In Your Face: The Brutal Aesthetics of MAGA

The submission to personal aesthetic standards, which in some cases has required surgical procedures raises the question of where the dividing line between political movement and cult should be drawn. The entire movement seems to be characterized by devotion to a singular central figure who claims special authoritative insights which transcend the world of analysis, cause-and-effect and expertise - the sort of world that most of us here occupy. Advisors have told us to "Trust in Trump," when we question the administration's economic interventions. It borders on an appeal to a supernatural understanding.

Values, preferences and political orientations aside, there's something very cultish about this movement. Cult of personality, perhaps.[0]

[0]: https://archive.org/details/B-001-027-599-ALL/page/n1/mode/2...

Not wanting to critique women for how they chose to look, this feels like a valid case: willingness to body modify to a specific look, and that look appear significant.

Trump is very fond of the "nasty" hook. It seems all-pervading and his praise of women is often about their appearance and sexual energy, not the policies per se.

I don't feel much like arguing on this. Comments made light-heartedly to trout pout and buccal fat are seen as derogatory and probably are. I'd rather not feed the machine. For some women (and men) there is a marked body dismorphia tied up in internet filtering on images, and AI image generation is probably feeding it.

I think Trumps appeal to women, and the women's body types which appeal to Trump is tied up in this, but really the ideology is most of it.