Not a huge fan of how it's fair game to insult Kristi Noem's makeup or cosmetic procedures so easily. It supports the permission structure for attacking women about this kind of thing.
Not a huge fan of how it's fair game to insult Kristi Noem's makeup or cosmetic procedures so easily. It supports the permission structure for attacking women about this kind of thing.
Mute me, please! Intelligent women do not need to play dress-up to be successful. Nor do they need to change their appearance for anyone. She is a disgrace.
💯
bsky.app/profile/jooc...
Insulting her appearance and questioning why she's barely recognizable now are two different things. The phenomenon of republican women completely transforming their looks is worthy of discussion.
Agree.
My biggest issue with her complete transformation is the astounding hypocrisy when it comes to trans people. To them, it is ok to completely change your looks, as long as you are affirming your original gender. Everyone should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies but GOP don't agree.
THIS
Laura Loomer, ladies and gentlemen (this one has the added baggage how a Jewish Nazi really tried to make her self look less “Jewish”).
Holy christ, I had no idea at first this was her. I'm not trying to be snarky -- I did an actual double-take. This image makes me incredibly sad, because she looks... happy here. Normal. For me, this is an issue. Bear in mind, I wholly support a person's right to do anything they want to...
...themselves cosmetically that doesn't actively harm somebody else in the process. This goes for the lady who wanted to be a cat, the urban primitive movement, etc. What strikes me here is the form chosen, which feels more like a living caricature than a person with many of the MAGA crowd.
Mother Jones published a great analysis of this by @inaeoh.bsky.social
For example, I've seen people do some fun cosplay things with makeup to look like the cast of Archer, and the MAGA beauty aesthetic reminds me of it more than a little in terms of how it creates a living caricature.
This general phenomena is interesting to me because I went to college for costume design, and a big part of that is examining the way people *actively choose* to express themselves through clothing, makeup, and hair choices. (Basically, I'm not talking out of my ass for once.)
Noem is perhaps the most prominent example of this 'adopt a costume' strategy with her series of uniformed glamour shots -- enough of them I'm sure they're going to make a very stupid calendar at this point -- and I do think there's something to it.
It's less, I think, about the male gaze -- though it's certainly a factor -- but also about armor. You put on a costume to take on a role and give a performance. I don't think it's inherently sexist or woman-shaming to examine what the costume, role, and performance are, and this isn't just women.
Trump does the same. We all saw whatever Gaetz did to himself at the RNCC. Hegseth installed a makeup studio. These are performers performing and it's worth examining this trend in that context, as the costumes are a part of that performance.
All of the people involved are interested in projecting a larger than life persona, and at a certain point that will often tilt into the realms of caricature or parody, which is what we're essentially seeing here. Sometimes it's intentional, others -- and I think here -- it's just losing 'normal'.
I think this is a spot-on assessment of what she, and to some extent all of them, are doing. It's much more obvious with her because of how drastically she's changed her looks over the years and her frequent use of law enforcement-branded clothing in her dress.
It's common in pursuit of a larger-than-life persona, and that's something common to all of them. Further... these folks have to 'live' the role. There's no green room, no back stage where they can safely take their makeup off and take off the belly binder.
Very well put
Her and Leavitt. I was gobsmacked when I saw a "before" picture of Leavitt looking like a real person with a facial expression.
I’m of a mind that a lot of these cosmetic facial procedures are mildly neurotoxic and lead to ever more bizzare acts. Even botox is probably harmful to your mood and behavior. Hair plugs/transplants usually make dudes worse.
Botox literally causes people to have different neurology and having less emotional recognition is literally a side effect
She, and so many others in maga, have done all this, and they look dour. I can't understand that choice
I can, but... well, people drilled stuff into my brain for years about it. Look at the before pic above. That looks like a nice lady you'd see at the local high school bake sale, right? The Noem we see lately is more 'action hero', and the harsh look is a means of looking tough and intimidating.
I can definitely understand why people might not be intimidated by bake sale mom. Mistake, oh, such a mistake, but I digress. (While likely far less relevant... a lot of the alt-right pop culture aesthetic comes from the late 80s and early 90s, and the hard matte neutrals makeup was *very* 1990-4.)
btw your thread I jumped in is really interesting
It's more than I just haven't had enough coffee or sleep and when that happens I forget to shut up. It's just reallllllly surreal as hell any time any given political discourse veers anywhere near the vicinity of my wheelhouse. :|
She's failing
This episode of the In Bed With The Right podcast looks at that exact phenomenon: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e... @spiraldee.bsky.social
There was a NYT podcast about it also, though it really just talked about the makeup and how it's very opposite many other modern trends, which feeds into the 'we do everything in defiance, look at what bold independent rebels we are!' end of things, too.
