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Vote because it’s your civic duty, not because Madonna promises sexual favors

This article originally appeared in the Washington Examiner.

Supermodel Kendall Jenner posted a picture of herself Monday on Instagram wearing a tiny “vote” tank top with the caption “her her her her.” The message is clear: Vote for Hillary Clinton.

She is not the first female celebrity to sell her body to try to get Clinton elected.

Madonna, of course, went beyond posting a skimpy snap. In introducing comedian Amy Schumer on stage, Madonna offered any takers a sexual favor to vote for Clinton. She said, “If you vote for Hillary Clinton I will give you a blow job. Okay? I swear to God. And I’m good. I am good. I’m not a douche and I’m not a tool. I take my time. I have a lot of eye contact.”

And Katy Perry, an outspoken Clinton advocate who sung at the Democratic National Convention, got naked to encourage people to vote. Earlier this cycle, she tweeted, “TOMORROW, I USE MY BODY AS CLICK BAIT TO HELP CHANGE THE WORLD” and then starred in a Funny or Die video in which she strips down to encourage people to vote.

There is something distasteful about women trying to get people to vote by selling their bodies, particularly for the candidate who could be our first female president. Is this progress? Electing the first female president will be momentous whenever it does occur. But our feminist fore-mothers would not have wanted women to sell sex appeal to make it happen.

Celebrities and pop culture aren’t advancing the cause of getting more women elected by the way they treat women during elections, and it’s not just this election. In its first foray into politics during the 2014 midterm elections, Cosmopolitan sought to get college women to vote by running a contest asking students their plans to get their peers to vote. The prize? A party bus stocked with shirtless male models to shuttle students to the polls.

People should vote because it is their civic duty. Not because of sex. They should vote for the female candidate after being convinced she is the best candidate on the ballot. They should evaluate each candidates’ position on important issues: Healthcare, education, foreign policy and countless other issues. Real issues. Not because of what celebrities do with their bodies.

And come on, celebrities: Let’s appeal to women and men above the waist.

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