ELLE Magazine: Ivanka Trump Will Not Fix "Women's Issues"She Will Distract From Them

[demmiblue]

Source: ELLE

First of all: Many, many people could "do better" than Ivanka Trump on "the women's issues." Then again, nearly every job Ivanka has been considered for is wildly inappropriate; as author/journalist Kurt Eichenwald noted, even that "blind trust" spot would likely require her to receive high-level intelligence briefings. (The problem here is that even knowing which deals create conflicts of interest would require her to have more information on U.S. foreign policy than any private citizen should.) No matter what her title is, Ivanka's essential role remains the same: to integrate a very specific vision of exceptionalist white womanhood into the Trump brand and presidency. By presenting a very specific type of exceptional success, she is the Trump presidency's built-in excuse for failing the rest of us.

<snip>

Her work isn't feminism, but femvertising.

Patriarchy has always had room for the Exceptional Woman—the one woman smart enough, sweet enough, strong enough, soft enough, pure enough, sexy enough to satisfy all of our culture's contradictory demands on women, and thus make it to the top of a sexist system on merit alone. Patriarchy needs that woman. She provides men with an excuse to blame women for their own pain and struggles while simultaneously assuring women that sexism only needs to be outwitted to be overcome. She tells us that the system is survivable for women—you simply have to be the right kind of woman.

Exceptional Women don't exist in real life. No one is unaffected by sexism; no woman, no matter how well-behaved, is ever safe. But some women, by dint of privilege and good luck, are fairly convincing avatars. This year's Exceptional Woman is Ivanka Trump, and she's such a convincing Exceptional Woman that she's helped make a self-confessed sexual predator who ran the most openly misogynist presidential campaign in modern history palatable to a large number of Americans.

Of course, Trumpism is unsurvivable for women who do not happen to be exceptional Ivankas. "Being the best mother you can be" probably doesn't sound aspirational to a woman who's lost her birth control due to the repeal of Obamacare and can't abort her resulting pregnancy due to increased state abortion restrictions, lack of federal funding, and/or the overturning of Roe. The support staff who provide Ivanka's soothing greige lifestyle—domestic and child care workers who are predominantly female—will not find their work-life balance enhanced by child care proposals that don't cover the cost of caring for their own children, or by the lack of a livable minimum wage.

The goal of Trumpism is not to benefit women. The goal is to benefit one woman, Ivanka, or the one type of woman she represents. She provides her father with a human credential and downplays his sexism; in exchange, she gains an invaluable boost for her aspirational lifestyle brand (only $10,800 for the bracelet Ivanka wore on 60 Minutes!) and the opportunity to charge strangers $50,000 for a "coffee chat," thus proving that women really can succeed after all. We're not meant to benefit from her; we're meant to look at her, and think about how we can be more like her. We're meant to blame ourselves for falling short, as we have with every other Exceptional Woman to date. Ivanka is the Disney princess; we're the peasant chorus members who watch, and serve, and sigh at her pretty hair. Hell, maybe we'll even pitch in some background vocals on a few of the big musical numbers. Peasants always do, in those movies, even though they're probably all starving.

Read more: http://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a41444/ivanka-trump-distraction/?src=socialflowTW

[tblue37]

1. K&R for visibility. nt

[guillaumeb]

2. I have never read Elle magazine,

but I am recommending this excellent piece.

Ivanka Trump, like Trump himself and all children of privilege, started with huge advantages that 99.9% will never have. Her success was guaranteed by her birth.

[CrispyQ]

3. Kick for an excellent commentary!

When Ivanka has engaged with women's issues, she's done so primarily through her marketing team; her work isn't feminism, but femvertising. Ivanka's much-touted #WomenWhoWork campaign—which launched from IvankaTrump.com in fall 2014, and is the basis her forthcoming book—is really more of an elaborate fashion ad than a policy proposal. Nor was it ever meant to be more than an ad; the campaign, Ivanka said, was aimed mainly to change the perception that "'work,' when associated with women, wasn't marketable."

On the site, four appropriately sexy and aspirational "working women"—one is Ivanka; one lists her career as "stay-at-home mother"; none of them mention politics—discuss their careers in the most general terms possible. Three out of four women coo Handmaid's Tale–ish platitudes about "being the best mother I can be." (One, a schoolteacher, is apparently childless; her segment still revolves largely around her ability to nurture children.) The overall effect is both soothing and dystopian, like watching a ladies' yogurt ad directed by Leni Riefenstahl. None of them discuss their struggle with the cost of child care, lack of paid family leave, wage gap, or any of the other things that occupy most working women. If viewers approve of the woman in question, they can "shop her look," with said look being comprised entirely of Ivanka Trump–brand clothing. That clothing, by the way, comes from a manufacturer that does not provide maternity leave.

An outwardly pretty version of Donald.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. k&r

[HoneyBadger]

5. I do not understand the article

Political leaders rarely are normal nobodies. If you want a Mother Teresa to lead you, well she did not lead a normal life either. Or a Katrina Pierson (Trump PR) who is a single mom and person of color with a record. I do not think that anyone is suggesting giving Katrina a bigger role.

