Willard
via
Getty
Images)
Donald
Trump
recently
pointed
at
Bloomberg
reporter
Catherine
Lucey
during
a
press
gaggle
aboard
Air
Force
One
and
snarled,
“Quiet.
Quiet,
piggy.”
The
insult
came
after
she
asked
a
follow-up
question
about
Jeffrey
Epstein’s
files,
a
chillingly
symbolic
moment,
but…
not
exactly
shocking
coming
from
a
man
who’s
repeatedly
demeaned
women
in
public.
When
Lucey
asked
why
Trump
wouldn’t
release
Epstein’s
files
if
there
was
nothing
incriminating
in
them,
he
cut
in
like
a
bratty
child
and
dropped
that
“insult.”
The
intention
was
certainly
to
demean,
and
whether
it
was
the
result
of
a
elderly
man
on
the
edge
of
dementia
forgetting
the
concept
of
decorum,
or
a
coldly
calculated
move
to
distract
from
Lucey’s
pointed
question
is
kinda
beside
the
point.
That’s
especially
true
when
you
consider
Trump’s
long
documented
history
of
gender
based
insults.
Calling
women
“piggy,”
“dog,”
“loser,”
or
worse,
especially
when
they
dare
to
ask
real
questions.
That’s
exactly
why
former
federal
prosecutor
and
current
professor
at
the
University
of
Alabama
School
of
Law,
Joyce
Vance
argued
in
her
Substack
Civil
Discourse
that
Miss
Piggy,
the
glamorous,
sassy
Muppet
diva
with
a
noteworthy
karate
chop,
deserves
a
spot
in
our
resistance
imagery.
Vance
subversively
calls
on
women
to
reclaim
Miss
Piggy
as
their
own
symbol.
Yes,
Miss
Piggy,
the
diva
piguette.
Not
because
she’s
meek
or
delicate,
but
because
she’s
exactly
the
opposite:
glamorous,
self-assured,
and
all
too
happy
to
stand
up
for
her
self
when
she’s
crossed.
Vance
writes:
Portland
has
reclaimed
the
frog
as
a
symbol
of
its
resistance
to
Trump’s
efforts
to
militarize
the
city.
Perhaps
women
should
claim
the
glamorous,
sassy
Muppet
Miss
Piggy,
a
known
diva
with
a
fierce
karate
chop,
as
their
own
symbol.
Call
a
woman
a
piggy,
and
see
how
that
goes
for
you,
Mr.
President.
Enough
demeaning
of
women.
Signing
the
Epstein
Files
bill
when
it
hits
his
desk,
which
Trump
has
promised
to
do,
won’t
be
enough.
The
files
have
to
be
released,
no
excuses.
It’s
time
to
emulate
the
great
Miss
Piggy,
who
has
never
stayed
quiet
in
the
face
of
those
who
don’t
respect
her.
If
you
raise
an
eyebrow
at
a
Muppet
as
a
feminist
figure,
well,
you
don’t
know
Miss
Piggy,
the
OG
diva.
Since
the
1970s,
she’s
been
unapologetic,
ambitious,
and
ferociously
self-confident.
In
2015,
she
even
received
a
feminist
award
from
the
Sackler
Center
for
Feminist
Art,
and
her
acceptance
speech
was
a
10/10.
Miss
Piggy
defended
her
feminism,
saying
that
a
woman
who
cares
about
her
star
billing,
appearance,
and
success
is
a
feminist.
As
The
Washington
Post
put
it,
her
“wild,
voracious
sort
of
freedom”
and
her
refusal
to
conform
is
an
“unruly,
defiantly
unrespectable
feminist
act.”
Trump’s
“quiet,
piggy”
isn’t
just
another
insult.
It’s
emblematic
of
a
larger
problem:
powerful
men
trying
to
silence
women
who
press
for
accountability.
But
Vance’s
call,
that
we
channel
Miss
Piggy
instead
of
shrinking
in
response,
flips
the
insult
on
its
head.
This
isn’t
about
politeness.
It’s
about
standing
up,
with
humor
and
strength,
to
someone
who
thinks
demeaning
a
woman
is
a
power
move.
If
Trump
thinks
calling
a
woman
“piggy”
is
clever,
let
him
meet
the
real
Miss
Piggy
—
and
every
woman
who
refuses
to
be
silenced.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].