Vogue feature on female 2020 Democratic hopefuls criticized for excluding Marianne Williamson
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vogue published a splashy feature Thursday headlined, “Madam President? Five Candidates on What It Will Take to Shatter the Most Stubborn Glass Ceiling,” that excluded from its group photo and interview the sixth female hopeful, Marianne Williamson.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard joined Senators Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris for an interview with the fashion bible that was accompanied by a photo shoot with the iconic Annie Leibovitz.
“This is straight up disrespectful to Marianne Williamson,” Washington Examiner political reporter Siraj Hashmi tweeted upon seeing photos from the feature.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MARIANNE WILLIAMSON'S ODD DEMOCRATIC DEBATE PLEDGE TO CALL NEW ZEALAND'S PM GOES VIRAL
Vogue did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Williamson’s campaign did not immediately respond when asked if she was invited to partake.
However, Williamson responded directly to Twitter users claimed she was left because the other five women are elected officials.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“And what does that mean, exactly? The Constitution says qualifications are 35 or older, born here, and to have lived here for 14 years,” Williamson wrote. “Nothing else. They were leaving it to every generation to determine for itself the skill set it feels is most needed to navigate their times.”
The Vogue piece, by Hillary Clinton-biographer Amy Chozick, kicks off with an “indelibly female story” about Warren potty training her daughter. The five female candidates who were chosen for the piece “form an unlikely sisterhood in the inspiring, baffling, often infuriating contest to defeat President Trump,” according to Chozick.
Democratic presidential candidates, author Marianne Williamson, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. on Thursday, June 27, 2019, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chozick did mention Williamson in the piece, referring to her as “an author and spiritual adviser to Oprah Winfrey” who is one of the six women seeking the Democratic nomination. Chozick wrote that Americans are still waiting on the first female president after Clinton was a victim of “sexism” from voters.
“The women running in 2020 would surely enjoy a clean slate,” Chozick wrote before adding various examples of female presidential hopefuls not getting the glowing coverage that their male counterparts often receive. Ironically, Chozick gave five female contenders ample coverage while only excluding one.
Williamson has emerged as a household name after a series of eyebrow-raising moments during the first Democratic debate. Her bizarre promise to phone the prime minister of New Zealand as her first act as president went viral. Williamson also declared during her closing statement that she will meet Trump “on that field” and defeat him with “love.” This has prompted Republicans to donate to Williamson’s campaign in order to keep her in the race.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The feature has been praised as “historic” and a “must-read” by liberal pundits. But others noticed Williamson was left out of the Vogue feature and took to Twitter: