Latest on this “artist” now covering the scandalous murals, at least one of them, see video below.
By: Nicole Lashomb*/Editor-in-Chief—
A scantily dressed Hillary Clinton adorned in a revealing 2-piece American flag bathing suit with dollar bills bulging out of its side like an adult entertainer decorates an Australian building in light of the 2016 election cycle. Painted by a famed Instagram street artist, the work has received accolades and outrage from the social media sphere. Similarly, a topless Melania Trump scales buildings too, with each breast depicted as face of Donald Trump. As you see, this isn’t a contest about politics as much as it is a statement of the misogynistic culture, which we are wildly aware of and, in many cases like this, street artists and others perpetuate.
Since the days following the Democratic Convention, I’ve read hundreds, if not thousands, of unsubstantiated Republican attacks on the Democratic Presidential Nominee. It is to be expected. But what has set off a firestorm within me are those “fellow” Democrats, Liberals, or Socialists for that matter, that have not only played games with Clinton’s candidacy and credibility but who have used the ageless system of oppression against women to appeal their case to other women to not support her. There are two candidates in this election that statistically have the opportunity to win—Clinton or Trump. Regardless of whether a third party candidate gets on the ballot or not, it will be either the Democrats or Republicans to secure Congress and the Oval. While Democratic ideals may not be perfect for everyone, the alternative isn’t rocket science. The Republican Nominee has publicly sought assistance from Russia to hack e-mails for God’s sake! The only plausible explanation, other than not understanding the seriousness of what is at stake in this election is the brainwashing of the archaic system of patriarchy.
Countless times, I’ve heard people—mostly white men that stood solidly with Bernie—ironically argue that Hillary Clinton can only be a role model to wealthy white women and girls. Along that same logic, how could they support a white man then? I am assuming they must believe that white men can only relate to white men if the opposite holds true for Clinton. No? To be clear, there is no collective intersectionality of any one woman that can relate to all women. It is impossible. Or, is it?
What is possible is that regardless of whether you like her or not, the very struggle of being a woman in this patriarchal world bonds us. While we are all separate beings and joined together by diverse intersectionalities of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, socioeconomic status, and so on, we are united by the strength and perseverance of womanhood … the XX chromosome so many of us proudly carry. We are joined through collective experience and perils of what it is to be a woman in today’s world and what it means to suffer inequities because of just that. These are the same inequities that men cannot understand from their own experience based on their inherent male privilege that their gender provides them.
So the next time you’re driving down the streets of Australia or Social Media Avenue, be on the lookout for a mural of Donald Trump in a thong with dollar bills tucked into it. Just don’t hold your breath until you find it. This November, I am not voting for Hillary Clinton because she has a vagina. However, that fact makes me incredibly proud.
*Nicole Lashomb is the Editor-in-Chief of TRT, an activist and a published writer for over 10 years. Nicole holds an MBA from Marylhurst University and a BM from SUNY Potsdam, the Crane School of Music. Contact her via her e-mail here.
