Journalist Mocks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Clothes, Internet Rallies Behind Her

"That jacket and coat don't look like a girl who struggles." Oof!

On Election Day, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 14th Congressional District. She has Latino roots and socialist political views, and when she takes office on January 3, 2019, the 29-year-old will become the youngest woman to serve in Congress in the history of the United States. Which means she's become somewhat of an icon on the Internet, and you cannot come for her.

But that's exactly what Eddy Scarry, a conservative journalist for The Washington Examiner, did on Thursday when he posted a now-deleted "creepshot" of her with the caption, "Hill staffer sent me this pic of Ocasio-Cortez they took just now. I'll tell you something: that jacket and coat don't look like a girl who struggles."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

The tweet was in reference to a comment that she made in The New York Times earlier this month, when she said, "I have three months without a salary before I'm a member of Congress. So, how do I get an apartment? Those little things are very real."

The fact that Ocasio-Cortez comes from a working-class family in the Bronx and has previously worked in a restaurant to make ends meet has made her somewhat of a hero among many left-wing Millennials, who want to see more elected officials who understand the struggles of hustling to make do in today's economy.

So, needless to say, Scarry's tweet didn't land well, and social media users clapped back with their greatest asset: memes.

Does the now-viral Central Park duck look like a girl who struggles?

How about this dude in a blown-up puffer jacket?

OK, but what about Kendall Jenner in a gigantic coat?

How about Marge Simpson?

What about this monkey in a winter coat? Does she look like a girl who struggles?

Scarry responded to all the criticism surrounding his tweet by deleting it and telling people it was misinterpreted, which is the Twitter version of making someone uncomfortable in the workplace and saying, "Can't you take a joke?"

On her part, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her own response to the clothing controversy, one which elegantly summed up the sexism that's still so pervasive in American politics.

She also reminded Scarry that just because he deleted his tweet, the Internet never forgets.

And for more remarks that you might not realize are sexist (but totally are), check out The 17 Worst Things a Man Can Say to a Woman.

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Diana Bruk
Diana is a senior editor who writes about sex and relationships, modern dating trends, and health and wellness. Read more