[JudyM]

6. What do you not understand, specifically? No one is looking for anyone to be Mother Theresa.

[Generator]

11. Mother Teresa isn't the saint you think she was

Her goal was not to eliminate poverty but just look good doing it. Suffering was her whole thing.
http://www.listland.com/10-misconceptions-about-mother-teresa-she-was-no-saint/

Ivanka is a soulless brainless supporter of her sexist pig of a father. (plus she's Jewish now with Jewish children and allows a neo-Nazi to guide her father-she is an abomination!) She has been given everything her whole life. I have zero respect for her. Katrina Pierson is so awful I would stick forks in my eyes rather that look at her. Having a vagina or black skin does not mean you are a good person.

[JTFrog]

15. How in the hell is she a political leader?

She's just another privileged asshole. No one elected her or appointed her the leader of any fucking thing. Her daddy who stole the election may be trying, but no one in America voted for her.

[HoneyBadger]

21. She is usurping the First Lady role and has chosen climate change and child care as her fights

Climate change is the single biggest issue that the world faces and provides global exposure.

She has chosen politics over business. She is a registered Democrat and a long time donor to Democratic Party.

Given that, I believe she is telegraphing a future run for elected office once she makes her bones.

As a Democrat.

[erpowers]

22. I Understand the Article

The article was not asking for Ivanka Trump to be Mother Teresa, or a "normal nobody"; it was asking for her to really care about women's issues. The main point that I took away from the article was that Ivanka Trump was not trying to make life better for many women; she was trying to provide cover for her dad while building a brand by using working women.

Her dad claimed she had pushed for his family leave program, but when she was asked to talk about the program should did not seem to understand the program. What does it say about a person when they seem to be unable to explain their supposedly signature policy? It at least brings up the thought that the person was not involved in creating the policy. It can also bring up the thought that the person does not really care about the policy.

The article also pointed out that Ivanka Trump's actions do not match her words. The article stated that some of Ivanka Trump's clothes are made by a company that does not offer family leave. If she cared about family leave maybe she should work with a company that offers family leave.

The author of the article thinks Ivanka Trump is engaging in a fraud when she claims she cares about women's issues and helping working women. The author of the article thinks Ivanka Trump is only out to help herself.

Finally, it can be argued that "political leaders are rarely normal nobodies", but it can also be argued that most political leaders were "normal nobodies" before they became political leaders. Most political leaders work their way up from the bottom.

[Arkansas Granny]

7. Is Ivanka's interest and commitment to women's issues a long standing concern or something

that she has recently adopted? I would like to know that she has some knowledge of the problems facing women before giving her too much credit in that area.

[AlexSFCA]

8. pure propaganda

Ivanka is Bannon's propaganda creation.
I remember Hillary said that Trump has nice children. I wonder if it's still true, we do know that Ivanka and Jared were registered democrats but maybe it was just for appearance - they live in NYC after all.

[JTFrog]

17. Ivanka and Chelsea are/were friends.

I doubt they have much to say to each other these days despite Hillary being gracious.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

9. It's interesting that she wants to fight for childcare

We know that childcare for working mothers is not a republican value.

And she certainly isn't making herself popular among conservatives pushing "another government program." I'm still trying to figure this one out.

[Tanuki]

10. I'd love to hear her answer to how much "childcare" she offers to the workers

in the sweatshops in China and Vietnam where her designer knockoff apparel line is produced.
http://www.racked.com/platform/amp/2016/10/12/13243756/ivanka-trump-shoe-factory-violations

[Generator]

12. Yep this is a great article

I call all his kids "children of the corn". It sums them up for me. They are brainless slavish robots to power in the form of their precious daddy. UGH.

[hatrack]

13. She can't even be bothered to pay people, like interns . . .

Ivanka Trump's interns have some questionable advice for students worried they can't afford an unpaid internship.

In a recent blog post on IvankaTrump.com, the site's copy intern, Quincy Bulin, lays out a strategy based on feedback from fellow interns: save money in advance, get a part-time job, ask for some type of reimbursement, avoid pricey outings and set a budget.

EDIT

The post also appears to confirm that Trump does not pay her interns. A spokesperson for IvankaTrump.com, a lifestyle site which bills itself as the "ultimate destination for women who work," declined to comment on the post or whether the company compensates its interns.

"We strive to create a fulfilling learning opportunity tailored to the unique interests and career goals of each intern," Abigail Klem, chief brand officer at Ivanka Trump, told Mashable in a statement. "It is our goal that at the end of the program, our interns leave with experiences that will help guide them into choosing a fulfilling career path.” While it's not clear whether the company is violating Department of Labor criteria for when to pay interns, the post raises new questions about whether Trump's public comments on gender equality and equal pay match her company's practices.

EDIT

http://mashable.com/2016/08/19/ivanka-trump-unpaid-interns/#8QpbWMyF88qM

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

20. I was under the impression that internships could only be unpaid

if the intern was doing stuff that they wouldn't be paying someone to do, absent the intern.

[Hekate]

14. That is an exceptional article about exceptionalism! Applause to Elle!

Disney princess, indeed.

[DLevine]

16. K&R. nt

[Hamlette]

18. I love the article, is Elle a "good" magazine. By which I mean, on the right side of politics?

I might take a look.

[ET Awful]

19. Ivanka is about as qualified as Paris Hilton

Nobody would have heard of either one if they didn't have a rich father.