I only find it odd how much his acolytes share a similar look.
she has an insane amount of product on her face
Straight from central casting or something Trump says.
I mock all these Kiwi-shoe-polish black-haired dudes, and the ones with baby-bottom-smooth areas under their eyes equally.
It’s about how unprofessional she is, she’s more concerned about what she looks like, and if her hair extensions are properly placed for the cameras.
She's all appearance and no substance.
Fuck her. She blew out a puppies brains for no reason. Everything is fair game. If she looks like a clown, people should attack her over it.
I get it. But at the same time, this is not something they had no control over. These women are actively choosing to look ridiculous all while slathering vitriol on people they don't like. So I understand the urge to tit-for-tat.
It's the hypocrisy. She doesn't get a pass.
Fair point, but I don't you can ignore that the procedures she, and many other right-wing women have had are a reflection of how their value is determined by right-wing men, and that she chose to change herself to fit into that value system.
I've said it elsewhere but if we're going to talk about bimbo fetishism in politics, it'd be unfair not to examine why liberals always fall for people like Beto O'Rourke
Did he surgically alter his appearance for political clout though? It's absolutely fair to talk about that fetishism, but I'm focusing more in the motivation to self-bimbofy
yes. and bimbification involves more than surgery
True.
Shaming decent people about their looks and shaming piece of shit maga fascist politicians about their clownish attempts to achieve some creepy aesthetic that Trump loves are two very different things. Noem is the definition of a cunt and people should absolutely call her that.
No human woman looks like a microwaved Nazi Barbie. No human man has a barely legible swastika face tattoo. IMHO, it’s morally reprehensible to refrain from mocking every Nazi’s appearance.
Only should be mentioned during a discussion re: bimbo fetishism mixed with christian nationalism=the center of the maga aesthetic Or how tone deaf it is to be dolled up in front of deportees clearly being abused. Otherwise like genuinely who cares if her makeup sucks republican makeup does lol
While I tend to agree and there's definitely room for nuanced discussion about the MAGA aesthetic and the sort of values-based objectification of the Mrs. Cleaver archetype...it would be a disservice to ignore the liberal's infatuation with people like Beto O'Rourke in any bimbo fetishism convo
Like if we're going to talk about how MAGA idolize and yearn for a return to the early 1960s housewife/nuclear family aesthetic -- it would probably be valuable to talk about how many liberals yearn for a return to the JFK "Camelot" era in politics. Not as it really existed but in its glorified form
God yeah ikr? Like so much of these convos just spiral into such an interconnected web and it's like "holy shit, it's so bad" hahaha. I also think many people really need the fact that America was getting left behind a decade ago, and is now surpassed in many ways by many countries, solidified.
this is an extremely backward country
In general, I agree. However, the Trump administration has selected officials with specific, gendered looks. Women need to look hyper-feminine, with identifiable monied labor (hair extensions, filler, highlights, plastic surgery). Men need to look like they're juicing. It's fascist aesthetics.
As for the word "cunt," I love it. It's a great word.
I mentioned before it was the first word I ever said, thanks to an uncle babysitter with a mischievous nature? When feeling extra spicy, I add "And with that, I named my god."
Someone left a one-star review of my book on goodreads that went “every other word is cunt.”
Perfect.
10/10 no notes
I'd have wanted to leave a response "You say that like it's a bad thing!"
Its a great word for a body part. But a person is not a body part.
Yet here I am, serving cunt since 1962.
This sounds like something a democrat politician would say in their strongly worded letter.
Variations of "cunt" of which I am fond: blistering thundercunt strapping on the cunt jumpsuit cuntstruck
The Edinburgh phrase from the Trainspotting area/era (where/when I lived 2 minutes from The Worst Toilet In Scotland): Cuntybaws.
Excellent
Good Irish word.
i think its ok to make fun of terrible people's makeup and elective cosmetic procedures. the maga aesthetic is so fucking gross
Truth. There are lots of valid reasons to attack her. This is not one of them.
Going under the knife, getting 50 pounds of hair extensions and shot with Botox and filler within an inch of your existence should NEVER be a condition for hire. This is a real conversation that should genuinely be had. Sincerely, a woman
It’s not really the conversation to be had when her heinous actions and behaviors should be the focus. “Sure, she’s fascist, but more importantly, let’s talk about how she looks.” No.
They’re part of the same problem, and both complaints are real and entirely valid. It’s not about “looks”. It’s about CONFORMITY, which is at the core of fascism. So yes. Actually.
I won’t disagree with you on the latter, but I would say that one complaint (the actual fascism) carries much more weight and shouldn’t be distracted by the other (a woman’s looks)— it’s using their same misogynistic logic with a different coat of paint to try and dismantle it, in so many words.
