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And Cue the Sexist Reactions to Elizabeth Warren’s Debate Performance

Nasty Women, get ready. Here we go again.

Elizabeth Warren smiles from the stage at a campaign event.

(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

As a Scorpio, I have to say, I love that Elizabeth Warren went into last night’s debate and wanted to tell the world that Mike Bloomberg is a piece of shit. She did not care who she was going to drag. She was going to point out the problems with her opponents’ policies and make sure that the American people knew what they were signing up for.

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The problem? We got thrown right back into 2016 and the topic of “nasty women.” Now, let me explain: A nasty woman is, apparently, a woman who dares speak up about something or who makes a point. Don’t think you’re a “nasty woman”? You probably are, to someone. It’s a terrible, sexist, patriarchal idea that many of us, myself included, have reclaimed as our motto since Donald Trump used the term to describe Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.

I even embroidered it on a denim jacket that I wear proudly. Many have shirts and hats. Nasty Woman has become a staple for those of us who refuse to take sexism against female candidates (and women in general) quietly. So now, Elizabeth Warren is part of the club!

It got to the point where actor Ken Olin tweeted out that he thought that Warren was “mean” and “nasty” and finally deleted his tweet when people pointed out that that was the same language used against Hillary Clinton. The problem comes from this media circuit that tells women they can’t be too complacent but they can’t be too mean, either. There’s a line we’re supposed to walk that keeps us balanced on what is “acceptable”—a phenomenon women are well acquainted with.

For a presidential candidate, men can yell, they can fight, they can decide not to shake hands with an opponent …

But if Elizabeth Warren so much as dared to do this?

It’s a terrifying narrative. Women can’t defend themselves without being nasty, but if they don’t defend themselves, then they’re weak. Men? If they defend themselves, then it shows their pride in their beliefs, and they get praised for it. It’s absolutely exhausting. How are we, as women, supposed to function when we can’t even fight back without being called names?

At least, for every “nasty woman” remark or drag to Warren for not shaking hands with Bernie some months ago, there are tweets sharing love for the candidate.

Because guess what? If Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden went onto that stage last night and dragged Mike Bloomberg and everyone else through the mud, they would have been praised as strong men. Warren deserves all the praise she’s getting for her performance, and the detractors should examine what it really is that’s fueling their objections.

Anyway …

I can’t wait to vote for Elizabeth Warren in this primary, and then I can’t wait for her to take on Donald Trump as the Democratic candidate.

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Author
Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh.

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