five days left until Election Day, Ocasio-Cortez also expressed her thoughts on the 2020 contest, where Democratic nominee Joe Biden remains leading in national and state polls ahead of Trump.
Ocasio-Cortez said she fears another Trump victory will be detrimental to people in her New York district, which houses part of the Bronx, and is home to several minority communities.
“I cannot honestly look them in the eye and tell them that they will be safe,” she told Vanity Fair.
The Democrat, known for her ambitious vision and proposals, including tuition-free college, universal healthcare, and national rent control, said she wants to see a total transformation of what she’s known life to be in the United States, adding that she’s tired of incremental change like “bullshit little 10% tax cuts.”
“I think, honestly, a lot of my dissent within the Democratic Party comes from my lived experience,” said Ocasio-Cortez, who was a bartender before being elected to the House. “It’s not just that we can be better, it’s that we have to be better. We’re not good enough right now.”
