Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Totally Geeking Out While Visiting The U.S. Capitol

Elyse Wanshel
Updated

Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — the 29-year-old who made history earlier this month by becoming the youngest woman elected to Congress — is using Instagram Stories and Live features to give people a glimpse behind the daily life of a politician. And the results are delightfully relatable.

Ocasio-Cortez is currently in Washington D.C. for new member orientation, where members-elect gather for a two-week program, and she’s been updating her followers on the good, the bad and the stinky along the way.

When she arrived at orientation earlier this week, she confessed she’s been so busy that she hadn’t had time to wash her clothes. So, the congresswoman-elect kept it real and showed herself at a coin laundry. It was a moment people on Twitter absolutely connected with.

She’s clearly having a blast at orientation as well. On Tuesday, the progressive Democrat posted a story showing off a “swag bag” she received — clarifying that the bag is actually filled with “high security data devices,” including her new government-issued tablet and phone.

She lightheartedly referred to “new member orientation” as “freshman orientation” and, running with the joke, compared her new member directory to a freshman yearbook.

(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam )
(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam )

She also appears to be thoroughly enjoying her time nerding out in D.C. She took followers along on her tour of the Capitol building and pointed out cool books in the Library of Congress.

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(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam story )
(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam story )
(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam )
(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam )
(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam )
(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam )
(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam )
(Photo: Screengrab via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagam )

Since the midterm elections, Ocasio-Cortez has used the social media platform to chat with her followers about politics — even while listening to Janelle Monáe and making Instant Pot mac-n-cheese.

People find the transparency refreshing.

Beto O’Rourke, who lost the Senate race against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, has also mastered the art of using Instagram to appear more down-to-earth … and to solidify a “cool dad” vibe. He’s posted stories of him making slime with his daughter and snacking on chips and guacamole while driving.

Though Ocasio-Cortez’s youth has allowed her to connect deeply with her constituents in New York, D.C. appears to be underestimating her. In a recent tweet, she revealed that folks mistaken her for a “spouse” and “intern” instead of an elected member of Congress.

Here’s hoping she brings up the topic of ageism and misogyny during one of her “Instagram Live Cook + Q&A” sessions sometime soon.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.