- The Washington Times - Monday, August 24, 2020

It’s not a campaign video, but it could be. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has released an 18-minute, on-camera showcase of her beauty routine, published online Monday by Vogue magazine — which has yet to do a feature on first lady Melania Trump, a former fashion model with global credentials.

The video, meanwhile, has already racked up more than a million views on YouTube.

“The reason why I think it’s so important to share these things is that, first of all, femininity has power, and in politics there is so much criticism and nitpicking about how women and femme people present ourselves,” the New York Democrat explained.

“Femme” designates a distinctly feminine style that can be adopted by those of any sexual preference, according to Merriam Webster dictionary.

“Just being a woman is quite politicized in Washington. There’s this really false idea that if you care about makeup or if your interests are in beauty and fashion, that that’s somehow frivolous. But I actually think these are some of the most substantive decisions that we make — and we make them every morning,” the lawmaker said.

She also revealed her color of choice for a “bold lip” is Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso, a bright red.

“One of the things that I had realized is that when you’re always running around, sometimes the best way to really look put together is a bold lip. I will wear a red lip when I want confidence,” she notes.

There are some political overtones to her presentation. “If I’m going to spend an hour in the morning doing my glamour, it’s not going to be because I’m afraid of what some Republican photo is going to look like. It’s because I feel like it,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said.

• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.

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