Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton held a conversation with families in Haverford, Pennsylvania along with her daughter Chelsea Clinton and actress Elizabeth Banks, and took the opportunity to speak out against Donald Trump's sexist and demeaning comments towards women and, in particular, their appearance.

During the discussion, 15 year-old student Brennan Leach asked Clinton how, if she were to be President, would she help young women understand that they're more than their looks.

'At my school, body image is a really big issue for girls my age. I see with my own eyes the damage Donald Trump does when he talks about women and how they look,' she said.

Hillary Clinton in conversation | ELLE UKpinterest
Getty Images

In response, the Democratic candidate congratulated Leech on the contentious issue to say:

'I am passionate about this too because we know that young women begin to get influenced at earlier and earlier ages by messages from the media. Forget your mind, forget your heart, care only about what you look like because that's all we care about. And we have to stand up against that — women and men, mothers and fathers, teachers, everybody.'

'My opponent insulted Miss Universe. I mean, how do you get more acclaimed than that?' Hillary joked, referring to Trump's recent comments towards former Miss Universe Alicia Machado.

xView full post on X

'But it wasn't good enough, so we can't take any of this seriously any more. We need to laugh at it, we need to refute it, we need to ignore it, and we need to stand up to it.'

'We have got to be as clear as possible, you are more than the way you look. You should be healthy, you should take care of yourself, but we're not all gonna end up Miss Universe, I hate to tell you. So let's be the best we can be. Let's be proud of who we are and let's help other women and girls be proud of who they are.'

As Caitlin Moran says, 'I cannot be what I cannot see' and, thankfully, Hillary is serving as an excellent role model for young women to look up to.

Watch Hillary's response below:

youtubeView full post on Youtube
Headshot of Katie O'Malley
Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.