Oh my God, did you guys see that Saturday Night Live sketch where Scarlett Johansson parodied Ivanka Trump in a faux-commercial ad for a perfume called “Complicit”? You should totally check it out if you haven’t already. The internet is going crazy about it. I mean, even Elle magazine had something to say about it and usually, Elle is only good for checking your horoscope (FYI, their horoscopes are on point, and probably the most accurate out there). Anyway, the commercial is set at a glitzy high-end party (and there is a chandelier, of course!). Ivanka (Scarlett) walks in, straight blonde hair blowing in imaginary wind -poised, fabulous, luxurious. The female narrator raves about her, “She’s beautiful. She’s powerful. She’s...complicit.”
Merriam Webster noted that searches for the word “complicit” skyrocketed after the SNL sketch went viral (much like how searches for “what is the EU” spiked post-Brexit), as the question of the hour loomed on the minds of many people - as a woman who could “stop all of this but won’t”, is Ivanka Trump really complicit? Um, yes. She is most def complicit. I mean, The Independent recently reported that Miss Ivanka was importing something like 50 tonnes of Chinese clothing into the States as her father preached to an entire nation to “buy American and hire American” during his inauguration speech. Moreover, she was wearing a super E-X Roland Mouret dress to her father’s first congress address (Mouret is a French designer, by the way). Ivanka is also the only Trump kid stationed at the White House, and it’s no secret that she’s her father’s favourite child (she basically edged her brothers out and managed to insert her super sexy husband into the mix instead). So, Ivanka is complicit. But does that make her a terrible person? Is she really as bad as SNL - and most of the internet - set her out to be? And finally, as a woman in power, does she have a choice to not be a feminist? Please don’t kill me for what I’m about to say, but I have some thoughts on this.
There has been some debate over whether women in positions of power necessarily ought to take 'activist' positions
As a woman who could "stop all of this but won't", is Ivanka Trump really complicit? Um, yes. She is most def complicit
***
“Hey Zara!” I heard someone call my name out. Uh, the trials and tribulations of lunching at Mall One. One always tends to bump into people they’d rather not. “Sweetie, I am so glad to see you here. I was just going to call you actually.”
I turned to find Maya, a local fashion editor and a nemesis of sorts, walking up to me.
“What’s up?” I asked her, smiling bitterly. “All well?”
“Yes jaani, of course all is well! I just wanted to talk to you about that local fashion feature you’re doing for the mag. Everything is perfect, by the way. I saw the draft, looks fab!”
“Oh great,” I replied, waiting for her object to something.
“Yes, there is one thing though. Fashion is tough Zara, you know that. I love all the designers you picked for the piece, but I absolutely hated one designer...that girl who did the “Empowering Women through Art” collection. It. was. Atrocious!”
“Oh!” I exclaimed, immediately knowing what she was talking about. “What didn’t you like about her work?”
“Jaani, it was so weird. Please tell me you saw it. I mean, all the clothes were so unflattering. And she picked such short models for the shoot. They were looking like teletubbies in those photos.” Maya was not afraid to speak her mind. “Zara, we want to sell these magazines, you know. Nobody wants to see bad clothes being modeled badly. We’re keeping all the rest, but I’m going to kick this one collection out. Cool?”
Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump on SNL
***
I sort of admire Ivanka Trump. I’ll tell you why. First of all, she’s got a great sense of style and she carries herself pretty well. It’s not just about good looks - there are many good-looking women in the media these days—Ivanka has charm. Dailymail reported that women in China are swarming to their plastic surgeons to look more like Ivanka (and not Emma Stone or Jennifer Lawrence or even Scarlett Johansson for that matter). There is clearly something more than beauty that these women are seeking, whether they know it or not (FYI, it’s power). Much like her father, Ivanka’s actions stem from a business sensibility, and I think that Ivanka is a businesswoman before she is a woman, period. Honestly, there is something empowering about that. As a woman who aspires to be a super wealthy business tycoon one day, I know that I’ll have to be selfish and practical sometimes, but that’s just what business requires. And yes, as a woman in the limelight, Ivanka is responsible for representing other women, whether she likes it or not, but honestly, she isn’t going to achieve much by going against her father. The guy is Donald Trump - we all know that he’ll kick out his kids if he has to, and that he won’t think twice about it. If Ivanka is using her privilege to climb the ladder and become a powerful woman, what’s wrong with that? She’ll probably be able to help more women out once she is able to establish herself in the political sphere anyway. And she can’t do that without her father - at least not right now. I think Ivanka is just being smart. I hope that she will one day work to improve the lives of women in her country and across the globe. But right now, she’s setting a good example by showing that women, too, can operate as businesswomen and politicians (hardcore cutthroat politicians), rather than just as activists, in their efforts to empower other women.
***
“Maliha,” Maya called out to the receptionist as soon as she walked back into her office after lunch. “Please tell Jafar to get rid of that empowering women BS collection in Zara Churri’s piece. And tell him to send out model specifications to all the feature writers and photographers ASAP. I’m all for empowering women, but bad clothes are bad clothes and nobody can just scoot on by on the “empowering women” train in this house!”
