By no means am I somebody that enjoys discussing politics or world events, and maybe that makes me an extremely ignorant person. Call it what you will. In a recent attempt to save money on my bills (because in case you haven’t heard me say it before: I’m a broke college kid), I cancelled my cable. Funny enough, it’s actually been a delight, so long as Netflix keeps their good titles up. But with that said, the only way I’ve watched anything Republican National Convention- or Democratic National Convention-related is via Twitter or Facebook.

Now as much as I can’t stress enough that I really do not enjoy discussing politics, this article will remain the one exception. If you’re reading this, chances are you might get a hint of where it is I stand. If you disagree, I respect that. If you agree, again, I respect that too. I’m in favor for keeping an open mind, not a closed one.

The highlight of the RNC, from what I can remember anyways, is Melania Trump’s speech. Long story short, Melania’s speech reflected that of Michelle Obama’s 2008 DNC speech. Then, of course the internet took to dissecting Trump’s prideful tweet for Melania and compare it to that of Obama’s in 2008. After that I even found a video circulating Facebook where Obama plagiarized Deval Patrick and a video on YouTube where Obama plagiarized John Edwards. Then the funny side of the internet has gone so far as to compare Melania’s choice in wardrobe with that of Caitlyn Jenner. The point being: plagiarism isn’t cool in college but who cares when it’s politics.

Then we have the DNC. From what I’ve gathered via social media, Bernie supporters miss Bernie, Twitter wants Michelle to run for president, Obama can shut down boo-ing crowds, Hillary won over the heart of every female, and Bill Clinton thoroughly enjoys balloons.

RNC, DNC, whatever happens between the two, it’s not the highlight of my article. Out of everything televised between the two conventions these past couple of weeks that I’ve either caught by newsfeed or missed due to lack of cable, there is one thing I’ve come across that has really irked me. It’s an article titled, “Why Men Want to Marry Melanias and Raise Ivankas.” The article is published on The New York Times’ website under The Opinion Pages. To read this article, click here.

At the top of the article, a picture sits with Ivanka in the middle and Melania on her left. The two are wearing clothes that only a parallel universe version of myself would ever dream of wearing. Their hair simplistic, their make-up simplistic. They both look like women fresh out of a Saks Fifth Avenue ad. And that right there starts the realization for me where I know I’ll never be Melania or an Ivanka for that matter.

Then, the article starts by saying that you can tell a lot about a person by who they choose to marry. Personally speaking, I disagree. I think you can tell a lot about a person through music, books, movies, favorite lyrics and lines, what they like and dislike and so on. But, maybe marriage is another way of telling a lot about a person. Then, we shed a bit of light on the conventions and the differences between the two but the article talks about how Republicans show “men who want their wives at home while they celebrate the professional successes of their daughters.” A few lines down it also states that Democrats stand behind egalitarianism along with opening doors for women and girls. With that said, did I miss something? I am under the understanding that Republicans choose to hold more traditional family values where men in the household are breadwinners and women stay home to take care of kids and become homemakers. But they want their daughters to carry professional successes, is that not the same value that Democrats hold? Thus the article opens the door to a topic I started research on called: sexist hypocrisy or “reverse sexism.” Where men want one thing for their wives and another thing for their children.

As you continue to read the article, you still find traces of this reverse sexism along with sexism as a whole. The article states that Trump has a belittling view towards working women but turns around and quotes him: “I am so proud of Ivanka. She is a terrific person, a devoted mother and an exceptional entrepreneur.” It also talks about how Trump takes no interest in terms of childcare, whether it be his own or in general and that he focuses more on women’s looks than their intellectual views, and expects that they do the same.

As the article continues on you’ll find information more in regards to the breakdown of America’s viewpoints in terms of where women should stand as far as careers and families go. Since I’ve laid out on the table the points that bothered me most, I can firmly say I’m not a Melania and I’m not an Ivanka. For one, appearance wise because they are simply the Barbie dolls of this world and I am Raggedy Ann. It’s not a means of how I see myself but these two women have clearly spent a good amount of time diving into their appearances. There’s nothing wrong with keeping up appearances but I can’t say I agree that it’s something that takes precedence over intelligence. That’s just not where I stand.

Secondly, Melania stakes a claim in loyalty to a man that made her his third wife. Not to mention the same man cheated on his first wife with his second. Yet she makes a pledge that he is a loyal person and maybe I’m blind, but I just don’t see it. If we’re going to sit and talk about all things “traditional,” marriage is bound to come up sooner or later. And if you believe in a traditional marriage, typically you see it as one man and one woman who have taken vows and stay in it until death. Not until they get bored or find someone “prettier.” If men want to marry someone like this, all I can say is that it adds more fuel to the fire that is my tainted viewpoints on love and marriage. Third, I’m definitely not an Ivanka. The go-getting, independent businesswoman aspects? OK, I applaud her for that. I applaud her for being a woman of work proving she can do just as much, if not more, than her father can. What I have a hard time wrapping my head around is that she can stand to be okay with her choices and who she is but if Melania wants to pursue the same route, it’s automatically written that she should be belittled for this. Not to mention, Ivanka is a mother herself. How is it that the values stand to be one thing for Melania but when it comes to Ivanka, she’s given a little more freedom?

If I ever see the day where I get married, I hope the person knows they are by no means marrying a Melania. If that’s not what they’re looking for then I’ll help them to the door. I also take pride in knowing that my mom and dad did not raise an Ivanka. They raised a Natalie and while I’m not 100 percent sure of who she is or what she’s going to be, I take pride in knowing I’ll be something great and completely different from Ivanka.

Why Men Want to Marry Melanias and Raise Ivankas