In an unparalleled moment for American politics, a President has, for the first time, become a felon, a felon who now seeks to become our next President. On May 31, a NYC Jury found Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony counts for falsifying the business records of hush payments made to adult film star, Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, squashing the threat of a looming scandal in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
It's hard to understate the significance of this against the backdrop of whitewashing within American politics and the infamous man himself, Donald J Trump. A man who once famously bragged about groping women, claiming his fame means he 'can do anything' he wants. For a long time, he did precisely that. As a white male businessman turned billionaire turned American President, he enjoyed a life free of any real repercussions for his words, behaviors, and actions. That was until a 2006 sexual encounter with Daniels, turned into a game of 'he said, she said,' and 18 years later, she refused to back down.
In a furious post-conviction response, Trump claimed the result was politically motivated saying, "This is bigger than me, bigger than Trump, bigger than my presidency." Ironically, this view rings true in part, but not quite the angle Trump is proposing. This may have a catalytic impact on politics and its actors, but it could also have far-reaching implications for women. For Daniels, it was a triumph not just against Trump but a moment of reckoning for a system that has long sided with powerful men and discriminated against women.
Not Your Average Feminist
Daniels is a woman who, like her accused, is also unadulterated in her pursuit of fame, wealth, and self-promotion. Throughout feminist history, icons have emerged from predictable places—the hallowed halls of academia, the forefront of political movements, or corporate boardrooms. Daniels who has built a career staring in and producing p*rn, is a far cry from the sort of hard-charging feminist that would typically send us into a swoon. But she is unashamed about who she is and what she wants. She is not portraying herself as selfless or even a victim. She's capitalizing on every opportunity presented by the scandal, from merchandise sales to movie promotions to her "Make America Horny Again "strip club tour, advertised by a flier that reads "He saw her live. You can too!"
There is an undeniable courage to her boldness, her blanket refusal to yield, be silenced, sidelined or ignored. She is a woman who will not be underestimated and will control her narrative. In a world that loves to brand women, she is not accepting the title of slu*t or superhero. She is imperfect, unashamed, and unapologetic. She is not the typical face of feminist admiration or sympathy.
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Yet, this is what makes this legal outcome so meaningful for women. Here we have a woman whose career is about maximizing sexual exposure, who has shown everyone what it means to have integrity and courage without an Ivy League degree or 'socially acceptable' career credentials. She challenged a status quo that had long survived on the power of shame and silence. Unlike the many women from more socially 'respectable' spaces who have tried to do so before her, Daniels won.
The question we as women should be asking now is, regardless of the political palaver, is there a lesson here in Stormy Daniels's attitude and courage? Could she represent a turning point for women in standing up to societal stigma?
No Accidental Hero
Stormy Daniels is a woman whose name has become synonymous with 'p*rn STAR.' However, she is anything but one-dimensional, which plays a huge part in understanding how she defied social norms and stood up to sexism. She is a mother, an equestrian, an author, director, actor, producer, philanthropist, comedian, and activist, and suddenly, she is also painted as an accidental feminist hero. Yet, in doing so, we are undermining the significance of what we can learn from her story because if Stormy Daniels is anything, it's a survivor. Like so many women challenged by poverty, there is nothing accidental about that. In a 60 Minutes interview, Daniels once said, "You are unlikely to find yourself in a Lake Tahoe hotel room spanking a 60-year-old reality television personality with a copy of Forbes and talking about a career level-up when you come from a home with two loving, ever-present, say, middle-manager parents." Daniels was a strong student. The daughter of a single mom, she chose a path created by class and circ*mstance but remained on by choice. Although not the one on trial, she defended that choice against a power that fosters outcomes based on a set of assumptions and intentions hinged on class and judgments. She won.
'Boys will be Boys'
As expected, this verdict against Trump has been highly divisive, with even some staunch Democrats questioning the selection of this case as the poor choice of the net to catch a man no stranger to legal accusation. Trump faces three other criminal trials and nearly half a billion dollars in civil penalties. His supporters say this is politically motivated and setting a dangerous precedent for what has become accepted in some other countries, with former Presidents being tried and convicted. The overall takeaway is that covering up indiscretions and buying silence is not new, unusual, and indeed not the sin of one man alone. Its the ' Ah boys will be boys' response. However Daniels proved this sentiment only lasts if we let it.
We all know, Donald Trump did not invent the "sleep with me, I'll get you more career opportunities" trick. The crime isn't the sex; it's the cover-up, but for Daniels Trumps crime was his attitude. She highlighted the role of sexual entitlement and presumption, which has enabled men (far beyond Trump) to exploit their influence and gaslight women as temptresses and liars.
The 'Nuts and slu*ts' Defense
This is what has come to be coined the 'nuts and slu*ts’ defense strategy, where women are branded crazy and manipulative. It's nothing new; it's an age-old story, and we know how all too often it ends. We have witnessed the treatment of women like Monica Lewinsky, the 22-year-old intern who had an affair with then-President Bill Clinton, was subject to intense public shaming and, ultimately publicly humiliated. She was dragged through a media fiasco, insulting everything from her intellect to her weight. Fox News polled viewers on whether they thought Lewinsky was an "average girl" or a "young tramp looking for thrills." Fifty-four percent rated her a tramp.
On the contrary, Clinton, who initially denied the accusations but later admitted they were true, saw barely a dent in his presidential popularity. Even against impeachment for trying to influence the testimony of Lewinsky and other witnesses, voters still thought he 'was doing a good job.' Arguably, the societal norms of 1998 and its political and cultural views on women have adjusted in recent years, especially in light of the explosive MeToo movement. Yet the recent decision to overturn the case against the man who catalyzed this very movement Harvey Weinstein, again displays just how shaky the foundations of justice are within a society and judicial system that often stigmatizes sex against women.
Nothing to Lose
It came as no surprise to see legal analysts comment that Trump's defense lawyer Susan Necheles use the 'nuts and slu*ts' approach to discredit the testimony of Stormy Daniels. In one particularly tense exchange, Necheles comments to Daniels, "You have a lot of experience making phony stories about sex," to which Daniels quipped back that if her story about sex with Trump "were untrue, I would have written it to be a lot better." This was one of several scattershot questions designed to paint Daniels as a liar and an opportunist. Daniels responded with remarkable candor and an unashamed level of confidence. Notably it was not their first legal battle, Daniels and Trump met in court before during a defamation lawsuit, which in 2023 she lost, leaving her responsible to pay his $121,972 in legal fees. Daniels appeared this time as a woman with nothing to lose, and no tolerance for stigma in her testimony. She cannot be shamed by sex. She has built a brand on it.
There is a moment here for us to think far beyond this case, and recognize the power of shame and stigma in many facets of female injustice, where sexuality is often weaponized against women to force silence and submission. For example, an estimated 95% of sexual assault and rape in the USA go unreported by women for fear they will not be believed or would face even graver repercussions. We should ask ourselves what would those statistics be if all women had the confidence of Stormy Daniels?
It is yet to be seen if a p*rn star will have rewritten the rules on women, sex, and power. But one thing is for sure, the impact of Stormy Daniels will reverberate far beyond her headlines to date. She has proven that champions of gender equality can arise from the unlikeliest of places, even places broadly discredited by many, including women. She demonstrated that women in every profession deserve respect and the right to speak their truth, embodying the most critical feminist principle: a woman's worth and right to fair and equal treatment is not defined by her profession or her past.
