Opinion: How Did AOC Gain So Much Popularity?
- aditiambravan
- Dec 26, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 2, 2021
By: Aditi Ambravan
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, more commonly known as AOC, has made headlines among American youth as a new, young voice in our democracy. She serves as a representative from New York’s 14th congressional district and was first elected in 2018, making her the youngest woman to be elected to the United States Congress. In such a short period of time, her speeches and policy have gained traction while her social media presence has grown. With hundreds of representatives across the country, it is unusual how she was able to become a name known to millions in the United States.
The primary reason for AOC’s popularity is her inflammatory speeches and rhetoric that leave her as the center of attention on the house floor. As a passionate and deliberate orator, her speeches stand out. She is not afraid to call out other representatives-- something that America began to realize after her speech that reprimanded Representative Ted Yoho of Florida’s 3rd district. After Representative Yoho passed sexist comments pointed toward AOC, calling her “disgusting, crazy, and dangerous,” she did not let her youth and lack of experience as a senator hold her back from responding. Perhaps her most groundbreaking line comes from her response to Representative Yoho when she states, “Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yoho’s youngest daughter. I am someone’s daughter too.” Immediately, AOC gained the respect of women across the country when she stood up against sexism. Regardless of party lines, she explained that his treatment of her was inexcusable and that having a daughter is no excuse for sexist behavior. In the past, violations against women within the government have been covered up. By bringing light to Mr. Yoho’s words and making it a public issue, AOC broke this precedent and decided that enough was enough. Her speech was a call to action to break the attitude that leaves women struggling with sexism and sexual assault in workplace settings. Furthermore, her delivery of speeches adds to the awe that viewers experience when listening to her speak. The Guardian writes that AOC’s speeches have perfection in “repetition, rhythm, emphasis, cadence, pronunciation, and word choice.” Such factors that made MLK Jr. and John F. Kennedy famous orators cause AOC to fall under the same category. Her appeal as a speaker has carried her career far and has contributed to her popularity.
While AOC may be a strong and passionate speaker, an anomaly in today’s world of politics, this does not explain her popularity among American youth, who in all honestly don’t typically pay much attention to the debates of the house floor. So why do liberal teens look up to AOC so much as opposed to any other democratic member of the House of Representatives? It’s because she’s relatable. She embodies Gen Z as the youngest member of the house and empowers minorities across the nation-- something Gen Z and millennials care about. Her personal Instagram (handle: @aoc) has reached almost 9 million followers, including millions who don’t live in her representative district. What makes AOC so relatable is her candidness when it comes to politics. She regularly hosts Q&As on her Instagram page and answers people’s questions honestly. The amount of interaction she has with her constituents - and even people living outside her district - demonstrates how much she cares about what she does. But her engagement with youth surpasses that of most congresspeople. Specifically, you may have heard of her “Among Us” campaign, where she hosted a live-stream while playing the game, popular among teens. While it might seem that AOC just wants to have fun, she herself concedes that the live-stream was a campaign tactic, asking, “Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote?” Most representatives spend hundreds of thousands on campaign spending, phone booking, and rallying; AOC spends not even a single cent hosting a game of Among Us that reached up to 430,000 viewers on Twitch. AOC has been almost the only member of Congress to find success in such a large social media campaign through Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and now even online game streaming. Kira Sanbomatsu, a professor of political science at Rutgers University, writes, “Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s social media savviness has helped her reach a national audience and especially young voters… it reflects a shared, generation experience with social media.” The tactic of using her youth as ammunition has served her immensely in growing a fan base of young democrats who look up to her as a relatable congresswoman.
Most importantly, AOC represents something new in politics-- a factor that makes her a political “magnet.” She did not come from money or privilege. As someone who worked as a waitress in a small New York town just a year before being elected to office in 2018, she breaks the stereotypes of who a congressperson should be. Sanbonmatsu continues, “Young people, and young women in particular, are often overlooked in politics-- both as voters and as potential candidates… her defeat of a well-funded incumbent and national presence is an inspiration to young people in politics.” AOC stands for the struggles that American youth face and often fear. Her position and success empower young women and voters across the country, highlighting how necessary and integral representation in politics is. Her calling out of sexism is a message that resonates with young women. Even more so, she was able to combat incumbent privilege, opening up a world of possibility for other women of color who fear taking chances. By brutally defeating Representative Joe Crowley, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House who served for decades, in the 2018 primary, AOC marked his loss as the “most significant for a Democratic incumbent in nearly ten years.” Who were the voters who stood by her and allowed for her to be elected to office? Predominantly minorities, women, and those who don’t come from privilege, just like AOC didn’t.
America is no longer a country dominated by one race, one gender, and one wealth class. As the nation grows increasingly diverse, so does our government. AOC is the embodiment of minority empowerment, which is exactly where she gets her popularity. New, young, minority voices are what America has begun to support, and soon, the government will be even more representative of this.
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Love this analysis about the impact of persuasive speaking!