“REAL WOMEN VOTE FOR TRUMP”: THE ATTEMPTS OF MODERN CONSERVATISM TO RETAIN COLLEGE WOMEN

Abstract

Communities of conservative women have endured throughout modern history, despite being surrounded by assumptions tying feminism to liberalism. Conservative women persist, handing down traditional values across generations, surviving even within the consistently liberal environment of college campuses. This persistence is encouraged by adult conservative women and strategic outreach efforts by the Republican Party, targeted to resonate with college women. A survey of college women aligns with the existing literature, giving insight into distinct behavioral patterns between conservative and liberal young women. Social media analysis reveals the effective marketing strategies employed by conservative female influencers to engage their demographic, using their lifestyles and beliefs as core components. Unlike their liberal counterparts, conservatives productively merge personal branding with ideological messaging, resonating with young feminine women inclined towards traditional values. This approach, absent in the majority of liberal branding, uses the relationships between ideology, gender, and social media influence to retain college women to conservatism.