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OPINION

Throwing Crumbs at Ivanka Trump is Not a Form of Female Empowerment

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
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Liberals often proclaim themselves to be champions of female empowerment, but their disgusting treatment of women who hold different political views suggests otherwise.

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This month, CulturalDC is presenting a work by American conceptual artist Jennifer Rubell titled, “Ivanka Vacuuming.”

According to the organization’s website, the interactive artwork features “a woman bearing a striking resemblance to that Ivanka [Trump], cleaning a plush pink carpet” in front of “a giant pile of crumbs.”

“The public is invited to throw crumbs onto the carpet, watching as Ivanka elegantly vacuums up the mess, her smile never wavering,” the website explains. “This process repeats itself for the entire duration of the performance.”

Clearly, this “crumby” art display is not intended to be a flattering portrayal of the President’s daughter or her accomplishments in business and government. Rather, the whole thing is designed to diminish Ivanka Trump’s stature by allowing viewers to pretend they are humiliating the First Daughter. Rubell even admitting that throwing crumbs for the fake Ivanka to clean up is a “pleasurable” exercise because “it makes us feel powerful.”

“Here is what’s complicated: we enjoy throwing the crumbs for Ivanka to vacuum. That is the icky truth at the center of the work,” she explains. “It’s funny, it’s pleasurable, it makes us feel powerful, and we want to do it more. We like having the power to elicit a specific and certain response. Also, we know she’ll keep vacuuming whether we do it or not, so it’s not really our fault, right?”

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One thing Rubell may have neglected to consider is the irony of using “crumbs” to demean Ivanka. After all, “crumbs” is exactly the word Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi infamously used to describe the thousand-dollar bonuses that workers received following President Trump’s historic tax cuts.

Imagine if Rubell or any other liberal artist decided to portray Michelle Obama or one of President Obama’s daughters in the same dehumanizing light. Would that type of expression be lauded by the art community?

The regressive left complains incessantly about poverty, tolerance and victimhood, so one might think that liberal elitists would prefer to applaud the great strides Ivanka has made for women in the workplace, or, alternately, pay tribute to the humanitarian work that First Lady Melania Trump has done with children in Africa, or highlight her anti-bullying campaign here at home.

Since Ivanka is President Trump’s daughter, however, none of that matters to perpetually aggrieved liberals, among whom the Trump surname inspires only extreme outrage.

This is the same hypocrisy that has afflicted the left since Donald Trump first announced his candidacy for President. Liberals decry bullying in general terms, but applaud it when the bullies target the Trump family or other conservatives. They preach against hate, but actively encourage hatred of the President and his supporters. They claim to detest violence, but glorify people who condone and encourage it, such as Kathy Griffin when she held the bloody mock head of our President in a photo, and Madonna when she said she has “thought many times about blowing up the White House.” 

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Liberals also say women should be celebrated and not shamed — yet they ridicule a dedicated daughter, wife, and mother who has become a role model for millions of girls around the country.

Throwing crumbs at Ivanka Trump is not female empowerment — it’s a disgraceful gesture of hypocrisy that glorifies sexism, bigotry, and hatred for women who happen to be conservative.

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