Because once you start seeing comments that are indiscernible from standard misogyny (which many of them are), it becomes less about tearing down fascism and more about reinforcing misogynistic viewpoints. Most people don’t understand the nuance it takes to strictly attack the fascist components.
When you attack features that many women share instead of honing in on the meat of the issue, those more asinine aspects become “more important” than the *actual* problem. As well as a vehicle for those behaviors to be justified, generally speaking. In other words, stray bullets and whatnot.
I’m saying they’re part of the same problem. She’s been required to comply with certain standards of appearance for the job and has hacked up her physical person to meet those standards in the service of her own callow ambition to look like a boss and keep hurting people. It’s grotesque.
It’s her inner barbarism and conformity enforcement showing on her very face. Remember, this is a person who has gone to great lengths to look like a tough, wearing riot gear and being filmed in front of the victims at CECOT for the express purpose of being scary. She SAID this. She’s all about it.
“It” being the look of a certain thing (glamour and cruelty) to make hurting people look hot. To those of us who aren’t buying any of it, we don’t miss what she’s done to her physical body in the service of that appearance, and that’s where the facism comes in: it screams, I’m in costume.
In costume as a beautiful woman fitting a highly specific description. It’s modeling conformity. If she weren’t her, doing the evil she’s doing, I wouldn’t give a shit what she injects into her face. But it’s funny how common it is among the evil ones. I make the same observations of the following:
Hegseth. Gabbard. Musk. Pirro. Bondi. They are all very heavy with glamour, and that’s no accident. The word “glamour” does not mean beauty. It means something else. Have you looked at Putin today v 25 years ago? Same thing. Constructed face. Glamour.
Let’s look for a moment at the enormous flags that Trump is having installed. Next let’s look at the immensity of interior design at the Kremlin. Ever seen it? It’s wild. Vast stretches of costly decor, massive chambers and soaring high ceilings with curtains draping from great heights.
i think she looks ugly and fucked up and her style is basic and dumb
She CHOSE to get bad fillers and extensions. That is not body shaming
yeah but what if his mom did it too? then it would be hurtful to dunk on some other dumabass that also looks like shit
😂
Hate is a wild drug. I think we are hard wired to want to indulge in it, and a lot of us have a very poor moderation valve for it.
She and her party want to ban gender affirming care for trans people yet she herself has spent tens of thousands of dollars on her own gender affirming care. We can absolutely mock her for it. I know that “hypocrisy is the point” with Republicans, but we should still call it out when we see it.
Yeah, this always gets me. It's not like we have a shortage of actual behaviours by her and her lot to excoriate them for, do we really need to fall back on appearance slurs? I mean, there is some interesting analysis to be had about the aesthetics of fascism (not just of women), but this isn't it.
And it really is so far down the list
Apparently certain types of gender affirming care is okay… bsky.app/profile/skoh...
Maybe I'm heartless (or just a child of the 90s, when kids were brutal), but I think it's okay to make fun of monsters by any means necessary. They deserve to feel ashamed and have their spirits broken. The high road is nice, but that often means that these assholes face no repercussions whatsoever.
So… when you make fun of one woman’s makeup, the rest of us are going to assume you’ll do the same to us. We are going to assume that you think you have the right to make fun of women who wear makeup in a way you don’t like. Which you do. Which makes you unsafe for us. Choose wisely.
I want to be sensitive, but why would you assume that? If you made fun of Donald Trump for his appearance, I wouldn't assume that you would also make fun of my appearance simply because I am the same gender. Is it not possible to mock individual assholes without half the population feeling targeted?
You’re not just making fun of someone, you are equating their appearance with their value as a person. If you make fun of Trump for being fat, for example, it means you think fat people have less value as people. Otherwise there wouldn’t be anything to make fun of.
Trump didn't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars getting elective cosmetic surgical procedures to appeal to a white supremacist trad wife fantasy. He's just fat. It's not really the same situation. Like we all think it's fine to make fun of his shitty spray tan.
Ok. Make fun of women’s makeup. Deal with the results. Which is to be told you’re a crass asshole who doesn’t actually give a shit about women.
It’s especially egregious in this instance because these people have literally done evil, vile things. Yet people are choosing to mock their appearance instead of their actions as that’s the more important thing. What my eyeshadow looks like should be irrelevant to my worth as a person. Always.
Sure. But if you stick to only mocking monsters for the evil things they do, what's the point? They're proud of those things. That's not how you bully someone. You gotta hit them where they're sensitive if you hope to change their awful behavior.
