Meghan McCain trashes Elle magazine for trashing Meghan McCain

Women’s magazines are the worst when it comes to criticizing conservative women. Meghan McCain discovered this fact known to other conservative women everywhere only recently. Elle magazine was granted an interview with McCain and her reward was to be given the mean girl treatment.

It’s what liberals do. The publishing business is no different than the entertainment business. It leans heavily liberal. The August 2019 issue of Elle features a headline on its cover – “Meghan McCain is having a bad week.” Needless to say, Meghan was not thrilled by that choice of words strung together to be splashed on the front of the magazine, calling it “particularly shitty”. Having read the profile published of her, I can’t say as I blame her for being ticked-off.

Let’s break this down. The first paragraph in the article sets the tone. The author describes Meghan’s appearance by describing what she is wearing (a black sweater and slacks) and then says she “has the beleaguered disposition of someone who’s searched her name on social media one too many times.” The not-so-subtle inference is that she’s a narcissist. Then the next paragraph launches into claiming McCain is all about drama and others trying to “knock her over”. When there is no drama to be found, she instigates drama with her clothing choices or conservative political opinions, the piece says. Nepotism comes up, too.

Each week, a fresh wave of drama tries to knock McCain over: Occasionally, a spat with one of her more left-leaning cohosts will go viral. (“You don’t need to look at me that way,” McCain recently snapped at her cohost Sunny Hostin.) Other weeks, there will be an uproar over something she’s said in a heated segment about immigration or abortion. When there’s nothing serious to latch onto, there might simply be a surge of blind frustration aimed at the good old-fashioned nepotism that helped boost McCain to her current perch, or a chorus of cackles about something she’s chosen to wear.

All of that is classic mean girls. Whether you agree with Meghan’s choice to be a member of The View‘s cast or not, one thing is for certain – she can hold her own. Sure, she is able to cash in on her last name for a career as a political pundit but it’s not like she’s some dummy who isn’t really up to the job.

Elle’s Carrie Battan, the author, called Meghan the “bete noire” of daytime television and said that viewers “think she’s a stubborn, spoiled brat of Veruca Salt proportions.” Got it. Meghan is an unlikeable spoiled brat.

There are petty swipes, too, including one about her hair color – “Her cascade of dyed-blond hair” and her frequent references to her father, the late Senator John McCain. Meghan’s desire to be “heard and liked” is painted with a negative stroke, too. Conveniently, a slam to Fox News fits into that critique.

But the emergence of Trumpism has complicated things for McCain, who wants to defend the honor of old-school conservatism while retaining a semblance of level-headedness and credibility, lest she veer too far into Reddit rightism. “If I were sitting on Fox, I’d be considered a leftist,” McCain argues. But the more The View legitimizes McCain as a mainstream talking head, the more she feels like an outsider. If you want to be heard and liked as much as McCain seems to, there’s one giant problem with having made a career of rankling the left: You end up rankling the left.

You can’t possibly be a credible conservative if you support Trump, you see. How dare The View “legitimize” McCain as a talking head! The left controls the entertainment business on both coasts and adhering to liberal groupthink is the path to success.

The truth is that Meghan has had more than one bad week – she’s had a tough year. She is clearly still grieving the death of her father and she suffered a miscarriage. Both of those life events are difficult in anyone’s life, much less such a public figure. I say let her work it all out however she sees fit.

Meghan noticed the magazine cover and voiced her thoughts on Twitter.

I somehow missed “Meghan McCain is having a bad week” was the headline @ELLEmagazine used on their cover? Wow…just given the past year (and months) I’ve had this seems particularly shitty… I guess this is why people don’t talk to journalists and never tell them anything real. https://t.co/XKk50aZSbE

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 11, 2019

Also, to anyone else who has ever had a bad week (or more) as I have. Don’t let magazines like @ELLEmagazine shame you to be honest & open- never be embarrassed to talk or share grief, pain, real life, struggle. I thank God there are so many resources and people out there to help

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 11, 2019

McCain explains she is being public with her grieving process to reach out and help others.

I also want to say I am 14 days away from the anniversary of my dads death and petrified of what the day is going to feel like. I made a conscious choice to share my grief journey publicly so others would feel less alone – and would do it all over again.

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 11, 2019

She ends with asking what many conservative women ask – why aren’t these women’s publications supportive of all women, not just liberal women?

Anyways, I’m going back to my husband and Wyoming. I realize a this is a small thing in the scheme of things but I just don’t know why women’s magazines don’t do a better job trying to lift other women up, especially in 2019 (even if you disagree with their politics).

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 11, 2019

Good for her for speaking out.