No, J.D. Vance. Kamala Harris and childless women are not "miserable cat ladies"

After studying economics and political science at Howard University, the prestigious college in Washington, Kamala Harris graduated in law from the Hastings School of Law at the University of California. For three decades, she worked as a prosecutor and attorney general, primarily dealing with child sexual abuse cases, and later served as a senator. She has spent the last four years as Vice President, performing a role that no woman or person of color had ever held before. Now she is among the candidates for the presidency of the United States, a position that has been the domain of men, and almost exclusively white men, for centuries. If she wins, she would be the nation's first female president and the second Black president. To quote a speech given in May 2023 by the politician that became a viral meme, she did not just fall from a tree to suddenly find herself running for president. Yet, she is the target of continuous attacks, sexist, racist, and vulgar insults. The latest accusation is that she is not a mother. Or rather, according to Senator JD Vance, she is a "miserable childless cat lady".

What JD Vance Said About Kamala Harris and Childless Women

Three years ago, well before JD Vance was chosen as Donald Trump's running mate, he explained what he thought was one of America's biggest problems: "a group of childless cat ladies who are unhappy with their own lives and the choices they've made and thus want to make the rest of the country miserable too". In the television interview that has gone viral in recent days, Vance claims that Democrats like Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are running the country without having "a real vested interest" because they do not have biological children: "It's just a basic issue. Look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children" - and he concludes his Handmaid's Tale-worthy statement by saying - "And does it make any sense we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?".

Jennifer Aniston's Response

Vance's interview, with his political career largely shaped by opposition to abortion rights, is viral and has sparked much debate. Among the many commenters is Jennifer Aniston. In an Instagram story, the actress wrote: "I truly can't believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States". Then, referring to her own challenging journey in the world of assisted reproduction and the odyssey to become a mother, already told in Allure, she directly addressed Vance: "All I can say is... Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day and I hope she will not need to turn to IVF as a second option because you are trying to take that away from her, too." In her comment, the Friends star specifically refers to the fact that the Ohio senator is notoriously for the control of women's reproductive rights. Vance is a supporter of a national abortion ban, even criticizing exceptions for survivors and incest victims, and has participated in the blockade of protections for in vitro fertilization, agreeing with the Alabama Supreme Court decision that ruled that frozen embryos are people and that one can be criminally prosecuted for their destruction.

Other Reactions to Vance's Words

"What a normal, relatable guy who certainly doesn't hate women having freedoms", commented Hillary Clinton sarcastically on X . Whoopi Goldberg said: "Sir, there are people who have chosen not to have children for whatever reason. There are people who want to have children who cannot. How dare you. You never had a baby; your wife had a baby...so you know nothing about this. How dare you". Meanwhile, Caitlin Moran pointed out that even childless cat ladies vote, and some are even cultural icons: "It's bold, for someone seeking votes, to focus on "childless cat ladies" when the leader of the childless cat ladies is TAYLOR SWIFT". Finally, even Kerstin Emhoff, the ex-wife of Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris's current spouse, stood against Vance's absurd ideas, reminding that Harris has been a co-parent, "loving, caring, fiercely protective and always present", of Cole and Ella Emhoff for over 10 years.

The United States Towards the Republic of Gilead

Most Americans have never known a society where femininity solely coincided with household chores and child-rearing, where women who did not have children were considered strange and inferior. Yet, it seems that, as exemplified by the Trad Wife phenomenon, this is the direction some (not only in the States) would like the world to take. For centuries, reproduction has been considered the main, if not the only, civic contribution of a woman, and despite feminist struggles for emancipation and the right to self-determination, there are those who dream it should still be that way. There is a deep-seated misogyny, alive and well, as well as a certain political faction that wants to possess a woman's uterus, make decisions about her body, and sabotage her reproductive rights. They deliberately ignore that not everyone has the desire to become mothers and that there is also a large number of people who, for biological or medical reasons, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis, cannot have children. This does not affect their ability to work, live, or become president in any way.

The Revenge of the "Cat Ladies"

Calling childless women cat ladies is pathetic. Bringing out the old and tired trope, the patriarchal stigma on femininity, is, as Leora Tanenbaum, author of I Am Not a Slut: Slut-Shaming in the Age of the Internet, explains well, "an extension of dominant beliefs about what femininity should be. If a woman is not married or does not have children, she goes against expectations for her gender role, which is to be paired with a man and devoted to her biological family. It's okay if she works, but not if she is too ambitious and puts her career above her family". If she contravenes this dictate, she violates gender norms. Our response, shared by many on social media where a movement of women embracing and reclaiming the label of "childless cat lady" as a source of pride is forming in reaction to Vance's statements on X and TikTok, is who cares. We can have dozens of children or none, it is our choice and does not diminish us in any way.