the average rate for a woman's haircut is $60 here in the nether reaches of Washingtons state - $80 for a NY city hair cut sounds like a bargain and the color price is typical too. This is beyond a non story, what is she supposed to do, cut her own hair to prove she supports the poor or go to supercuts and get a buzzcut?!
I'd rather hear more about her policies and green new deal than her hair for feminism's sake NYT.
66
Republicans are getting more tiresome and dumb by the hour, and that is already with a very very low bar to start with. Their beloved president has bamboozled millions from public coffers (all taxpayer money!) and his offspring has done the same, and a woman's haircut is all they want to talk about. Yeah. Ok.
52
This isn't really fair without a look at the costs of hair for men, in politics. Sen. Ted Cruz, Lindsey G., and even Joe Biden have all grown, expensive. brand new hair.
I promise you, a quick look at those male heads, in the Halls of Congress, will reveal tens of thousands of dollars, spent on the hair of AOC's male counterparts.
To write about her spending $80 on her "haircut", isn't really fair, without a comparison to her hair consicious, male political, peers: and the thousands of dollars that they spend, on their own 'dos.
33
Hairdressing is one of the last decent jobs left in the US for people with a vocational degree. Good for the economy. Lets remember John Edwards $600 haircut years ago. He had short hair. And a baby mama. AOC has long hair and looks great.
31
What? About double what my wife pays here in little ol' Lafayette, LA. Not bad if you ask me. Aside from the fact that what is the point of this? People get haircuts and they color their hair. It's expensive. So what?
40
"...haircuts for Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards cost $1,250 because Torrenueva had to fly to Atlanta and missed two days of work as a result..."
AOC is well within budget!
13
I avidly read news from your Region. I suggest that those who question AOC's double standards move to my country where our supreme leader of the Populist Party wears an old fashioned ill fitting suit, cheap makeup and an atrocious hair(mis)cut in order to fool all the poor souls who think he is one of them, simple folk...He might win the election tomorrow ..Yikes!!
24
It's her money and not over the top at that. Fox et al are really scraping the barrel looking for talking points. Compare and contrast the $million cost every time Trump spends a weekend at Mar-a-lago. Instead of getting hot and bothered when people on food stamps buy a Snickers; perhaps the Trump-cult haters may focus on the fact that Trump's annual travel budget three months into his term was blown sky high.
34
An $80 cut and $150 color is really the low end of the high end of hair services. Already 20 years ago my then fiancé spent upwards of $300 for a cut and color. $230 for a public figure is bupkis nowadays. And worrying about how much she spends on her hair and clothes is absurd. Does anyone ever discuss the amount of money Trump must spend on hairspray, skin coloring products and bad fitting custom suits? No? I thought not. Republicans are obsessed with AOC not because of her hair but because of how she simply tells the truth and they rather than she make it look profound and powerful because of their extremely poor relation and obvious disdain for anything truthful.
40
Who Cares? I pay $60 for a haircut and blow dry. I think that is the going rate at a salon. I guess the color seems a little pricey-but maybe not for a top stylist in D.C. I think looking well is part of the job.
23
Fleabag said it best, in an impassioned retort to her hairdresser whose cut had made her sister "look like a pencil" and was now claiming that ''Hair isn't everything."
"Wow," she says. “Hair is everything. We wish it wasn’t so we could actually think about something else occasionally. But it is. It’s the difference between a good day and a bad day. We’re meant to think that it’s a symbol of power, that it’s a symbol of fertility... Hair is everything, Anthony.”
18
Not a political fan of AOC, but I'll give it to her, her hair looks lustrous and healthy. Money well spent.
21
If she actually had a hairstyle and a hair color I could begin to understand the expenditure.
In any case, though, who cares?
1
It is not unusual to spend $80 for a haircut. The article does not say if that included wash/ shampoo/ color and cut and blow dry- plus what about the tip???
Most walk in places in suburban shopping centers will cost between $65 to $95 for what is considered very basic.
