The presidential election is drawing nearer, and soon it will be time to elect a candidate to represent both of the major political parities. Unlike the Republicans, who continue to have many figures of various backgrounds in the race, the Democratic party have just two obvious front runners: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Both Bernie and Hillary are non-traditional candidates, with Bernie being a self-described socialist, and Hillary being a woman. The problem is, Hillary is using this to her advantage and giving herself an unfair gain over her opponents. Hillary Clinton’s campaign is too heavily dependent on her gender, and is run largely on hypocritical sexism.

Hillary has been quoted numerous times throughout her campaign suggesting the idea that voters should consider her purely on the idea that it’s time for a woman to be in the White House. In 2016, most Americans hope as a country we have progressed to the point where a woman could be elected just as easily as a man, however Hillary’s campaign suggests a woman should be elected with more ease than a man based on gender alone. This concept is inadvertently sexist within itself. Hillary’s campaign being dependent upon feminism, means it is also dependent upon sexism.

Hillary started off her campaign with her idea of feminism firmly set, and began using that idea right away. At the first democratic debate last October she said, “Finally fathers will be able to say to their daughters, you too can grow up to be President.”

This quote directly represents Hillary’s belief that voters should consider her based on her gender alone. She continues to pursue the concept that it’s essential for women to see a woman in office if they wish to progress as a whole, but what she does not to realize is she is directly teaching young girls to be sexist when providing answers such as this. The idea that Americans should vote for her because she is a woman is supporting the idea that it is okay to make decisions based on gender as a sole principle. This provides a classic example of sexist ideals, which ironically enough is the very thing Hillary claims her campaign is attempting to put an end to.

“Her campaign is not feminist at all when she’s encouraging women to vote for other women. I think it’s sexist, because why would I vote for a woman solely because she is a woman? I would never vote for a man because he’s a man, solely because of his gender,” junior Maia Carter explained.

Hillary has another weapon fueling her campaign, in addition to the gender card. Combing feminism with celebrity endorsements has given her much success. Famous young woman to publicly support Hillary include Demi Lovato, Beyonce, Olivia Wilde, Jennifer Lopez, and most notably Lena Dunham. Dunham has been very vocal in encouraging women to vote for Hillary, saying “Our first female president would send a message that we are here. We are ready to lead.”

Dunham has also been quoted, “Nothing gets me angrier than when someone implies that I’m voting for Hillary Clinton simply because she’s female, as if I have some feminist version of beer goggles—let’s call it estrogen blindness. This assumption is condescending at best and hideously misogynistic at worst.”

When comparing these statements side by side, Dunham’s hypocrisy becomes quite apparent. Her support has lead her to tell hundreds of thousands of women to vote Hillary because having a woman in the White House is something our country must do in order to prove ourselves to other countries around the world. She also supports Hillary due to the fact that she speaks of  prioritizing social issues surrounding woman above all else, and these issues must come before any others, specifically economic. Dunham claims that implying an idea she herself has directly implemented is misogynistic, while speaking of prioritizing women’s needs over all other in this country is a direct example of misandry.

According to the Center for American Women and Politics, exit polls revealed 53 percent of voters were women in 2012, making female voters the majority. When it comes time to make a decision this November, women need to consider how important each individual vote is. It’s true that putting a women in office would be a sign of how far our country has come, and provide an example of American feminism for the rest of the world. However, that’s all it would be, a sign. Electing Hillary to put a women in the White House doesn’t actually do anything for women’s rights within itself. In order to truly eliminate gender inequality, voters need to put gender aside, and not take it into consideration when selecting a candidate to put in office. Our president should be elected based on their policies, and definitely not on their sexuality, race, or gender.

Electing Hillary for her gender and not her politics is sexist, and also dangerous. If America decides it’s okay to elect someone, while ignoring their promises and policies, our future officials could be misinformed and unqualified. Being an informed voter will not only help you feel better about your decision this election season, it will also help our country be in the care of the best people possible.