Sounding off. Jennifer Lawrence wrote a passionate op-ed for Vice’s Broadly about Donald Trump’s shocking defeat over Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s presidential election.
In the piece, the 26-year-old actress said that she believes America’s sexist attitude toward women is partially to blame for the ex-Celebrity Apprentice host’s impending takeover of the Oval Office.
“Is this the stark reality? It doesn’t matter how hard you work or how qualified you are, at the end of the day, you’re not a man? Is that what we just learned?” Lawrence wrote. “This country was founded on immigration, and today the only people that feel safe, that their rights are recognized and respected are white men.”
The Hunger Games star — a vocal Clinton supporter who once described this year’s election as “the end of the world” — went on to say that she is choosing to be positive despite Trump’s victory.
“I want to be positive; I want to support our democracy, but what can we take away from this? It’s a genuine question that we all need to ask ourselves,” she continued. “We shouldn’t blame anyone, we shouldn’t riot in the streets. We should think strongly and clearly about what to do next because we cannot change the past.”
After encouraging readers to love one another and to protect the environment, Lawrence urged female fans to remain optimistic during Trump’s presidency.
“If you’re a woman and you’re worried that no matter how hard you work or how much you learn, there will always be a glass ceiling, then I don’t really know what to say. I don’t know what I would tell my daughter if I were you. Except to have hope. To work for the future,” she wrote. “We’re all allowed to be sad that the present isn’t what we thought it was. But we mustn’t be defeated. We will keep educating ourselves and working twice as hard as the man next to us because we know now that it is not fair. It is not fair in the workplace, so you make it impossible to fail. And like Hillary, it might not work.”
She then shared a second message of hope, telling readers that Clinton’s persistence should inspire them to be the best versions of themselves.
“But, like Hillary, you can still be an inspiration and get important things done,” she concluded. “Do not let this defeat you — let this enrage you! Let it motivate you! Let this be the fire you didn’t have before. If you are an immigrant, if you are a person of color, if you are LGBTQ+, if you are a woman — don’t be afraid, be loud!”
