Hillary Clinton is ??????? ???????? ?????tired of the body-shaming that makes girls and women feel ashamed -- and she wants people to "stand up" against it.
The Democratic presidential candidate delivered that impassioned plea at a town hall in Haverford, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday when a 15-year-old girl asked Clinton how she'd undo some of the "damage" inflicted by Donald J. Trump during this campaign.
SEE ALSO: 'The Hillary Shimmy Song' is your new election anthem"At my school, body image is a really big issue for girls my age," said Brennan Leach. "I see with my own eyes the damage Donald Trump does when he talks about women and how they look. As the first female president, how would you undo some of that damage and help girls understand that they are so much more than just what they look like?"
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The crowd cheered and applauded the question. Clinton then spent two minutes addressing not only Trump's recent behavior, but also the negative influence media can have on girls' self-esteem and the bullying they might experience.
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"My opponent has just taken this concern to a new level of difficulty and meanness," Clinton said, apparently referencing Trump's recent remarks about former Miss Universe Alicia Machado. "It’s shocking when women are called names and judged solely on the basis of physical attributes."
"So we have got to be as clear as possible: You are more than the way you look."
Think about it: My opponent insulted Miss Universe. How do you get more acclaimed than that? But it wasn’t good enough."
Body-shaming, Clinton suggested, is also bigger than Trump.
Girls, she said, hear a painful message growing up: "Forget your mind, forget your heart, care only what you look [like] because that’s all we care about."
She also spoke with emotion about how too many young women are electronically bullied based on their appearance, noting how that experience can lead to "tragic outcomes" like self-harm.
"So we have got to be as clear as possible: You are more than the way you look," Clinton said.
"Let’s be the best we can be, and let’s be proud of who we are. And let’s support other women and girls of being proud of who they are."
While it's surprising that body-shaming has become a central focus of the 2016 presidential election, the two presidential candidates have made it clear where they stand.