It seems being a ‘girl’ today, especially a ‘hot girl’ by internet standards, comes with a distinct set of cultural trends. From specific exercise routines like the ‘hot girl walk’ to curated meals dubbed ‘girl dinner,’ these trends define a certain online persona.
Beyond lifestyle, these online identities often extend to political endorsements. Historically, many ‘girls’ have leaned progressive, supporting figures like Bernie Sanders or Zohran Mamdani, and even advocating for concepts such as ranked-choice voting.
Now, a new movement is stepping into this space: ‘Cool Girls for Capitalism.’ This group has made its presence known in the final stages of the New York mayoral campaign, throwing its support behind former Governor Andrew Cuomo and, more broadly, celebrating the principles of capitalism.
During a recent Saturday afternoon, Danielle Goldman, one of the group’s founders, distributed vibrant pink T-shirts featuring the group’s slogan from a white pickup truck parked near Washington Square Park in Manhattan. With Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’ playing in the background, she and fellow canvassers rallied passersby with chants such as ‘Save New York’ and ‘Socialism has never worked.’
The T-shirts themselves carried a more straightforward political message: ‘Vote Cuomo.’
Ms. Goldman, who leads Open Avenues, a non-profit assisting international professionals in securing U.S. employment, established the ‘Cool Girls’ group in late October alongside Erica Wenger, a 28-year-old venture capitalist and founder of Park Rangers Capital.
The founders assert that their group operates independently of the Cuomo campaign, funded by Ms. Goldman’s personal contributions and an anonymous private donor. The Cuomo campaign has not commented on the group.
The ‘Cool Girls’ emphasize their non-partisan stance, claiming no affiliation with any specific political party or candidate. Their ranks include individuals from across the political spectrum, such as registered Democrats Ms. Wenger and Ms. Goldman (as per state voter records), and even a Republican who previously volunteered for President Trump.
The group’s mission is centered on what Ms. Goldman terms “capitalism with empathy.” Ms. Wenger said this is needed at a time when, she argued, there has been a “shift in society where democratic socialism is really on the rise.”
Interestingly, capitalism itself might benefit from some image rehabilitation. A recent Gallup poll indicated that although a majority of Americans (54 percent) still view capitalism favorably, its overall popularity has seen a decline over the past 15 years.
Ms. Goldman, 32, expressed her view that capitalism isn’t inherently polarizing, but humorously added that it “needs to be, like, sexy, as well.”
Andi Zeisler, author of ‘We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement,’ suggests that the term ‘girl’ itself is instrumental in making the concept appealing.
According to Zeisler, applying the term ‘girl’ to adult women immediately imbues the subject with a sexualized undertone, serving as a subtle marketing tactic.
She further noted, ‘People care about what girls want. They don’t really care about what women want.’
The strategy of leveraging ‘girlhood’ in political branding isn’t a new phenomenon. Past examples range from ‘Obama Girl,’ a viral video from 2008 featuring a woman expressing admiration for then-Senator Barack Obama, to the ‘Hot Girls for Bernie’ movement during the 2020 election.
Interestingly, some of the very same ‘hot girls’ have previously shown support for Mr. Mamdani as part of ‘Hot Girls for Zohran,’ an independent grassroots group that includes notable figures like model Emily Ratajkowski.
In a direct response, ‘Hot Girls for Cuomo’ also emerged, though this initiative is primarily associated with a single individual: Emily Austin, a 24-year-old sports commentator. She notably interviewed Mr. Cuomo about his preferred New York sports teams and culinary delights on the debut episode of her podcast, ‘The Emily Austin Show.’
Ms. Austin, a Long Island Republican ineligible to vote in the NYC mayoral election, clarified that her social media announcement of her ‘girl group’ was intended humorously. (The ‘Hot Girls for Zohran’ group declined to comment via email.)
‘Cool Girls for Capitalism’ launched their initial event in late October, participating in a fund-raiser for Mr. Cuomo targeted at young professionals at a TriBeCa social club. (Chanmeet S. Narang, a former Trump volunteer and one of the event’s organizers, later supplied the pickup truck used for the ‘Cool Girls’ canvassing.)
Addressing the attendees, Mr. Cuomo declared, ‘This city is the capital of capitalism.’
Since that initial gathering, the group has conducted two canvassing events across Manhattan, distributing literature and merchandise. The ‘Cool Girls for Capitalism’ members noted that, thus far, garnering support for capitalism has proven easier than for Mr. Cuomo himself.
Ms. Goldman admitted that the Cuomo campaign presented challenges, citing the former governor’s history of sexual harassment complaints as a “hard thing to navigate.”
She clarified, ‘But it’s not him that we are here necessarily defending. Let’s defend what we believe in as women that run businesses.’
During their Saturday outreach near the park, the group, identifiable by their pink T-shirts, encountered a range of responses. Some passersby enthusiastically cheered and accepted shirts, while others booed and voiced criticisms of Mr. Cuomo.
Even a group of high school seniors from Fair Lawn, N.J., expressed excitement to wear the shirts to class.
Tara Newman, a 45-year-old Manhattan resident, mentioned, ‘I voted for him, and she asked if she could have a T-shirt,’ as her 7-year-old daughter, Harper, proudly wore her new shirt.
The ‘Cool Girls’ also distributed a pink and purple ‘Fact Sheet’ that, surprisingly, didn’t feature general arguments for capitalism but rather bullet points detailing Mr. Cuomo’s specific campaign pledges.
One ‘Cool Girls’ canvasser, Mollie Beitch, shouted, ‘Mamdani is poison,’ at a park onlooker.
When pressed by another individual about her support for capitalism, Ms. Beitch, a 33-year-old tech sales professional, admitted she didn’t yet have a ready answer.
She promised to ‘work on it’ and ‘let [the reporter] know’ when asked the question again later.