Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez foot photo identified by foot fetishists as someone else

The photo is actually of Sydney Leathers 

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Wednesday 09 January 2019 18:25 EST
Comments
Photo of feet identified as not belonging to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Getty)
Photo of feet identified as not belonging to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

In one of the weirdest controversies yet surrounding the youngest ever United States Congresswoman, a photo circulating that claimed to be of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s toes and legs in a bathtub has been proven to be a case of mistaken identity.

The photo in question, which was originally shared on Reddit and 4Chan, shows a woman’s feet and legs in a bathtub.

However, despite users suggesting the photo was originally uploaded by the New York Congresswoman to Instagram in 2016, as it was overlaid with the text “alexandria ocasio-cortez.instagram.post.9-3-2016,” a site dedicated to foot fetish photos was able to prove otherwise – with the photo actually belonging to model and political activist Sydney Leathers, Vice reported.

A 'Wikifeet' forum user was able to answer the question of whether it was actually Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s feet pictured by cross-referencing existing photos of the Congresswoman’s feet in sandals on Wikifeet with the circulating photo.

According to the user who pointed out that it was not Ms Ocasio-Cortez in the photo – it was as simple as noticing the differences in how the pictured feet were flexed and the length of the toes compared to what the politician’s feet actually look like.

“Because we can’t dorsi- or plantar-flex our second to fifth toes independently I knew it wasn’t a matter of the toe being bent,” the Wikifeet member explained to Vice. “I thought that maybe she has some form of brachydactyly but her Wikifeet page has clear evidence to the contrary. So it was clear to me that it wasn’t her feet.”

Brachydactyly is an inherited condition that results in the shortening of fingers and toes due to unusually short bones.

Leathers confirmed the photo belongs to her in a blog post on Washington Babylon, where she also apologised to the Congresswoman for the confusion.

“So I’m deeply sorry to her that internet misogynists used an old photo of mine to try and target her,” she wrote.

This is the latest attempt to shame Ms Ocasio-Cortez, after a video of the politician dancing on a roof resurfaced.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

While Ms Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged the dancing video and responded accordingly – with a new video of herself dancing – she has, understandably, not responded to the foot-related incident.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in