“Tax the Rich” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) spent more than $2000 in campaign funds for a celebrity makeup artist, despite once boasting about doing her own makeup in an Instagram tutorial.
That’s the conclusion of a New York Post exclusive examination of Federal Election Records that revealed the congresswoman’s “campaign event makeup services” were provided by the New York and Los Angeles-based The Only Agency, whose clients include rapper Bad Bunny and super model Bella Hadid.
According to the Post, which also published its report in its California edition:
On Nov. 5, her campaign reported paying New York and Los Angeles-based The Only Agency $670 for “campaign event makeup services,” then another $693.08, and $665 five days later for “campaign event hair and makeup services,” Federal Election Commission records show.
The posh agency’s prices start at $600 a pop for hair and $600 for makeup.
The full-service stylist agency, which offers “artists” specializing in photography, ”grooming,” “creative direction” also has offices in London and Nashville.
One of the appearances AOC tapped the stylist company for was the get out the vote rally for then candidate Mayor Mamdani in Queens last October, which also featured Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT).
“An honor to glam AOC for the ‘New York is Not for Sale’ rally at Forest Hills Stadium — an unforgettable moment watching her light up the stage with conviction, courage, and heart,” wrote her Only Agency makeup artist Jocelyn Biga on Instagram, along with photos of AOC’s airbrushed look.
“Sporting a smokey brown eye, subtle red lip and perfectly coiffed eyebrows, AOC drew massive applause as she talked about New York City being built by Irish people fleeing famine, Italians escaping fascism, Jews seeking shelter after the Holocaust and blacks escaping Jim Crow laws,” the Post sniped in its Saturday exclusive.
The tabloid was unable to pin down what other occasions Ocasio-Cortez used the elite agency’s services.
The newspaper’s review of other campaign finance records showed that most candidates typically report spending closer to $100 to 200 for hair and makeup. The Post cited as an example a top-rated salon New York’s Forest Hills charges $100 for event hair service, and $150 for professional makeup.
“AOC’s favorite slogan is ‘tax the rich,’ but her campaign spending shows she’d rather live like the 1%,” slammed RNC National Press Secretary Kiersten Pels told the Post. “It’s the latest reminder that her class-warfare message is little more than political theater propped up by high-priced makeovers.”
It’s not the first time the congresswoman has generated headlines connected to her appearances at high-end events.
Last year, the House Ethics Committee found she violated gift rules by accepting similarly pricey hair and makeup services during her infamous Met Gala attendance in 2021, where she famously wore her “Tax The Rich” gown. The committee chastised her for accepting more than $3700 in rented apparel and other gifts for the event
The congresswoman’s campaign did not return the newspaper’s requests for comment.
However, in a 2019 Instagram video, she complained of a double standard among men and women when it came to making oneself presentable to the public.
“Women are expected to put 30 minutes to an hour into their appearance every day to look just as presentable as a man who puts in 10 minutes,” she told her followers.
In a “beauty secrets” tutorial she did five years ago for Vogue and posted on social media as a “guide to her signature red lip,” the New York congresswoman complained it was “so hard” as a young woman to be treated seriously in congress.
“There’s this really false idea that if you care about makeup or if your interests are in beauty and fashion, that that’s somehow frivolous,” she said.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