Has it occurred to anyone that insulting people is like bottom-of-the-barrel praxis
I'm just a simpleton who has never heard the word "praxis" before, but people have been making fun of their shitty bosses/leaders since the dawn of time, and I'm not sure anyone is gonna prevent that. Or that we necessarily should. Mockery is often all that keeps the powerful in line.
You’re just saying that you won’t stand with us in the fight. We’re asking that you not mock people for their physical traits that they can’t do anything about. Like Chad said, it’s literally the easiest way to show that you understand the things we’re trying to teach you. (praxis)
I think you may need to regroup with @chadloder.bsky.social to figure out what type of mockery is and isn't allowed, because the initial comment was about how making fun of someone's makeup and cosmetic procedures is bad. Both of which are traits that individuals do control.
Misogyny knows no party
Block me. Whining about Noem’s makeup harassment is not on my agenda. Fuck her.
My contention is that she's a member of the "not as good looking as she thinks she is" club. There's one for men as well. Her boss is in it? Lewandowski Oh, Trump is in the club as well.
She's so easy to attack for being a spineless, lying hog of a lawyer that betrays the US with every putrid utterance she makes you don't even have to go for her appearance.
There's so many valid, legitimate criticisms of her actions, but almost every thread covering her is full of Gen X Resist Libs dogpiling her makeup. Sickening. They throw incredible tantrums when called out on it, however. Just prepare for the stalest Facebook memes you can imagine in response
what bothers me more than any plastic surgery is the way every republican looks like theyre smiling for the first time in their life whenever they try. its unsettling. we need to talk about that. also i feel like you can just call her a dog murderer and end it there lmao.
Agree. It’s just upholding misogyny. It’s much more effective to criticize her on the merits of her actions.
I'm pretty sick of seeing her creepy, Starship Troopers ass commercial every time I'm watching YouTube or a damn game.
Her actions include probably an hour and a half of professional makeup and hair daily. To be the security head? And who pays for her beauty regimen?
Who cares? Making this an issue instead of her actions is just upholding deep misogyny.
As a woman, I've been told that I should sit down and stfu when I point out to people that shaming women's appearance and bodies just because they're shit people harms us all. (Thank you! I'm glad I'm not alone here)
You're a busy guy. Really enjoyed your talk tonight. Thanks!
Killing a puppy because she couldn’t train it is why she’s on my 🤬 list. That was before she started cos playing hate.
Am I weird because not only do I agree with you but would go further and say I'm not comfortable with jokes about Vance's eyeliner? Like, it's not a good look on him, but if he wasn't who he is everyone would admire his self-confidence. Trump's orange pancake is different on so many levels.
I assume you support the same belief for all people?
There is a difference between negging on somebody and their looks In the concerted effort by the GOP Mar-a-Lago trend which is akin to self mutilation for acceptance. Calling that out is calling it out.
Also, gives her lot permission to suggest you have no argument against her terrible ideas, so all you can do is criticise her appearance.
Theoretically I support that. But as a woman I reserve the right to criticize her for donating her whole body in trade for diabolical power. And she has EARNED the contempt of her government colleagues. She’s free to mount a defense of those choices if she likes.
Gonna mute this and leave my replies open so I can check back later to see who I need to block. Some of y'all are itching to have an excuse to call women the c-word
OK; I offer this, and a set of hair extensions, extra-long, that you can put on: www.vintage-adventures.com/vintage-toba...
As always (it seems) I’m with Chad here. She has enough bad qualities we can focus on. She’s not ugly. She’s evil.
Oh, fuck you.
People are calling her a cunt because she is a cunt. Go ahead and block me, Chad. I couldn’t care less.
youtu.be/h74IC_wwdzw?...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
This article nails the reason we can talk about her plastic surgery. Their remade faces aren’t about what these woman want for themselves. It’s all about what Trump wants for his propaganda machine:
it's real Number 12 Looks Just Like You shit
Oof, that activated my empathy. She's a horrible person but also miserable if she's so willing to accept and embrace such treatment.
Trump out here Dorley'ing the most evil broads imaginable
Mar-a-Lago is like dorley but for like producing the worst kind of conservative tradwife white woman.
Whew just woke up and looked at the replies. Got some blocking to do
Some of these replies and quote skeets are so wrong
Yes, there's a nuanced discussion to be had about the aesthetics of fascism, the conformance to "the look" on FOX, MAGA bimbification, etc. Most people Are Not Doing That. These replies are a shitshow
I generally try to avoid calling white/right-wing women “b-word” and stick to the gender neutral epithets of derision. May be a cultural thing but in America the c-word is next level misogynistic, right? I’m black and I’ve only see white northern folks use it.
yes, in US probably most misogynistic word you can use, but, sadly, it’s certainly not limited to the north. i think criticism is much more effective when it’s not steeped in bigotry, which only perpetuates the bigotry and makes the criticism easier to dismiss but some people hate to have to think
The c-word is the atom bomb of gendered insults in the U.S. (I gather it's different in the U.K.) it's explicitly femaleness as a slur, saying that a woman is nothing but an orifice to be used by men.
