Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says loving yourself as a woman or other minority is a almost a 'mini-protest'

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said loving yourself as any kind of minority is a form of "mini-protest" against unequal systems.
• The congresswoman gave an interview with Vogue where she broke down her makeup routine and explained how she finds confidence in red lipstick.
• Though she said she struggles with getting taken seriously by Republicans for being a young woman and woman of color, loving herself and her appearance has helped her find confidence.

Following up on her powerful speech on the routine harassment that female congresswomen face, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had more words of wisdom to share with her young women and gender non-conforming followers.

In an interview with Vogue, the New York City congresswoman walked viewers through her best-known makeup routine: how to apply bold red lipstick. She said being Latina, women in her culture use red lipstick to portray confidence and strength. Ocasio-Cortez said appreciating beauty and makeup doesn't take away from her professionalism as a woman — rather, it's one of the most important decisions a person can make.

"There's this really false idea that if you care about makeup or your interests are in beauty or fashion, that's somehow frivolous," Ocasio-Cortez said. "But I actually think these are some of the most substantive decisions that we make and we make them every morning."

Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to the House of Representatives at 29 years old, made headlines last month after her speech addressing Republican representative Ted Yoho's public comments calling her "crazy," "disgusting," and a "f---ing b----." In her address on the House floor, Ocasio-Cortez said men who harass women shield themselves from accountability by saying they have wives and daughters (as Yoho said he did).

"I believe having a daughter does not make a man decent," she said. "Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man."

In her Vogue interview, Ocasio-Cortez said she had to get used to Republicans sharing unflattering photos of her in a way to criticize her. She also said she struggles with getting taken seriously as a young woman and a woman of color.

But Ocasio-Cortez said she learned that she now doesn't get her feelings of beauty from "anyone but herself," and if she spends an hour doing makeup it's because she "feels like it."

"Our culture is so predicated on diminishing women and kind of preying on our self-esteem, so it's quite a radical act, it's almost like a mini-protest, to love yourself in a society that's trying to tell you you're not the right weight, you're not the right color, you're not the right whatever it is," she said. "When you stand up and you say you know what you don't get to make that decision. I make that decision. It's very powerful."

Read the congresswoman's interview with Vogue here.