Women in all walks of life will budget for their hair!! A good cut and color is very important. Looking good is priceless. We need to stay focused on more important things like major lawlessness and corruption in the current administration- what does President Trump spend on his hair? How about Melania? Her hair is pretty high maintenance. Ivanka probably runs up a big tab too. Being that blonde is very expensive.
25
There is an important reason that women wear their hair longer than men.
It is the same reason that they wear more jewelry, more colorful/stylish clothing, and more cosmetics. Namely, they are competing for the limited number of "good" men. (See "The Sexual Matrix" (Radius Press, 1990).
1
If she spent more than that on baseball tickets to watch men standing around or chasing a ball for several long hours, would these AOC-obsessed hound dogs tag that as overspending?
29
How is this news? And by the way the price the congresswoman paid for her hair cut and highlights is medium range for hair salons in DC. It’s expensive for most women, but if women don’t do it then they are characterized as sloppy and unkept. What’s next? We’ll hear about how much a woman politician paid for hair removal? What about how much do men in Congress pay for Viagra?
24
When critics run out of appropriate responses to candidates' plans to help constituents' issues, haircuts and other "grooming" aspects are a fall-back position, especially for women.
Some of us are old enough to remember the discussion of Pat Nixon's "cloth coats" instead of the fur her husband's wealthy peers provided for their wives. Nixon as the "provider" for the family seemed to be emotional about the issue in his press conference but his dog got better press.
It is tough for liberals who come to the House or Senate on a professor's salary or a retail clerk or any job that provides less than a "living wage" in Washington D. C. to suddenly need to keep up with their donors or the entrenched representatives or senators. Inequality of wealth among the elected or appointed political class is a fascinating topic; usually one or two Tell-all books solves some money problems and speaking fees help with the others.
After Reagan left office, clearly with his dementia increasing, the arranged speeches helped generate personal wealth for him and Nancy.
I followed Sen. Paul Wellstone's acclimation to Washington D. C. closely. I remember the negative comments about his hair which I believe was trimmed at home. I remember the comments about his "lack of manners" when he refused to shake Sen Jesse Helms, the segregationist's hand, in a receiving line. It seems as if it is always the liberals who must pretend to the reality of the right wing or be attacked.
8
Surely fashion, a term I’ll stretch to include hair, clothing, even restaurant choices, is a longtime American obsession. I think it has something to do with our fear/resentment/certainty that someone in the public eye is claiming somehow to be better than the rest of us. But sometimes the national obsession strikes a true note. The personal is political, except for when it isn’t.
5
$80 and her hair is this beautiful? Please tell me where she goes! Lots of good comments here, but I’m not sure if anyone mentioned the value of the stylist/technician as therapist and confidant. I’d love to be a fly on THAT wall! I’m sure AOC has plans that she is just waiting for the right moment to share with us! Can’t wait! You go girl!
26
Meanwhile there are American children going to be hungry, young students trying to figure out what they can do to go to college when their family is homeless. There are Military Veterans living nightmares and who have lost their way. There are thousands, maybe millions, of Americans who will not be able to buy a doctor's office visit or afford the treatments involved in effort to return to a normal workable life.
Yet here we are again, conservatives worrying about the hair of the other side. Worried about the clothing choices but who refused to notice that Melania worn a coat with 'I don't care. Do you?' plastered on the back, nor did they care about her face lift at the public's expense.
Really though, when I think of it, Republican public motto should be exactly that "I don't care. Do you?"
20
Legislating an additional time barrier from the vanity eras of second half of the 20th Century would be too tough for even a monolith government to do. Even the one big monolith on the current map prefers its chic Happy Days crest, eyy!
Any salon or barber fee goes into the service economy, the American core business post-manufacturing. A hair fee is far from buying any product from overseas.
16
Ok, I agree that what we (AOC) pay for our haircuts and color isn't for public debate, but $260 before the tip on a cut and color is not average or a great deal in this area. It is high end. I splurge on my hair and at the spa, but I don't pretend it's a great deal. I am just very thankful I can afford to.
