I am, I swear, a serious person.  I read two newspapers every day; I read at least some of  Foreign Affairs every quarter; and I read literary fiction (meaning that I do not only read Janet Evanovich and Lee Child thrillers) and nonfiction (right now, a book about how the US developed into a global power in the aftermath of WWI).  In this jaw-droppingly weird election year, I watched, God help me, every day of both major party conventions and every single Presidential debate.  Although to be completely honest I did skip the VP debate. 

That said, I’m kind of sucker for People magazine.  I love the photos of celebrity weddings and the stories about who’s getting voted off Dancing with the Stars and I really love to read about all the royals:  William’s kind of boring but Kate’s clothes are always worth checking out and their kids are killer cute.  Plus Prince Harry is, simply put, hot.

I feel especially fond of People these days, when much of our public discourse is reckless, angry, and just plain mean.  In the People magazine world, people are pretty or they’re ordinary heroes or inspiring in the face of misfortune.  Sometimes things are sad, but mostly people are smiling or goofing off or gazing adoringly into someone’s eyes.  I know it’s not real, but sometimes reading about the Brangelina divorce is better than reading about the rigged election, which US cities will fare best in climate change, and children in Aleppo.

So this morning I click on my reliable People magazine icon and scroll through stories about who Jennifer Lawrence is dating, a blind cat that has adoption offers from around the world, and why Tyler Farr doesn’t have a pre-nup.  I don’t even know who Tyler Farr is, so the scrolling is easy.  Until I get to “22 Photos of Ivanka Trump and Her Family that Are Way Too Cute.”  And now I’m really pissed off.

God knows I love celebrity babies.  But Ivanka Trump is not any old celebrity mom — she’s a working woman and mother who supports her father’s Presidential candidacy despite his racist, misogynist, and anti-democratic views.  I certainly understand that as a daughter, she wants to support her father and that as a Republican, she wants to support her party.  But I also understand that as a business woman, she wants to avoid damage to her brand.  And it seems as if the 22 way too cute photos in People magazine are part of her effort to do just that.  

Ivanka says she’s a daughter, not a surrogate.  According to The New Yorker, “My brand was launched far before the Presidential cycle commenced and will continue long afterwards,” she said.  “I’ve always tried to maintain complete separation between that and the campaign.”Ivanka Trump Fights to Save Her Brand 

Seriously?  How do you have an eponymous brand and disconnect it from your name?  

How do you claim to be a role model for working women and young mothers, and not separate yourself from the guy who boasts that he “[j]ust [starts] kissing them. I don’t even wait.” Don’t even wait for what? Something trivial like permission?  I’ve been kissed in elevators by powerful men who didn’t even wait.  I’ve been groped on a public bus.  I’ve been complimented on my great ass by clients and law firm partners.  

Maybe Ivanka never has.  Maybe she doesn’t believe anyone who isn’t “asking for it” gets assaulted.  Maybe she doesn’t really care whether women face sexual harassment and assault in their workplace as long as they’re wearing one of her sheath dresses.

Publishing pictures of her and her children is both cynical and sad.  Showing off her children isn’t going to make anyone who cares about children and families and working women any more likely to buy her line of clothing and accessories, or stay in her father’s hotels. We know what she really stands for.  And using her children to distract us is, in my view, exploitive.  

Too bad about People magazine, though.  #GrabYourWallet — I won’t be picking it up at my grocery store any more.