We normally don’t cover politics here at The Playlist. Honestly, that stuff is probably best left to the professionals who would love to yell at each other non-stop on TV. But sometimes, the worlds of politics and film intersect in such a way that is just impossible for us to ignore. And sometimes, the intersection of film and politics is just…adorable!
Such is the case with the recent “controversy” surrounding new Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. For those that haven’t been on social media in the last 24 hours, the crux of the “controversy” (and yes, the quotes are justified, as it’s not the controversy that some people intended it to be) is that a video re-surfaced from eight years ago that shows Ocasio-Cortez dancing, along with other students from Boston University, to the song “Lisztomania” by Phoenix. Originally intended to show how unqualified (we guess?) the new Congressmember is, the video instead became a viral sensation with people noticing her dance moves from the film “Breakfast Club” are just downright endearing.
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And some of those that noticed Ocasio-Cortez’s moves were none other than two members of the Brat Pack, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy, who decided to both give AOC the “Breakfast Club” seal of approval.
“That’s it, Alexandria you’re in the club!” tweeted Ringwald. Sheedy, on the other hand, didn’t feel the need to use words, and replied only with praise hands emoji.
Another fun thing to spawn from this ridiculous ordeal is the new Twitter account AOC Dances To Every Song, where, as you might guess, the video of AOC dancing is put to…every song. Well, not every song, but as of this writing, the user responsible for the account is doing their damndest to push out new videos at a ridiculous pace.
Now, in a truly savvy move, Ocasio-Cortez is not only embracing the video’s popularity, but is also leaning into it with some fun quotes and a new video of her own. Speaking to a reporter from The Hill, she said, “It is not normal for elected officials to have a reputation for dancing well and I’m happy to be one.”
Ocasio-Cortez continued, “It is unsurprising to me that Republicans would think having fun should be disqualifying or illegal.”
Of course, if you’re an ‘80s movie buff (like this writer), the situation that AOC paints in that last comment brings to mind another classic film, “Footloose.” In that film, the parents of a small town have decided that dancing should become illegal. In this scenario, is Donald Trump the John Lithgow character? Hmmmm.
As mentioned, the politician did end up releasing a brand-new dance video that is sure to cause some detractors to lose their minds, as she amps up the dancing, by not only doing it today, but doing some dance moves right outside her office at the Capitol Building, with the caption, “I hear the GOP thinks women dancing are scandalous. Wait till they find out Congresswomen dance too!”
Okay, enough political talk from us, now back to your regularly scheduled movie and TV news!
Here’s the controversial video:
That's it, Alexandria you're in the club! ❤️❤️ @allysheedy1 #AlexandriaOcasioCortez #DemsTakeTheHouse
— Molly Ringwald (@MollyRingwald) January 4, 2019
— ally sheedy (@allysheedy1) January 4, 2019
Kenny Loggins – Footloose pic.twitter.com/igyR1ixPqt
— AOC Dances To Every Song (@aoc_dances) January 4, 2019
I hear the GOP thinks women dancing are scandalous.
Wait till they find out Congresswomen dance too! ????????
Have a great weekend everyone 🙂 pic.twitter.com/9y6ALOw4F6
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 4, 2019
Asked @AOC re this dancing video. She said:
"It is not normal for elected officials to have a reputation for dancing well and I'm happy to be one."
& "It is unsurprising to me that Republicans would think having fun should be disqualifying or illegal"https://t.co/M0qMKmQ0ar
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 4, 2019