4
Good to know the public is focusing on the really important issues! Our culture stresses beauty, then criticizes women who spend money on themselves. Here we go again.
232
As long as she didn’t charge it to taxpayers, who cares? This isn’t even that expensive for a woman’s cut and color.
391
People seem confused about what socialism is. No wonder it is hated so much in the country. I want to wear good cloths, live well, eat well, travel.. and yet I want state to support poor and less privileged with basic needs (healthcare, education, food, housing and other basic living standards etc) . I want those who can afford to contribute appropriately to make that happen. Why is that impossible in a country like USA?
344
@VSS
All the money is in the wrong places.
14
@VSS
Indeed, far to many people on these shores think that socialism is almost commie pure.
Other advanced nations, many of which have parties
with the word 'socialist' in their name, consider universal healthcare, taking care of the unemployed, the less fortunate among them, etc., etc., as having a social conscience.
37
I would love to know where AOC gets her hair cut so that I can save a few bucks. I am a young middle-class woman whose haircuts regularly cost $100. I would be paying more than twice that amount if I was also coloring my hair.
Society is very out of touch with what it costs to be a put-together, professional woman if an $80 cut and a $180 color treatment are considered overly indulgent.
379
The cost of her cut and color is particularly average, in my opinion. I pay around the same prices here in Seattle. It takes my hairdresser several hours for theses services, and I consider it a worthwhile investment for her skills and time. Additionally, one could look at AOC's salon patronage as supporting those who work in services. I feel good about giving my business to my hairdresser, who is the sole breadwinner in her family, supporting her spouse and her children with her salon business.
412
@Jennifer you say that AOC action can seen as "supporting those who work in services".
I agree with you 100%, not only, I tell you that supported are not only who work in services, but also who work in factories where products are produced and so on..
I think AOC understands this things, but then I have to ask her why is she so against the rich ? The rich are the ones who really support workers, or am I wrong ?
13
@Mary I have never heard AOC express anything that would suggest she is "against the rich." The stark reality is the middle class hasn't had a pay increase since 1978 and something has to give. The imbalance is unhealthy but it doesn't mean that the wealthy should be burnt at the stake.
114
@Mary Workers are supported only when money is spent. As you get richer you spend more, but at some threshold more and more of a rich person’s money is in investments such as, say, stocks or real estate. That money supports few if any workers - it is stagnant.
66
I would argue that she is fairly compensating a skilled professional by paying $80 for a haircut. A stylist working at the Haircuttery, etc, probably is not making a living wage. Why is it a good thing to pay a stylist less than they are worth?
42
It’s not the hair. Its another word that begins with the letter “h.” It’s the political cost of hypocrisy. Sure, there are many on Capitol Hill who undoubtedly pay much, much more for hair, clothes, etc., than Rep. Ocasio-Cortez. Most also did not run on a life story and platform that was focused on the real travails of the working class.
6
Thank you so much for this story. It was a few minutes respite from the fate of the Kurds and the Ukraine story. Now, back to the tragedy.
7
I frankly do not care what anyone spends on a haircut. People deserve to make whatever money they make, and to spend it anyway they want to.
What I do care about is having leaders who tell us to tighten the purse strings, and want to raise taxes on some on us, so that we won't have the discretionary income to spend on expensive haircuts as we chose, while they do what they want. Think about Obama's 15million dollar beach house. And 7million dollar DC mansion to go with his Chicago home. All the power to him, except for the fact that he railed against obscene wealth.
6
As long as personal funds are being used, who cares? Isn't it good to spend money on local services - hair stylists, nail salons, babysitters, dog walkers, etc. - ?
34
As far as I can remember, it is only Democratic hair that is an issue, and not only about women. Remember the tempest in a teapot about John Edwards's haircut? Republicans are so steeped in hypocrisy that they project it on others. A person can care deeply about the plight of other human beings and still splurge a bit on a haircut. Republicans, who spend large sums, care for nobody but themselves. I guess they just cannot imagine a person who has money and yet still possesses a functioning conscience.
