Ashley Judd Defends Her Ridiculed Puffy Face in an Elizabeth Warren Ad and Notes Her Privilege Due to Being a 'Cis White Woman'
Actress Ashley Judd performs on stage during the Women’s March rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017 in Washington. In a global exclamation of defiance and solidarity, more than 1 million people rallied at women’s marches in the nation’s capital and cities around the world Saturday to send President Donald Trump an emphatic message on his first full day in office that they won’t let his agenda go unchallenged. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Ashley Judd is defending her much-noted puffiness.
In case you missed it, earlier this week, the actress appeared in a campaign ad for Elizabeth Warren.
But first, a recap. We’re talkin’ ’bout a Nasty Woman:
She’s got a political muscle, and she likes to flex it.
So on Tuesday, Judd showed up in the following video, and the result was a trending discussion of her substantial puffiness:
My friend @AshleyJudd made a few calls to people who chipped in a few dollars to our campaign. I’m proud that our campaign is grassroots—built by people, not Super PACs or billionaires.
Chip in $3 tonight, and Ashley could call you to say thanks! https://t.co/qOzNnVvmg4 pic.twitter.com/2SJOEAGKCp
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 11, 2020
Let’s just say not all analyses have been kind.
Ashley responded on Facebook, asserting she has a medical condition that’s treated with frequent botox injections.
Before we get to that, let me say this: Although in the video above, the star of Kiss the Girls says Donald Trump “bathes in Cheeto dust” and wears a “toupee,” making fun of someone’s looks is mean. Their fashion choices? Okay. But sensitive organic parts and their perceived flaws? Not nice.
Now here’s how Ashley sees it — apparently, some women are just male chauvinist pigs:
“The misogynistic savages of both sexes have come out, as have plenty of folks who empathize and see it for what it is (woman bashing). I find it a gendered way to distract from my political speech: The hate happened in response to a video in support of the Presidential candidate of my choice.”
Furthermore, the star suffers from an illness.
And despite her reported net worth of $22 million, she sounds dead set on submitting to the limitations of her union’s insurance:
“Have I had botox? It is a standard treatment for the ailment that I experience. My union insurance pays for thirty-one injections every twelve weeks. (Some friends suggested that I not post this medical fact, because it can be excerpted and used against me, but I think it’s honest and real and is a public health message. Shame on anyone who distorts my words.)”
Moving on, let’s examine the patriarchy:
“What I know is that misogynists on Twitter have been slaughtering me compared to my pre-weight gain idealized self. My conventionally thin, athletic, ‘pretty’ AcroYoga body, and more slender face, is merely the flip side of the same patriarchal coin.”
And down with gender norms:
“Those of you who are talking about my female appearance, making assessments about my worth and desirability are basing your opinions on wholly gendered norms.”
The Hollywood lady’s using the opportunity to claim her triumph:
“The good news for my empowered self is I don’t take compliments any more seriously than I do slurs.”
She knows she has privilege — after all, she’s a “cis white woman”:
“I…know that as a cis white woman, the hate I get is pretty generic compared to women of color, to my friends in the LGBTQIA+ communities, and those of diverse lived experiences.”
But bottom line: No matter what anyone thinks, she’s out there doing amazing stuff:
“For me, exercise and wellness are about freedom, vitality, and choice. Just as being of service to others, and participating in incredible adventures like keeping up with the bonobos in the rain forest of the Congo, and traveling the world with organizations that work to help women and girls thrive — who are fighting against gender and sexual-based violence. Not about pursuing ideals so that others may approve of me.”
Her explanation was titled “Healthy self-esteem. Good boundaries. Unshakable knowledge of self.”
Back to the issue of what’s going on with her face, on Ben Shapiro’s FB page, a commenter stated that such swelling isn’t usual for migraine treatment:
“What a disservice to every person who has Botox injections for Migraine…they do not cause this type of swelling.. how many people did she scare off?”
But another Facebooker pointed out that Jerry Lewis had a bloated appearance due to medical issues once upon a time:
“As I recall there was a similar reaction to Jerry Lewis when he appeared with a suddenly(at least from public perspective) swollen or enlarged face. Was that misogyny? Or was it the natural reaction to someone whose been in public eye for a long time, looking markedly different? Get a grip Ashley Judd it’s not because you’re a woman, it’s because you look a lot different and you’re an unAmerican political hack that pisses a lot of people off.”
Jerry certainly was fuller in the face, and he absolutely took criticism.
I think bloated Jerry Lewis should play Barr pic.twitter.com/swiC4ZBFQT
— karwoskijim (@jameskarwoski) May 15, 2019
Everyone’s entitled to their political opinions and those views’ subsequent backlash. But in my opinion, making fun of somebody for what’s happening to their body isn’t a good look.
What do you think of all this? I look forward to finding out.
Here’s her post in its entirety:
Posted by Ashley Judd on Thursday, February 13, 2020
Of course, puffy face or not, the ad’s got bigger problems: In New Hampshire, Elizabeth Warren only scored 9%.
And that’s the kind of sag that all the botox in the world won’t help.
DEMOCRATIC #NHprimary2020 final results
1. SANDERS 73,470 25.9%
2 BUTTIGIEG 69,216 24.4%
3. KLOBUCHAR 55,982 19.8%
4. WARREN 26,266 9.3%
5. BIDEN 23,813 8.4%
6. STEYER 10,138 3.6%
7. GABBARD 9,2553.3%
How we projected the race: https://t.co/x95cytueO7— PolitiSite – #Election2020 (@Politisite) February 12, 2020
-ALEX
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