The Cut posted a dead-on video this week of four female wage workers reading passages from First Daughter Ivanka Trump's newly published Women Who Work. The book purports to celebrate a new generation of mothers who are doing work they love, and that inspires them and allows them to pursue their passions, according to the publicity site for the book.
It's perhaps too easy to mock a privileged woman who speaks as though she can relate to the rest of us. Here's an excerpt from the video, from a woman who works as a security guard. As she begins to speak, she's holding an open copy of Ivanka's book.
I'm sorry, but this is like ... weird to me. (Reads) "By occasionally bringing my kids to the office, I'm sharing what I love to do with them." Hey this is what we can do, bring our kids and enjoy our family time at work -- and, once again, it's not reality to all parents.
Another woman questions how Ivanka can chide herself for neglecting self-care by forgoing a massage -- reminding the First Daughter that most other moms would need to pay a babysitter, pay for a massage and take time off from work. A triple hit to the wallet.
A third woman bemoaned that Ivanka writes she took just six days off of work after giving birth to her third child. Such examples undermine other choices, the speaker says, such as spending time with newborns and allowing one's body to heal.
These women in the video are asking all the right questions. It's feminism's role to rally collective action around income inequality, paid parental leave and high-quality, affordable child care.
I don't begrudge Ivanka enjoying her job. I enjoy mine (most of the time). But let's not pretend that the vast majority of women don't have more practical problems.