26
While I agree that Democratic women are more likely to have their hair choices scrutinized than Republican women (there’s no way Melanie spends <$260 on a cut and color), I’m not sure the same holds true for men. I’ve read plenty of comics and seen plenty of comedic bits mocking Trump’s hair, which is more than I’ve seen mocking Bernie’s.
Nobody cares about her hair! Stop pushing her into the spotlight. I think of her as Kim Kardashian of the political world, a lot of noise and posturing, no real accomplishments.
3
Two things:
1. I wish we could get to a time where we can talk about AOC's accomplishments, or disruptions, or thoughtful questioning instead of her appearance (I've read elsewhere about her "trademark red lip").
2. She is 30 years old, yes? She cannot be covering gray! Highlights can run that much, and more, but.....well, I want to know what she's having done for $180 (er, $260). Her hair is fabulous.
17
Sorry, this is what it costs to get a cut and color pretty much anywhere in DC. I’ve lived in DC for 25 years and if I get my hair cut and colored at any salon in town it’s upwards of $200 plus tip.
33
"It is probably not happenstance that the United States has not elected a bald president since Dwight D. Eisenhower left office in 1961."
So you think Donald Trump has a full head of his own hair? I wonder what it costs to keep up that illusion?
26
First of all why does it matter what a democratic socialist spends?
Are republicans the only ones who can buy expensive and high quality goods?
I am a socialist and I buy nice things all the time.
Go ahead Alexandria get your haircut...after that buy yourself a nice Louis Vuitton purse made in socialist France by workers with 2 weeks paid vacation, maternity leave, and free healthcare. Don't let right wing propaganda and American oligarchies keep you from pointing out the wealth inequality in this country.
They want Americans to be upset about a haircut and not about their billions of unpaid taxes.
49
By your definition of socialism it would be a mainstream system. It’s not.
AOC has a salary and she's entitled to spend it however she wants, just like everyone else.
44
People are not “obsessed” but this elected official has been whining about the cost of living in DC, her salary, and other financial issues since she took office.
Friedman did such great work at the Financial Times, but now writes stuff that could run in Buzzfeed.
4
Inquiring minds want - nay, demand - to know: why does AOC need to have her hair dyed?
What is she covering up? Shades of - gasp! - gray? Or - double gasp! - a white streak?
3
Why hasn't anybody mention her dance moves ?
Will Sean or Tucker or Judy chirp in ?
3
$260 for a haircut and color? What's the fuss about? That's a bargain. Were they expecting her to go to Supercuts?
25
No, it hasn't caused a tempest. Media attention to it is causing that tempest.
With a President self-destructing and Turks killing Kurds, this is simply a failure of journalism.
16
There are a number of feminists on Twitter calling out AOC for this behavior. The author tries to color the attacks against AOC as sexists when its her character that is being attacked; she never practices what she preaches.
3
The fact that this story gets ANY oxygen at a time when the president of the United States is on the point of destroying democracy worldwide confuses me, to say the least.
33
The bald truth, shorn of hyperbole, is that hair is expensive. It’s $50 to trim my tiny dog. Good thing there’s no coloring.
How much for Stephen Miller’s awful plugs or Trumps awful toupee or Rand Paul’s mess? People want to know.
18
As long as AOC stays in the tweeting world she knows she is still relevant
2
The men commenting here that Ocasio Cortez is a hypocrite for spending an obscene amount of money on haircut and color are pure comedic gold. Do you not have wives or daughters? Have you no idea how much a women's salon charges for a haircut and color in any city?
47
I spend about $20 on mine, including the tip. But AOCs looks a lot better.
5
It's amazing, the mental gymnastics on display here, accusing AOC of hypocrisy because she advocates paying workers a fair wage and then she pays her hairdresser a fair price.
