Politically Feminist

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been deemed one of the most attractive men in Canadian politics. At forty-four years old and the second youngest prime minister, he became the new and unusually youthful face of Canadian politics. After one of Canada’s most exciting elections, at least in my lifetime, he won over the hearts of Canadian people after blowing away his Conservative opponents to take the majority win in October 2015. His achievements thus far have been great, and his platform promises much more to come, especially for university students and recent grads. But despite his political potential and promises of hope, it seems his charming good looks have taken priority in the public eye.
Growing up in the limelight alongside his father Pierre Elliott Trudeau, arguably Canada’s most infamous prime minister, Justin had achieved some level of fame before his emergence on the political scene. Though hardly a teen celebrity, he was well recognized for his boyish good looks and outstanding social commitment. Once his involvement with the liberal party obtained momentum, his reputation for shirtless-ness and his pot smoking agenda often superseded his political potential. Admittedly, it isn’t easy to overlook Prime Minister Trudeau’s killer smile, excellent physique and gorgeous family (check out his romantic vogue shoot with wife Sophie Grégorie-Trudeau), but this emphasis on his appearance and personal life are entirely misplaced.
On September 21 2015 Justin tweeted “I am a feminist. I am proud to be a feminist”.
One of his first acts as Prime Minister was to appoint Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet. He immediately took action to get Canada involved in the Syrian refugee crisis. Yet his level of attractiveness is the focus of mass media and the online community. Trudeau has committed to a liberal agenda that embraces multiculturalism, equality and economic improvement, focusing on the middle classes and younger generations of Canadians. The efforts made by our head of government to improve our lives, our nation and the global community should take precedence over how he outwardly projects himself. His policy making is rarely mentioned beyond the “politics” section of major newspapers, yet his reputation as Canada’s most recent celebrity has gone viral.
Objectifying Canada’s Prime Minister diminishes his political agenda and parodies his attempts to make a difference for Canadians and international politics. He’s been celebrated by many for his liberal feminist views, however we don’t grant Mr. Trudeau the fundamental rights on which modern feminism stands. He is continually sexualized and judged based upon his physical appearance, constantly hounded by paparazzi and repeatedly critiqued on his fashion and lifestyle choices. As a prominent figure in Canadian culture, some level of scrutiny of his personal life is unavoidable, but the scope of which is unfair. Placing such great emphasis on his physical appearance is something that women have fought to be rid of for generations.
Eradicating judgment on the basis of physical expression and eliminating scrutiny of an individual’s physical characteristics heavily conflicts with the feminist agenda. Modern feminism stands for equality, and supposedly, so does Justin Trudeau. In order to move forward with Canada’s commitment to the promotion and protection of women’s rights and gender equality, we must ourselves commit to eliminating discrimination and violations of personal privacy on all levels. Let’s keep our opinions and remarks about Justin’s physique unpublicized –he would do the same for you.