If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? You won’t find out what your favorite Republican wore to the #WalkAway gala held this past weekend at the Trump Towers in Washington, D.C. The red carpets were visibly missing the mainstream paparazzi snapping pictures of beautifully dressed women and couples or rising conservative stars, both male and female. And don’t count on the Washingtonian magazine to do a feature story on who directed and designed the more finer points of the gala or who or what anyone said any more than you will see Melania Trump gracing the covers of Vanity Fair or Vogue.
What you also won’t see are conservative women featured on the pages of The Cut, InStyle, Page Six, The Daily Mail, Pop Sugar or a host of other mainstream media outlets that glamorize the ladies of the left but pointedly ignore the movers and shakers on the right.
Where are the social pictures of the women who attended the Young Black Leaders Summit enjoying themselves while dining out on the town in Washington, D.C. following President’s Trump meeting with them at the White House? Who wore what and who formed friendships over cocktails and dinner? How many of them were delighted to meet their fellow leaders who they may only follow or retweet on social media?
Not only are conservative women never featured in any mainstream media, whether digitally or in print, you won’t find their values represented anywhere in most major digital platforms designed and marketed to women. When Republican women are mentioned, which is hardly ever, it is usually to deride them personally in the most vitriolic language reserved for serial murderers and rapists. And this cloak of invisibility may be okay for many conservative women who may want to be seen less as beauty mavens and social powerhouses and more as serious business professionals or politicians, but this is to rob them of their humanity, their very femininity even.
Perhaps just as important, it robs those women who do not share liberal values of a sense of community among like minded individuals. It robs those of us who are interested in their ideas, how they manage their lives, relationships, motherhood and the stories of how they got where they are and what motivates them when their feet hit the floor. Whether they are at the pinnacle of their game or are the latest young breakout to excite the Republican base, we want to share in their journey and maybe pick up a few motivational tips along the way.
The mainstream media is quick to write about the latest comments of liberal activists such as Alyssa Milano, Chelsea Handler or Lena Dunham, but there is an invisible audience, an army really, of women who want to hear other conservative women speak on current, and yes, social events. In-depth interviews don’t just satiate our curiosity about those we admire, they provide a window into the souls of those who we may choose to emulate, robbing young women of mentors and positive role models.
And it isn’t that the right suffers from a dearth of beautiful, smart women or up and coming handsome young men. From the young Tomi Lahren and Dana Loesch to Brigette Gabrielle, Lauren Southern, Laura Ingraham and even the acerbic Ann Coulter, poised and beautiful conservatives are everywhere. The list of accomplished, beautiful women who are also leading interesting lives in conservative podcasting, vlogging, newscasting, politics and advocacy is endless. These are the social shakers, politicians in the making, entrepreneurs and culture makers of our time.
Although conservative women have for obvious reasons needed to remain more private about their personal lives, it doesn’t mean they have no message to share about what it means to be a woman—right now and during these exciting and dreadful times. The number of assaults and violent threats against women on the right have been well documented. Tomi Lahren, the young and rising Fox News contributor, was the victim of an assault at a Minneapolis restaurant this past May when she was having brunch with her mother. Pamela Geller, Dana Loesch, Sara Huckabee Sanders and countless others have all had their lives threatened and the lives of their families.
To highlight the extremes in coverage, consider that Alyssa Milano has graced several covers for Maxim, Chelsea Handler has posed for the cover of both Enquirer and Playboy and Lena Dunham has appeared in Glamour, Vogue and made the cover story of the New York Times Style Magazine. Our Flotus, an actual model, has not appeared on the cover of any women’s magazine that I am aware of, yet Michelle Obama was routinely featured on the covers of countless magazines.
The lack of cultural and social news coverage of conservative women is a virtual gold mine waiting to be tapped by the right investors. We should be calling out fake news, but in the meantime, we need to make our own. The stars on the right are already influencing culture, trouble is, there is no one vested in capturing it. If politics is really down wind of culture, we’ve got work to do. And just in case you need an editor/writer, I’m available. #ReignWell