40
Macron spends $10,000 a month on cosmetics. Wonder how much trump spends? Would his girdles come under cosmetics or wardrobe?
8
I wasn't.
I don't care about the hair of any politician, woman, man or and combination of genders. I DO care about what they say and how they behave. I find OAC to be rudely dismissive of the accomplishments of the previous generations. Rather than disrespecting Speaker Pelosi, she should be respectfully learning from her. Otherwise, she's just a punk with a foul mouth.
3
Other news reports said she spent over $300 on her hair, but it’s her money.
If only my wife could get a haircut that cheap here in Philly. Nothing outrageous about the cost there. Besides, she (AOC, not my wife) is regularly on TV and is a public figure...and it’s her money.
How much has Trump spent flying is idiot kids around to spend taxpayer money on rooms and security at his golf courses?
46
Considering that the price she payed is totally par for the course as any woman can easily attest to, the WT article is only written to rile up the crowds. It's click bait, and lazy at best.
8
A professional haircut is expensive. Hush money to a porn star is a disgrace. Get your priorities straight, people!
47
There are two problems with reporting what she paid for a haircut:
First: Good grief, it’s what it costs to go to a salon that pays its staff more than minimum wage. She is supporting the shampoo person, the stylist, the colorists who have student loans and years of apprenticeship before they get to a higher end salon. When you go to a corporate chain, the only one getting paid is the owner, I’m guessing a man.
Second: There is a pink tax- a woman’s haircut costs more than a man’s cut.
We have to quit undervaluing workers and quit harassing women by focusing on what they look like, how nice they are, are they doing women’s traditional work like staying home with kids. No one cares what Bernie Sanders hair looks like or if he can bake cookies.
222
we also critique the head of the NRA's suit costs and what other men spend. The criticism here is that AOC casts herself as a rank and file servant who is a working class hero. It was the same with Billy Clinton. When he started, a cheap digital watch sufficed but as he started hanging with wealthier people, he swapped out to a more expensive watch. Like Elizabeth Warren, AOC will get with the program and enact estate tax laws that exceed her wealth.
5
@Greg Jones That was not an expensive haircut. In fact it is almost exactly what my wife spends on her hair and she is a library assistant at a public library. Not exactly a member of the elite.
89
Yes, I pay the same thing. Color takes about four hours when you have a lot of hair, and so it’s expensive. And given I live in SC, I’m surprised AOC pays that little.
31
Good heavens, I surprised she can find a haircut in DC for $80. Out here in the wilds of suburbia, I regularly pay $70 before the tip. The cost of hair color in the salon was a large factor in my decision to go "natural" gray ten years ago.
77
We are not obsessed about AOC's hair or the amount of money she spends on maintaining it.
We are simply looking to our elected leaders to walk the walk and we become "obsessed" only AFTER it becomes clear that they prefer to only talk the talk.
In AOC's case, questions abounded early on about the authenticity of her lower-class upbringing or whether she really was the of the same cloth as of the constituents she wanted to represent in Congress.
Stories about an $80 cut and $180 color treatment make her out to be just another limousine liberal publicly talking about the working man's needs and show of solidarity while she lives her life in diametrically opposed circumstances.
We hate the hypocrisy, not the hair.
13
@Jason W
Honey, I spend more than this on mine and I'm working class.
Why so clueless about what womens' hair costs?
43
@Jason W Please ask your wife or any of the women you work with how much they pay for their cuts and color.
25
I’m not an AOC fan but you appear to have no clue how much a woman’s haircut costs. $80 is normal. Same for the coloring.
34
The optics would have been better to have had her hair cut in her district while discussing the days events with her constituents. I am on her side politically but with a gratuity there isnt a hair cut anywhere on earth worth over $300.
If I came home and announced to my wife I spent over $300 on a haircut it would not set well. Not everyone makes $175K ++.
Do not ever wildly exceed the abilities of the people you claim to represent.
