Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley is the latest subject of internet Photoshop battles in response to comments he made last week accusing the left of "hurting the future of the American man."
And this week, Hawley made clear during an appearance on Axios on HBO that he intends to make toxic masculity a signature political issue, telling the documentary news series that the left is telling people like him that their masculinity is "inherently problematic."
You can hear his latest remarks in the video below.
Josh Hawley Mansplains Masculinity | The Mehdi Hasan Showwww.youtube.com
Hawley's remarks attracted the attention of Rick Wilson, the co-founder of The Lincoln Project, a political action committee dedicated to repudiating the rhetoric of former President Donald Trump and defeating all Republicans in close races running for re-election in the United States Senate.
Wilson sarcastically quipped that he hoped "no one photoshops Josh Hawley in drag makeup," saying that would "be totally wrong for the champion of American masculinity."
I hope no one photoshops Josh Hawley in drag makeup.
That would be totally wrong for the champion of American masculinity.
Totally. Wrong.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) November 8, 2021
Fortunately for Wilson—and unfortunately for Hawley—the internet loves a good challenge.
Twitter users proceeded to give Hawley the sort of drag makeovers that would make the hosts of Rupaul's Drag Race very proud.
Among the more prominent submissions was one from a Twitter user whose Photoshop job made good use of the now infamous photo of Hawley greeting a mob of Trump supporters who stormed the United States Capitol on January 6 with a fist-bump.
I would never.
Never. pic.twitter.com/UF0IjKu7Ab
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) November 8, 2021
Others, however, proved that they were more than up to the challenge. Hilarity ensued.
Oops. pic.twitter.com/uubfP3qFu6
— Jude (@jnicky63) November 8, 2021
Here ya go Rick. It's the best I could do on a rush job. pic.twitter.com/cQdhp4cWt6
— Calico Anabelle and her hooman cat daddy Nat! (@CollinsLedger) November 8, 2021
Priscilla, Queen of the Senate pic.twitter.com/jsPTXyZqvm
— ⚽️ SEV (@SevThPark) November 8, 2021
pic.twitter.com/acr8x1eXLP
— Cheia Keeta @littleketa 🍂🍂🌺🦃🪶🪶💉💉💉🤎 (@CheiaKeeta) November 8, 2021
Your wish is my command pic.twitter.com/JH6GNbEevy
— Cold Queen of Destruction (@JaneNel34178882) November 8, 2021
Oops pic.twitter.com/WVPn3VEXA5
— Medhi 🌊 (@ML3democrats) November 8, 2021
pic.twitter.com/ggq918pDoG
— Karen Asselin 🇺🇸🇱🇹 (@TwinHorseMom) November 8, 2021
Here you go…👇🏼👍😉🤣😅 pic.twitter.com/i7DcmNkC3S
— Beyond My 4 Walls (@VWalls4) November 8, 2021
Hawley has been the subject of considerable derision since he, while speaking at the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando, Florida, claimed that the left wants to give the United States "a world beyond men."
He went further, saying:
"The Left know what they believe. They believe that America is a systemically racist, structurally oppressive, hopelessly patriarchal kind of place."
"It's a dystopia, if only Americans would get woke enough to see it. It's a nation that needs to be taught how unjust it truly is and after that, rebuilt from top to bottom."
In perhaps his speech's oddest moment, Hawley claimed that this line of thought has put the men of the country "in crisis":
"This is an effort the Left has been at for years now. And they have had // alarming success. American men are working less, getting married in fewer numbers; they're fathering fewer children."
"They are suffering more anxiety and depression. They are engaging in more substance abuse. Many men in this country are in crisis, and their ranks are swelling."
"And that's not just a crisis for men. It's a crisis for the republic."
"Because the problem with the Left's assault on the masculine virtues is that those self-same qualities, the very ones the Left now vilify as dangerous and toxic, have long been regarded as vital to self-government."
Hawley's remarks have been criticized as a "conspiratorial vision" and amplification of the ongoing culture wars between Republicans and Democrats.
They also serve as obfuscation for the role he played ahead of the January 6 insurrection.
Hawley was the first Senator to object to the certification of President Joe Biden's electoral win.
While he has since claimed he doesn't agree with former President Trump's lie that the 2020 general election was fraudulent, he has issued contradictory and unrepentant statements likening the left to a "woke mob."