In Britain, it is barely gendered and can mean anything from 'best friend' to 'deadly foe' with a side of general punctuation use.
No, I get that. The valance is totally different.
My ex-wife was American, so I learned this the Fun Way.
See also "fanny" and whether it's just a cute term foe someone's butt or ... something altogether else.
Well the same thing as the c-word
Putting like this is making me think that’s what has disturbed me about the woman. I had dismissed her as non serious for having the cosplay appearances at photo op events and acting as though that was her job. But phrasing it as maintaining the fascist/fox news look is enlightening.
Finding out who wants to write dissertation level skeets about the POSSIBLE LINE of critique that MIGHT EXIST while the fat caricatures of the Emperor himself elicit silence from the same voices is what is especially enjoyable this morning (for me, a fat dude who is also old).
I can go to muzzle flagging or lying to Congress on the Fasc Barbie character long before I compare her to a raccoon on meth.
"it's an indictment of the movement that their women are coerced into gender-conforming-maximalist drag" vs "lmao she ugly amirite"
God that is such an apt and succinct summary, Bravo. We absolutely can be fascinated by this garish hyper-gendered freakishness and discuss its significance for appearing at a time when there's push back against trans folks. But not just to insult these women.
Goddess speed, friend.
I’m more interested in the fact that ice is turning into the G estapo
Many people can do two things at once.
Yes
And when they come for YOU there will be no women left to help.
Kristi Noam is not helping you
👍 I’m of the mind she is not helping anyone
Shes not. Shes also not the only person on the planet.
Hahaha, i know, im no maga cultist weirdo. Women already know quite well men wont help us. Unless they are Stockholm Syndrome trad wife types. Them i pity.
She may be one, but it is what is inside not her plastic surgery looks.
NOT THAT ONE
I shouted it into my phone on the Acela Quiet Car!
Did you ever stop to think they are calling her that, not because she is a woman, but because of the atrocities she is allowing and backing? Or are you just looking to let everyone know you support racist pieces of shit?
Or maybe you've been the true cunt all along
Craven? Corrupt? Criminal? Cruel?
My cunt would be insulted to be compared to Noem, it never murdered a puppy & its not transphobic either! Cunts are warm, soft, nice parts of the human body Noem is nothing like that, lacks depth & warmth, takes away & gives nothing She's destructive unable to lead without violence & sadism.
Even if the worst thing she ever did was shoot her dog that’s still worthy of being called a cunt. Stop clutching your pearls…
Dog, she's not a cunt because she's a woman. She's a cunt because she does things like send innocent people to life imprisonment in a foreign country with no due process and then refuses to even acknowledge their existence when family members ask "are they alive?". Like, if that's not cunty...?
Can I just call her a puppy killer instead? Her makeup aesthetics are not my problem with her.
I think she's a nazi and soulless and kinda creepy that's all I want everyone to know Also she killed ppl during covid
I mean, the entire Botox and tan combo is the fascist look right now. That’s the look I’ll make fun of, it’s their costume. It’s all fake, just like their strength.
If we insult the President for his ridiculous unblended drag, we can insult his goth-eyed Vice President, and say whatever we want about his pinched, spackled, spanxed and facially paralyzed cabinet members. But enough about Pete Hegseth . . .
Does anyone believe she deserves this respect? She certainly doesn't respect other women.
It's not that *she* deserves respect. It's that other women do. And hurling misogyny doesn't hurt her. She's not reading it. But many women are, and we don't love the idea that casual misogyny is cool if the person is shitty. Do we use racial slurs that casually? Good people don't...
Is it misogyny when *she* is clearly a misogynist herself? Is the only reason that she is being attacted because she is a woman, or maybe because she is deporting children. I have more faith in womens' ability to separate the two.
"Asshole" is right there, literally and figuratively. We also have shitbag, shitpile, maggot, human trash, infected cloaca, feral dog... And if you really love the bite of "cunt" throw wart or scab after it. Cuntwart. Cuntscab. Attack at will. Use words that aren't also friendly fire.
That Trump embraces middle eastern misogynist rulers aligns well with the gross and deformed masculinity in the MAGA movement. These MAGA women are self-loathing participants in MAGA misogyny. At least Joan Rivers mocked herself. These humorless clones are incapable of self reflection.
