The future might be female, but what’s the harm in wondering what the past could have been?
With Presidents Day this upcoming Monday, some creative soul has gone and used a face editing application to entertain the question, “What would an all-female history of U.S. presidents look like?”
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215691997475596&set=a.1816727860600.106216.1312221561&type=3&theater
Originally shared to Reddit, the composite shares images of presidents Barack Obama, Lyndon B. Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt, Donald Trump, and more, edited with “intelligent” face-altering to appear feminine. Obama has long hair and painted lips, while Trump has kept his coif but thinned his eyebrows, and George W. Bush has gone all-out Ginger Spice with red, highlighted hair.
“These ladies look like every female boss or teacher or professor I ever had. It made me wonder what my life would have been like if I’d grown up knowing that I could be president someday,” Virginia Virkus, who shared the image from Reddit to Facebook, wrote in her caption. “The cliche of ‘carry yourself with the confidence of an average white man’ exists for a reason.”
While unexpected for the country to see women represented in this role, the internet is finding the collection of all-female world leaders to be comforting and longing for what could have been following a potential presidency of Hillary Clinton—if not hopeful for the actual future of the presidency. Seeing the female presidents was almost a litmus test for some people, revealing just what they thought about a woman in the Oval Office.
It’s oddly emotional to look at bc the women look so familiar. This is what it would be like if older women were our role models & leaders… & imagine if they were racially varied as well. It’s such a psychological jolt.
— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) February 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/emilygmonster/status/963808577650556933
https://twitter.com/kgmcwilliams/status/963844045180166144
Is this Lynn Johnson's mugshot? Georgina Bush looks like the neighborhood hot friendly stripper. Theodora Roosevelt is the goth queen we don't deserve. History would have been a lot cooler with female presidents. pic.twitter.com/GCN4grfGEO
— MomOfYourFriendGroup (@lilmeowmaid) February 14, 2018
Someone on Reddit (sorry can’t find source) has used the gender swap app to make all US Presidents female – imagine growing up with so many female voices of authority, literally. To hear them speak. How would the system be different? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/CfKjIxZNb3
— Lucy Bentham (@LucyBPhoto) February 14, 2018
Of course, it was only a matter of time before people fixated on these female presidents for their looks, and not the fact that women can see themselves in the people depicted in this photo.
“I’d date Obama. Reagan looks great!” one person commented on the Facebook post.
“Obama is still the prettiest ([Teddy Roosevelt] is the sexiest!) another chimed in.
“I’d totally do Teddy Roosevelt,” another commented.
One step at a time.