9
Ask your wife and her female friends how much a haircut and color costs and then circle back to us.
26
Paul, I assume you don’t have the lovely tresses that AOC does, so why on earth would you expect to spend what a woman spends on hair care?
19
@Paul You know that recent fad where women were dyeing their hair all kinds of bright colors, like rose pink and whatnot? That's a French color technique called balayage. Every time you see a woman with hair like that, you're looking at $350. Just on the color, not including the cut.
14
It's not about hair. It's not about sexism. It's about hypocrisy. AOC rails against he rich and then spent $260 on her hair. Even at s minimum wage of $15/hr, that means the kind of person AOC claims to represent would have to work nearly two full days to pay for her hair cut and coloring.
There's nothing wrong with spending $260 on your hair. What's wrong is to present yourself one ay while acting another way.
14
@matt
We boys will be boys, but your comment is about as sexist as it gets. Would give you and the other boys who slammed this a “gold star” for another failed effort.
The art of being a man eludes many, especially those who walk the walk, and talk the talk of being... sexist.
What about the important stuff, like how do y’all feel about toilet seats being left down?
Man to man, like that matters, how dare you measure any person by their efforts to look nice. If a man spent $300 on appearances, y’all would want to know if it worked!
14
I'd say AOC got a much better deal than Francois Hollande did.
38
The layperson is not too far behind AOC. An ordinary men's haircut costs between $50 and $60 these days, unless one is good at seeking out bargain basement barber shops.
34
@The Buddy
In Doyers Street, the going rates in $8
2
@The Buddy
Hey Buddy, I'm 67 with a full head of hair and I spend $20, including tip.
3
AOC immediately jumped to "criticizing grooming = sexism", which only draws attention to her youth, since it implies she wasnt aware of all the criticism of male politicians I can recall from over my 48 years. The story is basically a refutation of AOC's assertion, but tactfully distances her from the thesis.
... and let's not forget poor Bernie.
8
@Len Arends Bernie only bought a $600,000 house and that was after many years of struggling financially. He puts on his $500 pants same as you and I. It was like when I bought a $75,000 used Porsche. All the people I know drive over $100,000 cars. We make do the best we can
2
@Len Arends ".. and let's not forget poor Bernie."
How much do you think they would charge him for a haircut? Or should the discussion be about the haircut he wants to give anyone earning a decent wage?
AOC and anyone who advocates for socialism does need to live their politics. Otherwise we are heading to the Soviet Union where the masses stand in line for bread and toilet paper while the Politburo feasts on caviar.
I'm old enough to remember what true state run economies looked like in practice.
Just like any politician, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation needs to practice what they preach. They need to understand what they are asking of 'the people' and live their convictions and consequences themselves.
6
@CNNNNC - so if she advocates for "socialism" she should... do what exactly? Go live in a socialist country? Refuse her salary and go live in a garbage can? Eat at a soup kitchen?
If she is paying her staff a fair wage, then she is practicing what she preaches.
13
You know that France had socialists governing for quite a few years since 1981, and we haven’t fallen in USSR scarcity and lifestyle. In fact Lionel Jospin, former prime minister left France with extremely good finances zero deficit and it was Nicolas Sarkozy as a finance minister who ruined all the great work.
10
$80 / $180 is not an outrageous amount for a cut and color. Who’s complaining and why so they care?
104
@Prudence Spencer Could it be they are envious of her energy and her looks ?
13
Petty; judgmental stuff. Cortez was over the top when she arrived. Now she has learned quickly how to act. Women get the vanity criticism more than they deserve. Still a man’s World.
15
She spent earned income on a service. OUTRAGEOUS! It's the sign of the beast, the gravest threat yet to Western Civilization! 🤣
I find the whole phony outrage thing disgusting and of course it comes from the right who ignore the $100+ million cost of Donald's golf outing and Pence's Ireland trip.
180
How many men with facial hair have been elected in the US lately? Among presidents it’s been over a century.
