A Vanity Fair video suggesting former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "take up a new hobby in 2018" is garnering online criticism, with some Twitter users calling for the public to cancel their subscriptions to the popular magazine.
The video, posted on Vanity Fair’s Twitter account Saturday, is part of a series in which staffers on the magazine’s politics and business publications, with a glass of wine in hand, give politicians six New Year’s resolutions. Previous videos have targeted President Donald Trump and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, but the magazine appears to be receiving the most flak for its Clinton feature.
Maybe it's time for Hillary Clinton to take up a new hobby in 2018 pic.twitter.com/sbE78rA5At
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) December 23, 2017
Staffers suggested Clinton start working on a sequel to her latest book, take more photos in the woods, take up knitting or improvisational comedy — “literally anything that’ll keep you from running again,” Vanity Fair writer Maya Kosoff said.
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Since the election, Clinton has remained in the public eye, speaking out against Trump, the racial violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and sexual harassment allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. She’s been vocal about her concern over the health care bill as well as the future of the country.
Days before Vanity Fair shared the video, The Hill reported that Clinton was considering her role in the 2018 congressional elections and focusing on her political group Onward Together.
Twitter users were not pleased with the video, and many called out the magazine for being sexist and embarrassing.
Vanity Fair tl;dr: Six young white people holding glasses of champagne would like Hillary Clinton to abandon her life's work and platform and just shut up. Good to know. https://t.co/cELDKdVmYd
— Summer Brennan (@summerbrennan) December 26, 2017
Wellesly Grad
— Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) December 27, 2017
Yale Law
First Lady of Arkansas
First Lady of the United States
US Senator
Presidential Candidate
Secretary of State
1st Female Presidential Candidate Nominated by a Major Party...
Maybe it's time for @VanityFair to take up a new hobby in 2018.#CancelVanityFair https://t.co/Vb9uEhNPWS
The media: “Hillary Clinton is not relevant.”
— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) December 27, 2017
Also the media: “Let’s keep publishing hot takes about how scandalous it is that Hillary Clinton is not in the kitchen.”#CancelVanityFair
What’s incredibly uncool is your horribly conceived and executed video telling a former First Lady, Secretary of State, and first woman major party presidential candidate to go away and take up knitting. Sexist and pointless trolling. #CancelVanityFair #resist #BoycottVanityFair
— Cynthia Stern (@CynthiaStern17) December 27, 2017
ok ok one last thing, imagine doing years of pro bono legal work in children's advocacy and being lectured by vanity fair to "try volunteering" did they even skim her wikipedia page
— Anna Fitzpatrick (@bananafitz) December 27, 2017
Some wondered why the magazine didn’t suggest hobbies for former male presidential candidates.
Where’s the video that tells Mitt Romney to learn to crochet, Al Gore to take up baking or John McCain to sew something pretty? #CancelVanityFair
— TruPatriot Jules (@julescardello) December 27, 2017
Why are folks so upset? This is no different than when you told McCain, Romney and Gore to go volunteer or take up knitting after they lost.
— Stephanie Jones (@StephanieJ_DC) December 27, 2017
What’s that you say? You DIDN’T tell them - or any other male presidential candidate - to do that?
Never mind. #CancelVanityFair
The hashtag #CancelVanityFair has been tweeted thousands of times since the video was first shared.
Goodbye Vanity Fair! Have been unimpressed this past year and now disgusted at your “humorous” attack on HRC. Misogyny doesn’t suite anyone. Telling a brilliant woman to go knit? You can knit this!! 🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼 #CancelVanityFair
— Irene Boniece (@irbnyc) December 27, 2017
Oops... :) #CancelVanityFair pic.twitter.com/CvcDWkGF8S
— Maria_L (@iMaria_L) December 27, 2017
Former Clinton adviser Peter Daou blasted the magazine for insulting “one of the most accomplished women in the history of the United States.”
So @VanityFair decided that the best way to end 2017 was to take a repulsive cheap shot at @HillaryClinton, one of the most accomplished women in the history of the United States.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) December 27, 2017
Now #CancelVanityFair is moving.
I ended 2015 defending Hillary Clinton from sexist attacks.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) December 27, 2017
I ended 2016 defending Hillary Clinton from sexist attacks.
I'm ending 2017 defending @HillaryClinton from sexist attacks.
So much for my Twitter break...
Another former Clinton adviser, Adam Parkhomenko, also chimed in.
Agree. It was embarrassingly not funny. And awkward to watch. I want to believe they gave each of those individuals an opt-out opportunity but they genuinely looked happy to do it.
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) December 27, 2017
According to The Huffington Post, Kosoff, the Vanity Fair staffer who suggested Clinton take up volunteer work, knitting or improv comedy, responded to the criticism on Twitter Tuesday.
“I don’t appreciate being taken out of context to make me seem super sexist,” she wrote. “This wasn’t a Hillary hit piece either, fwiw! We made silly new years resolutions for a bunch of politicians.”
Kosoff's tweets are protected, so only those that already follow her can view them.
Cox Media Group