Give me a break. They’re disappearing people, destroying Medicare, outlawing healthcare for women, stealing billions etc. and you’re worried about not hurting Bondi’s feelings and creating a permission structure for jokes about cosmetic procedures? This is way way way low on the priority list.
It’s an actual cult event that is worth studying here. Why do these women with seemingly an education and leadership skills feel the need to capitulate their face/body to the preferred esthetic of their leader? There is SO much proof this is happening. Cult mentality
Serious question, who is paying for the procedures? How would she as a SD governor afford all of that plastic surgery? She already maxed out the state credit cards, $700,000+ on travel. So who is paying? SD is not a rich state, plastic surgery is not common. Who is paying for it?
One more note, she got free teeth in Texas for shooting an ad, I would bet money that she didn’t pay for any of the work. She used the state jet for personal travel, state credit cards for room and board. She’s not one to spend her own money.
This is well worth reading fon the topic bsky.app/profile/jeff...
she has exactly the dead eyed mask you’d expect from a racist sociopath whose skin was sewn from the tortured screams of puppies she murdered, and I support people doing whatev they please to express themselves genderly or otherwise… it isn’t complicated
And there are so many awful things that are uniquely hers to insult her about.
There should have been questions about FEMA disbursements, or failures to disburse, to states instead of stupid questions about her costumes.
On the one hand, attacking someone's appearance is low, on the other hand, conformity and appealing to the "natural woman aesthetic" is the #1 thing conservative women want, so it's likely the only critique that will actually bother her.
Anyone defending kidnapping people off the streets to send them to a gulag has earned whatever hate they get.
They do. But a whole lot of people who haven’t earned the hate will catch strays from this kind of discourse.
That's a fair point. I'm not going to be moving her physical appearance but then I'm also likely to face family and friends being harassed or deported.
If she's actively fiddling with her hair during the hearing she's being grilled at, then yeah, its fair game.
It’s sort of like when people were attacking Melania for having done nude modeling. Some people just really hate women and are chomping at the bit to say vile stuff.
I'm just making fun of her childish penchant for on-the-job cosplay. Which is more than merely appropriate; it's the right thing to do.
I see the surgically created MAGA costume as being akin to a KKK hood. I don’t criticize many clothing choices, but that particular choice deserves criticism.
There are way more important things to insult about Noem but those are her *choices*, not indelible characteristics. And it is interesting how women and men in the Trump orbit all conform to the same extreme personal aesthetics.
I think it’s silly to do online BUT I’ve had some extremely funny and cathartic irl conversations in this vein. If you’ve ever been punished for failing to perform womanhood correctly it’s impossible to not react pretty viscerally to the MAGA aesthetic.
Men would be criticized too if they altered their appearance surgically for that Mar-A-Lago look.
Perhaps. But given that women are always judged for their looks - way way way more than men are - these two things are not the same.
You have a point; the contrary is Noem’s own example of her obvious obsession with her own looks in costume for TV appearances. She cares a great deal about her appearance.
If it was a guy with tight eye or plugs I’d have at it.
We definitely dunked on Gaetz for getting work done too
Like RFK Jr and Matt Gaetz.
Jr looks like hell!
Are men oppressed & subjected to violence for failing to meet a narrow (yet ever-shifting) performance of beauty for a privileged class over them?
Not to the degree of women, for sure.
Not at all. Men are not expected to be objects of beauty for consumption in patriarchy.
They do! The amount of male makeup and cosmetic surgery going on in Trump world is astonishing.
Agree! Is this the “toxic masculinity” we keep hearing about today?
No. The toxic masculinity is why his cabinet is staffed with rapists and why they keep firing all the women with high-level departmental jobs.
And these are the same makeup-wearing, heavily coiffed guys on TV every day! Hegseth even ordered up a glam room for himself at the Pentagon.
You mean the jokes about Elons Hair plugs and Zuckerbergs midlife crisis Logan Paul impersonation?
Yeah I don't like the hair insults either
It’s possible to talk about how her outfit/style choices are part of the propaganda machine she’s part of without bringing up cosmetic changes she may have undergone. One is a criticism of her using her office to undermine democracy, the other is petty and irrelevant.
She’s evil, and no amount of hair extensions, lip fillers, fake lashes or Rolex watches hides who she truly is.
The psychological makeup of this person has been demonstrated to be sociopathic, so her decisions to greatly alter her appearance are a part of her profile.
Body shaming is never okay. There are plenty of other features about noem that are easily worth noting for scrutiny.
I body shame nazis sometimes. I’m ok with it.
