Whoopi Goldberg sent a welcome message this week that everyone can put politics aside and be decent human beings to one another.
First daughter Tiffany Trump hit several fashion shows for New York Fashion Week (NYFW) – drawing attention not surprisingly. Most of the attention though was on the boycott among fashion designers who refused to sit beside her.
At the Phillip Plein show on Monday, Tiffany was left sitting alone after a handful of magazine editors spurned seats in her vicinity. Some even took to their protest to Twitter as the New York Post reports:
Alyssa Vingan Klein, editor-in-chief of Fashionista, tweeted that it was a “s – – tshow” because nobody wanted to go near Trump. “Shocker,” she added.
In response, Nikki Ogunnaike, a senior fashion editor at Elle.com, tweeted, “We moved and are down the hall” and later said: “Phillip Plein at 10PM: 1 hour late start, editors fleeing just so they don’t have to sit behind Tiffany Trump.”
If this sounds like the sequel to “Mean Girls” or a scene from any high school TV show, it is. You would think adults are beyond this brand of adolescent nastiness, but apparently the fashion world is not.
It’s especially telling of the fashion world, which is pushing #tiedtogether as part of a campaign to encourage unity during this divisive time in our nation by asking NYFW attendees to wear white bandanas. The intolerance of many in the fashion towards Tiffany Trump or even models who work for the Trump Models makes the campaign seem extremely hypocritical.
Surprisingly, not everyone behaved so badly. Tiffany Trump. Whoppi Goldberg assumed the cliché role of the popular kid who breaks away from the pack to extend a hand to the unpopular kid in the school cafeteria. On her show The View, Goldberg made a surprising personal invitation to sit with Tiffany at the next shows he attends:
“You know what, Tiffany, I’m supposed to go to a couple more shows. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m coming to sit with you,” the outspoken actress, 61, said. “Because nobody’s talking politics. You’re looking at fashion! She doesn’t want to talk about her dad! She’s looking at the fashion!”
As we know Goldberg has been a vocal opponent of President Trump. She drew a distinction though between being a fashion observer and boycotting Trump-branded products:
“And people say what is the difference between people boycotting Ivanka. There is a difference. That’s all about buying stuff. You’re buying stuff. This girl is looking at fashion, and she’s just looking at fashion. I just thought that was mean.”
She also added:
“I don’t want to talk about your dad, but, girl, I will sit next to you. Because I’ve been there where people said, ‘We’re not going to sit next to you.’ I’ll find your ass and sit next to you!”
Tiffany took to Twitter and accepted Goldberg’s offer.
Kuddos to Goldberg for demonstrating decency in this situation. This was the best PSA on treating others with respect that we’ve had in quite some time. It resonates even more knowing that Goldberg, who espouses very progressive views and is such a critic of President Trump, knows when to put politics aside and be a reasonable person.
This is a lesson we hope the mean girls at the NYFW take to heart.