5
"It is probably not happenstance that the United States has not elected a bald president since Dwight D. Eisenhower left office in 1961."
Do you really not include Donny Jon Trump in the "bald president" category?
26
@Tom Benghauser
Bald is in the eye of the beholder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4SCZPxxe40
1
@SParker Thanks for reminding me of a classic Seinfeld bit.
On the subject of toupees, a number of years ago I once purchased a cheap hairpiece that had been manufactured in Iran. My wife and kids referred to it as my Persian rug.
4
I wonder how much Trump spends on his “Hair”
The Washington Times appears to think that Women such as Cortez should sit at the back of the Bus on her way to work.
They likely envision poorer women washing their hair in a tin bucket in the washhouse no blow dry or straighten allowed.
Let us make sure the poor know their place.
But the Rich such as Mrs Trump have personal dresser and make up assistant, which she may even share with the Donald but I doubt it.
Trump eyes are a thing of wonder he must pay a fortune to get his cheeks done in orange and leave the ghostly white eyes.
So upperwardly mobile is bad in their Dystopian vision of modern America.
I myself have told people who were on Welfare that he he stayed home two nights a week rather than drinking beer that would pay for the shoes he whined welfare wouldn’t pay for.
Just because Cortez is a supporter of minimum wage workers, as I am, it doesn’t mean I have to look like a Tramp.
I’ll leave that to Trump.
At least Cortez does the USA the honor, of turning up in the Senate dressed and carrying her image as she should.
I personally wouldn’t wish to ever meet Trump or Sanders.
But Cortez or Butigegeg, yes I would even pay my way to meet them. They represent a future.
26
@Janes Moodie
what on earth do you have against Sanders who has spent his entire life fighting for the "average" citizen?????
3
@Janes Moodie
Story goes that Melania Trump makes monthly trips to New York to get her hair done. I guess she is just more discreet about her trips than her husband.
9
@Janes Moodie And none of them look as good and fresh.
4
It is sexist. It is a distraction from what really matters. It is a tempest in a teapot.
I can't believe how resilient these sexist tropes are. When the women's movement ramped up in the late 60s and 70s, all of this sort of garbage was called out and challenged. That an intelligent and accomplished woman like AOC still has to deal with it is an indictment of how little our society has matured in the intervening decades.
47
@Randy
John Edwards was criticized for getting a very expensive haircut back during the 2008 campaign.
1
"It is probably not happenstance that the United States has not elected a bald president since Dwight D. Eisenhower left office in 1961."
Do you really not believe that Donny Jon, our for-the-time-being president, is bald, very bald.
14
It is all about the hair at least on the men’s side—think of Kennedy—presidential hair
The knee jerk reactions and constant hateful comments that AOC generates from the right wingers is a testament to the fact as to how scared they are of her. She is a first term congresswoman and these people are running around scared already. Wait until she establishes herself through her progressive agenda.
61
We don’t need progressive politics which is just another term for radical. Radical movements can produce awful outcomes. What we require is honesty and reason first. Forcing extreme changes on a country will be worse than doing nothing.
1
And while we're in the midst of this "harried" discussion. Let's see a show of hands from all the guys, House and Senate, who have, ahem, "augmented locks". Some of those "rugs" need a little sprucing up.
26
This silver haired woman can tell you with decades of experience that AOC is a spend thrift when it comes to her hair...it ain't cheap people. No story here - try again, she's waiting and working.
91
My god, this is depressing.
But the bad-faith right media does it because it works, and the "liberal" NYT reliably responds by treating it as legitimate, shrugging and claiming they're just "reporting a story" rather than feeding it.
30
Why aren’t we obsessed with how much Trump paid a porn star to hide his extramarital affair?
166
So this was the covfefe Trump was was tweeting about?
14
Is this the best the AOC haters can do? I I've in a tiny town in Rhode Island and both hair procedures run more. Beside the overwhelming evidence of double standards displayed. Long live all the women blazing a real trail through the old white boys network of DC.
