Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton seem to be neck-and-neck when it comes to their popularity. Both democratic candidates have a large following for different reasons. Many people trust Sanders because the senator has been an activist for women and black lives since the 1950s. A lot of women who may agree with Sanders’ ideas and values still won’t vote for him. Why? Because he isn’t a woman.
Celebrities such Chloe Grace Moretz and Genevieve Hannelius showed their support for Clinton on Twitter about 2-3 weeks ago. Moretz stated, “I think that there’s a lot of young women who are terrified of being feminists. Young women are afraid to stand up for who [they] are because we still live in a world in which it’s not OK for us to be young, powerful, strong, well-spoken, educated young women. And that’s why we need Hillary in office.” The majority of women that identify as intersectional feminists are Bernie supporters because what he believes is not the upper class white feminism that Moretz has in mind, but the feminism that applies to everyone regardless of race and gender. A Saturday Night Live skit about Hillary Clinton put it perfectly, “True feminism is looking at both candidates equally regardless of gender.”
Gloria Steinem has made headlines lately for her sexist comment about young girls who support Bernie Sanders. She believes those teenage girls just want the attention of their male peers, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. “When you’re young, you’re thinking, ‘Where are the boys?’ The boys are with Bernie,” she said. As much as I would like a woman president because it is WAY overdue, I want the right woman president. A president who has been actively fighting for the lives of everyone and truly cares. That candidate right now is Bernie Sanders. If you’re going to vote for Hillary Clinton, doing it because she’s a woman is the exact opposite of what feminism is. It’s not putting down the gender, but comparing her equally to the other candidates. Gender is not what presidency is about.
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