I also call ppl who are cunts “cunts.” Not out of misogyny (I’m a woman plus I don’t hate women), but bc I’m an adult & I enjoy using (like the British) & it’s not a slur. Just as calling someone a “dick” isn’t misandry or a slur. It’s just a cuss word & the word discourse cops can’t stop me lol
All bets are off when it comes to trump's MAGAts. He has no problem insulting women for their appearance. The women in his orbit deserve the same level of respect he gives women he doesn't like. I wish our country were kinder, but it isn't.
It's become so prevalent in the larger culture. There is a Biblical basis for criticism. Same for tattoos. It won't be coming from me, though.
Or maybe we shouldn't base our political critiques on religious scriptures, either.
It's surprising that it hasn't been forthcoming given that sectarian impulses are driving so much of what that lot is doing. Not as "winsome" as stripping away civil rights...
There's so much more to complain about too.
Are you ok with people taking shots at Trump for what I assume is orange makeup?
As a person who grew up in a small town in the middle of farm country amongst farmers and ranchers for whom plastic surgery was anathema, Noem's public image us always seemed like a contradiction to me. Maybe I just need to get over it.
I keep seeing "she deserves what she gets", and, sure, but 1) she isn't getting anything and 2) you don't deserve to give her what she deserves. (Like, there are people on death row who deserve to die, but I don't deserve to have to kill them.)
This is lovely.
This isn’t defending women in the way you seem to assume it is. Read the room.
It's fair game because she has done that to herself to market herself as a top Nazi in the fascist TrumpNazi regime.
She poses for pictures in silly costumes to look like a “babe.” How she looks is her “brand.” Trump’s hair and orange makeup have been a target for years. And Melania’s kidney job. I don’t like attacking women for how they look, but MAGA women look like Barbie dolls from the early 1960s.
Agree
Is it ok to call her nazi Barbie? It fits perfectly with her. It’s the same with orange nazi pig trump it fits perfectly for him.
Fuck that plastic cos playing GIJoe Hoe
I feel that way about jd vance too tbh, the guys an asshole but even if he was wearing makeup who gives a shit
I love how the comments are like, "It's OK to uplift the appearance policing of all women because this one is a Nazi." Folks, we have enough valid criticisms of her without bringing in her "look." Same thing for ageism.
Same thing for ageism
I agree. Let's focus, people. Can't we just confine our criticism to the fact that she is a loathesome, horrible, hypocritical, moronic, lying, fake-christian, fascism-loving, puppy-killing piece of shit?
It was more a reference to her cosplaying as an ICE officer whilst pointing a gun at another ICE agents head. She does tend to be less about the message and more about the image and as he was making that statement she was fixing her hair and had been for about five minutes before.
It’s very easy to tell who just hates the fact that she’s a woman
I think there's a sociological observation to be made with "MAGA beauty" standards. Like, commenting on the trend for beauty changes that are obvious as opposed heretofore typical makeup styles that try for more natural. But not as an excuse to call women ugly as commentary.
Hot take: You're right! I used to have similar problem with body shaming due to being body shamed. The idea of "Well I can't be a sl*t cause I'm flatter than her" didn't even help me feel better as a person. All it did was continue the cycle.
I just attack her for being a puppy killing piece of shit. Her appearance is her own business.
Absolutely fair game, it’s part of the sickness of the MAGA cult and must be exposed! Women (and some men) surgically altering their face and bodies. Wearing hair extensions and costumes while violating the Constitution and lying before Congress. This is grotesque and NOT public service.
I agree in general, but also think there’s a conversation to be had about MAGAfied surgery = good & unmentionable by the same people who vilify the trans community for surgical ‘mutilation’, & wch also gives permission to that same constituency to attack *any* woman for being insufficiently feminine
In fairness it’s equal opportunity:JD Vance, Matt Gaetz, and Trump have their makeup, cosmetic procedures, hair and clothes insulted on the regular. In the men’s case it appears to be sheer vanity and an attempt to deny the march of time and the fate of all flesh, so they are actually pretty pitiful
no forehead jokes no eyeliner jokes next stop it will be attacking beavis shaped men for their looks
I don't get the people who can't wait to hurl every single misogynistic and sexist insult towards the "acceptable" group. It's not acceptable behaviour. In general. If you catch yourself doing it, stop it. It's easy and a knee jerk reaction but it's harmful to all. Not just "them".
No insults are needed to have a constructive conversation. What I find disturbing about the “MAGA female” trend….they’re dressing, styling, and undergoing cosmetic procedures that are pleasing to an audience of one man.
Is Graham Linehan’s toddler-like body proportions still on the table?
Kristi Noem is a Completely Unqualified Nasty Twat.
is it the cosmetics or that the cosmetics r bad/overkill? cuz theres gotta be at least some merit to pointing out the current gop stepford wives aesthetic going on... in any case shd prolly use it sparingly at most. we got plenty better lines of attack
I don’t criticize her surgery. I criticize her unprofessional dress and demeanor. She used her looks to make disgusting and non-serious propaganda.
