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In case you haven’t been keeping track, Review Weekly’s very own Rachel Brewson has become something of an internet sensation!
It all started back in December when Rachel published a personal essay on xoJane entitled I’m a Giant Liberal But I’m in Love with a Republican. In the article, Rachel documented her relationship with her conservative boyfriend Todd.
She described how the couple had found love despite their political differences:
On our third date, we eventually got around to politics. We’d skirted the subject before, but not in any detail. Of course, I started off on the usual tangent and expected Todd to play along. He didn’t.
Moments later we were in a heated debate, initially about healthcare but quickly escalating into other areas. I felt my fantasy slipping away. I was confronted with a cold, hard reality: The man I was falling in love with was a Republican…
The article went viral, with over 3,000 shares and 1,000 comments on the xoJane site alone (and a lot more across social media). The article was syndicated on Thought Catalog, where it received many more shares.
Rachel hit a nerve with her exploration of the personal and the political. The article was especially topical coming as it did at the beginning of Primary Season.
Perhaps the article generated so much debate because Americans are now more politically polarized than ever, or perhaps readers were simply jealous of Rachel and Todd’s ability to put aside their petty differences.
Whatever the reason for the article’s success, Rachel was soon forced to eat humble pie when her relationship hit a rough patch. Not long after the article was published, Rachel and Todd found their political differences becoming more and more irreconcilable. Todd’s embrace of Donald Trump was a bridge too far for Rachel, and she finally decided to end the relationship after an awkward public spat at a friend’s party.
The breakup was documented in another personal essay for xoJane, Donald Trump Ruined My Relationship, where Rachel cited Trump’s bigotry for triggering a decline in the couple’s political arguments as well as political debate in general:
As the Republican field narrowed and Trump became a viable option for the nomination, Todd’s attitude began to change. Maybe Trump was on to something…
For me, Trump’s racist comments are a bridge too far. We’d watch the debates and argue — that was nothing new. But there was something unsettling about his new interest in Trump. We’d sit on the couch and he’d spend hours on Twitter, scoffing at “Hillary trolls.” We’d always enjoyed a good argument, but now there was a hint of chauvinism and condescension. The wit and charm I fell in love with seemed to have dulled.
This article also went viral, receiving thousands of shares and over 800 comments on the xoJane site, and was syndicated on Yahoo News.
Following its publication, Rachel received media requests from several high-profile television programs and was featured on ABC’s Nightline. The segment was a wild success, and featured some high-tension moments between Rachel and Todd, along with women from the #VoteTrumpGetDumped campaign.
In the meantime, Rachel has become a regular contributor to high-profile sites like xoJane, Elite Daily and Thought Catalog and is working on some exciting new projects.
Stay tuned for more of Rachel here at Review Weekly, and around the web!
