Whether it’s championing press-on nails or boosting sales of red lipstick, there’s one politician who has been running the beauty game in the capitol while also taking powerful stands against misogyny, racism, and the unjust healthcare system. That’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — and it comes as no surprise that the representative is the latest guest in Vogue’s Beauty Secrets video franchise.
In the YouTube video, viewers get a step-by-step breakdown of her skin-care and makeup routine (in front of one extremely relatable towel rack). In true AOC fashion, she drops plenty of gems along the way, including how she finds power in beauty and why she’s against the pink tax. Starting with skin care, Ocasio-Cortez shows us her go-tos for tackling tired-looking skin (“I have not gotten much sleep at all. Welcome to life in politics,” she says.). Her simple, four-step routine includes toner-essence, vitamin C, drugstore moisturizer, and one top-rated sunscreen that she loves for not leaving a white cast. Leave it to AOC to have a holy grail, Reddit-approved SPF in her lineup.
As she smooths on her moisturizer, AOC takes the time to dismantle stereotypes around women and makeup in politics. “The reason that I think it’s so important to share these things is that, first of all, femininity has power — and in politics, there is so much criticism, nitpicking about how women and femme-people present ourselves,” she tells viewers. “There’s this really false idea that if you care about makeup or if your interests are in beauty or fashion, that’s somehow frivolous, but I actually think these are some of the most substantive decisions that we make and we make them every morning.”