Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is revealing a new chapter in her private life as she continues to represent New York City’s 14th congressional district.
“Hey everyone, it’s been a minute since I’ve posted to stories, but I think it’s a good time to kind of dive back in again — it’s August recess and I think it’s good for you all to hear a little bit more from me directly,” the congresswoman, 36, said via her Instagram Stories on Saturday, August, 8, adding that she is “having some things happen” in her life that she wants to “share more” with her followers amid her “reflective mood.”
“I want to share with you all a decision that is very personal that I have made that has taken me time to consider, weigh and save up for,” she continued, “And it is of a sensitive matter and a personal matter and usually I keep my private life quite private, but I have made the decision to start freezing my eggs.”
Ocasio-Cortez, who was 29 when she was sworn into Congress after becoming the youngest woman elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, is currently engaged to her longtime partner Riley Roberts. The congresswoman admitted that her decision to freeze her eggs — one she plans to document for her social media followers — was due, in part, to near-constant speculation she will one-day be a frontrunner for the Democratic nominee for president.
“The media will run up and ask a question like, ‘Are you going to run for this? or, ‘Are you going to run for that?’ And it’s almost through this very two-dimensional craven understanding or ambitious understanding of power,” she explained. “When I think a lot of us actually approach these considerations or these decisions through the larger context of our lives as whole human beings and what is happening in our lives as whole human beings.”
Ocasio-Cortez — a common target of President Donald Trump and members of the Republican party — also acknowledged that “strangely” there is a “political risk” or potential “political tax” to her candidly sharing her egg-freezing journey.
“People don’t go down those rabbit holes and fixate on them for men in terms of their decision the way they do for women,” she added. “And I’m not here to, like, talk about what’s fair or unfair in this context — this is just the world that we live in today, and so I’m aware that just by me choosing to not keep this private there may be a consequence.”
She continued, “But you know what, I’m OK with that. This is a choice that I am making to feel more in control of my life and if people want to make assumptions about my decision, let them make those assumptions – I feel empowered to make this choice. I think it’s a very privileged position that I’ve been able to be able to make. And it’s also a result of, I think, changes in technology that have also made it more financially accessible.”
The congresswoman went on to reveal that she took her “first shot this morning” and will have to take multiple injections as part of the egg-freezing process on Sunday, August 9, before her scheduled appearance on an ABC morning show.
“I’m going to be delivering an interview on national television and it’s in the morning and I have to take my shot because of the timing of it,” she said. “I’m gonna be taking my shots in the green room before my interview. And I want you all to see that because women can do anything, and I think it’s badass that I’m gonna be, you know, giving myself shots in the green room, get my glam on, roll out talk about international events, domestic policy, elections, pop out, live my life, do my thing.”
She continued, “If we want community we have to raise our hand and be community for each other, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
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