Agreed. It smacks of the way in recent months some folks felt like it was a good idea to bring back the R slur but "without intent it isn't a bad thing." Makes me think they need to go listen to Auntie Diaries again.
Noem has defaced herself pursuant to the Mare-a-Lago ideal. Her appearance therefore is, indeed, a political statement and is absolutely fair game.
there’s plenty to criticize her for without going there
Most elective cosmetic surgeries are bad on a societal level and also personally. People should accept their visage.
Agreed. But she’s still a monster.
I legit did not realize this was a thing, largely because Noem offers such a wealth of relevant material that an elected official can and should be called out for.
It's not different from insulting Trump's coloring (orange) or RFK Jr.'s zombie-like appearance or gravel voice. Also, the particular look is basically MAGA uniform for women, they'd be insulted if we didn't notice their efforts to conform.
It's the same people that mocked Melania for her appearance or...exploits. Or Graham, claiming he was closeted. You CAN mock these assholes just for being assholes. You don't need to drag others into it.
The thing about Melania’s exploits is that MAGA folks hold her up as a “return to class, style, grace, and morality”…while simultaneously dragging any single mom or woman who uses hormonal contraception (for any reason whatsoever) as a whore. The cognitive dissonance is mind boggling.
I agree. I keep my complaints about her appearance on the topic of her being aware she is using her sexuality combined with violence to mimic the same attraction entertainment industries go for with sex+violence=arousal. She is doing this to feed her MAGA men what they need to keep Trump in office.
Also, I feel that being at the table with a nazi without protest is more then enough reason to legitimately criticise her, so attacking her looks is really unnecessary and doesn't make her look like more of a bitch then she already is, but it makes the attacker look like a misogynistic asshole.
Especially when there are so many more substantive, terrible factors to attack.
This also applies, imo, to Malaria's nude modeling.
Lots of misogyny in the center-left. It's really gross! I find myself blocking almost as many Dems as NAZIs on here.
Homophobia and transphobia too... and I won't even bring up Dem support for genocide. (Oops, just did.)
💯
Especially when there are so many important things to criticize about these women. It’s wrong and it’s lazy.
it’s the cruelty and the shallow pretenses for cruelty nothing else matters
I feel like at this point Noem is less of a victim of patriarchal misogyny, and more of a willing participant. I wouldn’t ever argue that attacking a woman’s appearance is a good thing, but I think its more of comment of her exterior reflecting the emptiness inside
She's not a serious person. She changes the outside of herself while rotting within as a moral, conscientious person. Her actions vs. her manufactured, hyper-sexualized appearance scream hypocrisy, trivial values and lack of relatable authencity. I'm a woman. That offends me.
I really appreciate this sensitive thought, I think it’s generally on the right track. I think the aesthetics of power for women in Trump’s fascist USA are an important part of the discussion tho.
Yes, to focus predominantly on female’s appearance is objectifying and detracts from what is being said and done in the government, including what she is saying and doing.
Precisely my issue with gay jokes about Lindsey Graham.
Thank you.
✌️
Likewise the misgendering combination of Elon and Melania.
So many liberals are itching for an excuse to break out the bigotry. It's exhausting. Just because you vote Democratic doesn't make you a good person.
Can we dig into this a little bit? Is it OK for gays to make fun of Graham? For women to make fun of Noem? For Blacks to make fun of Shaun King? ...in ways that people *not* part of the minority group should not? Or is it all internalized misogynism/homophobia/racism?
I don't see a woman, I see someone who would deport you to a gulag whether you criticize her policies or her procedures. They started the war, they're not nice, they need to be DEFEATED, not treated like the royalty they think they are. Fuck 'em
It's not that she has a phony face, it's how that is an external symbol of how phony she is on the inside.
If I got surgery to look like that would it be an external symbol of how phony I am on the inside?
Depends on you. In her case it is because she knows she IS nothing and HAS nothing except her looks and publicity.
You seem to know a lot about her internal state. The whole criticism here is *do not judge a woman by her looks or how she presents herself*. Really basic feminism 101. Please stop doing this.
No. I can make fun of a person for their looks if that is a mirror of their evil. I make fun of Trump all the time for the same reason. Not about women, about phony people who are monsters.
I am a trans woman. I have had facial feminization surgery and will have more. I'd be quite content to end up looking like Noem. Someone could very easily use exactly the same language you use against me. "Trans women are phony people who are monsters" Please stop with this there is no excuse for it
Hi. She's a cunt, and you're a fucking cunt for going to bat for her in any way. You fucking cunt.