Ivanka Trump is a successful businesswoman, mother of three, and daughter of the forty-fifth President of the United States of America. She has a fashion line in which she sells clothes and accessories for working women. Not only is she arguably a leader of the female working population, but she is also a pristine example of a successful entrepreneur.

However, after some of President Trump’s controversial statements targeted women and other groups of different ethnical and racial backgrounds, Ms. Trump and her company became a target for activists. The individuals and companies targeting Ms. Trump are doing so unjustly, as she is a separate person and should not be held accountable for her father’s comments.

Ms. Trump attended several well-established secondary and post-secondary schools, including the Chapin School, Choate Rosemary Hall, Georgetown University, and the University of Pennsylvania. After working briefly as a model and an actress on Apprentice 5, Ms. Trump settled down with her family and her company, Ivanka Trump, which sells women’s accessories [1]. The company has not existed without controversy in the past: it was held accountable for supposedly copying other designs [2]. The People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals (PETA) and other animal rights activist groups also publically called out the company for using rabbit fur in its scarves [3].

However, since President Trump’s 2016 election campaign, his daughter’s fashion line has seemingly decreased in popularity.

“At first, it seemed like her brand was going to flourish and be helped by her father’s presidency, but instead stores are stopping sales of her line,” Rajvi Shah ‘20 says. Companies such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Belk, Jet, and others stopped selling or decreased the sale of Ivanka Trump’s clothes online and in stores [4]. Some did not give any reasons as to why they stopped selling the merchandise, while others said it was just not bringing in enough profit.

Still, there is no doubt that Ms. Trump’s father’s presidential career has impacted her business. President Trump even addressed the issue, saying the treatment of his daughter is “unfair” [5]. However, one should not only consider Ms. Trump’s surname when evaluating her company. The fashion industry is difficult to survive in and Ms. Trump has made it by investing devotion and time, despite the common belief that she depends solely on her last name.

“[Ms. Trump] should probably stand up for herself or at least disconnect herself from this negative influence that is brought upon her,” John Lee ‘20 states.

[1] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1477533/bio    

[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ivanka-trump-sued-copycat-shoe-designs_us_576ac4b5e4b09926ce5d54c2

[3] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3451923/PETA-hits-pregnant-Ivanka-Trump-shocking-use-real-rabbit-fur-hat-design-urging-right-thing-stick-faux.html

[4] www.businessinsider.com/companies-that-dropped-ivanka-trump-2017-2

[5] https://www.thestreet.com/story/13994929/1/president-trump-says-nordstrom-treated-ivanka-unfairly.html