Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Vanity Fair cover shoot and interview ruffled some right-wing feathers when she shaded Trump for paying barely any taxes for years. “These are the same people saying that we can’t have tuition-free public colleges because there’s no money,” AOC declared. “When these motherf*ckers are only paying $750 a year in taxes.” That somehow led to the New York Post dissecting what she wore and concluding that the 31-year-old congresswoman wore $14,000 of outfits during the Vanity Fair shoot. Fox News drew further attention by calling out AOC for the clothing, and host Laura Ingraham tweeted a link to the article: “AOC appears in Vanity Fair in outfits worth $14,000 to curse out Trump.”
AOC appears in Vanity Fair in outfits worth $14,000 to curse out Trump | Fox News https://t.co/6UlLQs9uCp
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 29, 2020
It’s perhaps the silliest “controversy” ever. AOC supporters quickly defended her, given that the clothes were borrowed from the magazine and vendors for the shoot, and now, the congresswoman has responded to Ingraham’s tweet. She declared that the shoot was “100% worth it, would do again.” She also called the smear strategy “sad” while urging the GOP to “get yourselves together” after pulling the “she wore clothes in a magazine, let’s pretend they’re hers” move. Here’s how she started her rebuttal:
💯% 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.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 29, 2020
That was only the beginning. “Republicans are Very Mad (again) about my appearance. This time they’re mad that I look good in borrowed clothes (again),” AOC tweeted. “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
Here’s a better look at the cover outfit that’s causing all the fuss.
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
In the Vanity Fair piece, AOC speaks to the challenge of dressing for a high-profile career and looking presentable while not having access to designer clothes in her everyday life. She also previously explained that she often rents clothing and shops at thrift stores. The white color of her cover ensemble has also been analyzed in a positive light, since the color often draws attention to resistance movements and symbolizes hope. Certainly, the U.S. could use all the hope it can get.