103
Why is anyone obsessed with AOC at all, let alone her hair maintenance choices ... when she actually does something besides shoot crafty tweets let me know ...
7
Because she’s beautiful.
That’s a good reason to get a good haircut.
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WE "out there' are not obsessed: YOU and your "big city" ilk are!
This young woman is most certainly a PR genius (after all, this article in the Times is only one of many about her) but, in fact, politically and legislatively she is not worth the room she takes up.
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Slow news day at the Good Grey Lady, I guess.
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@David Lloyd-Jones you're reading an article in the style section, by the style reporter.
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Who on earth reads the Washington Times?
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@Miguel Miguel
The Washington Times is "The Newspaper of Record"
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I am still wondering where Senator Ron Paul is getting the poodle look in a pet grooming shop.
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Rampant racism? Yawn. Corrupt politicians. Ho-um. A mentally challenged and deranged President? That's just Trump being Trump.
A woman politician spends money on grooming? Release the hounds of hell upon her and do it quickly.
Have we all turned the corner onto Crazy Street?
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@James Green Excellent comment. No thought to infrastructure, education, immigration, environmental issues, or Big oil, but by God, let's make a big deal out of a haircut and color.
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In urban environments, these are completely standard prices for haircuts and services from professionals. It takes several hours to deliver these services, and various products and equipment are needed. In cities, business rents are quite high, and rates have to cover not only the stylists, but the space and staff such as the admin people who make appointments, clean up the spaces, and handle the marketing and promo.
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I think that she got ripped off. Spending that much on something as ephemeral as a haircut seems odd. I'm on her side politically, but all people in rich nations seem to be enamored with style over substance.
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@Rich This is not expensive for a women's cut and color...
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My wife spends a hundred every few weeks in a tiny shop in rural Florida.
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@Rich I spend about the same every six weeks 20 miles north of Boston. This is a totally normal woman’s grooming expense.
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This discussion has made me notice that AOC, when smiling, is truly beautiful ...and I suspect that holds even with a $20 haircut
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@ Paul M
Are men truly beautiful when they smile? If so, why aren’t we talking about it?
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@Paul M
AOC is indeed beautiful, smiling or otherwise, and that riles up her old white male detractors.
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Is it just coincidence that the mocking of haircuts and haircut prices seems to be done by Republicans against Democrats?
I think not. Another distraction from real issues by the GOP.
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@Brian Gerber this seems like it is coming from main stream democrats..
@VSS Nope. Washington Times.
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What the article misses, somehow, is this is Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. This is not the first time something intended to hurt her politically has somehow found its way into the press and discussion. Whether is was the nerve or whatever of her dancing on the roof when in college, which backfired, or the frequent misstatements about what is in her Green New Deal Resolution, by those trying to bring her down as they feel threatened by her bold positions and media savvy, this seems like part of a pattern. Reporters don't have to fall for it. When covering her, they can point this out, whether they want to make a larger point about hair culture, in this case, or something else. While I think the subject of cost is not irrelevant, it is relatively minor. And like a lot of trivial, superficial things the media offer to us (including the Times, but then it redeems itself in other ways) overall attention to the issues that are killing us gets diverted. Journalists should be asking instead, what important stories am I missing and how can I find them?
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What a nice article. The John Edwards hair criticism stands out as the most-commented-upon of such expenses in the States that I can recall. The Hollande beauty budget actually sounds scandalous.
I do hope that the author will correct - our president's hair is dyed blonde, not orange-hued. His skin has the hue, anything above the hairline would be a reflection.
More importantly, AOC should not be asked to apologize, ever, for spending her money to keep her hair beautiful, or her complexion, or her clothing for that matter. It should be entirely up to her -- which is good, because her taste and style are tremendous, and provide a nice counterweight to her politics of resentment.
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Perhaps the person spreading this expense has no hair! Normal prices
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@Ryan Ah, resentment, really? You think she is resentful? How about realistic?
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