Meet the Wendy Davis truthers

The Texas lawmaker looks a little different than she did 30 years ago, and one anonymous blog wants to know why

Published July 2, 2013 4:05PM (EDT)

Wendy Davis               (AP/Eric Gay)
Wendy Davis (AP/Eric Gay)

Wendy Davis claims to be a Democratic state senator representing Texas' 10th district, but what does the public really know about her? Sure, the public knows that she stood and talked for more than 11 hours in order to block a vote on a sweeping measure that would have made (and may still make) abortion virtually unavailable in Texas. And yeah, OK, the public knows that she is a Harvard-educated lawyer with a history of advocacy for women's health and reproductive rights.

But, does the public know if she's a natural blonde? Or if she wears eyeliner? No, they do not -- and that's where the Wendy Davis truthers come in.

An anonymous blog popped up over the weekend to ask these and many other important questions about the filibustering senator; questions that would no doubt be asked of any man in a similar position.

For example: Why does Davis look a little different than she did in law school?

Now consider Texas state Senator Wendy R. Davis, who has recently been in the news being touted (however dubiously) as the Left’s technologically enhanced “feminist superhero.” She is 50 years old. Yet ... it appears she gets better looking each day. If she has not found the Fountain of Youth, at minimum she has found very talented plastic surgeons and image consultants who have readied her for her closeup.

Somehow, during the past two decades she has been transformed from a frumpy, pleasant looking but plain-faced, flat-chested brunette with thick, messy hair, into a buxom blonde with excellent facial features and sleek, long, perfectly coiffed hair, like she stepped straight out of Vogue.

And if Davis is such a "feminist icon," why does she maybe wear makeup and dresses sometimes? (Feminists are not allowed to do this stuff, as dictated by the feminist rule book):

For someone who in the early 1990s was a feminist activist in law school, and who is currently posing as a champion of women’s rights, standing up to men who seek to dictate the way women should live, she seems to have devoted an unusual amount of attention to her physical appearance.

And, finally, is Davis maybe a witch who doesn't age? (Related: Did her witch magic contribute to her filibustering abilities, thus violating Texas Legislature rules?)

Current photos of Senator Davis depict someone who is not just more physically attractive, but who arguably seems younger  than the woman in her yearbook photo, even though that photo was taken 22 years ago. Her transformation is arguably more startling than that of women who have used plastic surgery in an effort to become “Human Barbie Dolls” (see, for example, “before” and “after” photos here). You be the judge:  Wendy Davis, superhero, or superfake “Human Barbie Doll”?

The blog has been up for more than three days, and, while Davis has been making the media rounds to discuss speculation that she'll run for governor, what's at stake if the 20-week abortion ban passes, and other issues related to her work in the Texas Legislature, she has yet to comment on her hair, her cosmetics use or whether or not she is a practicing pagan with supernatural abilities.

More to come as this story develops.


By Katie McDonough

Katie McDonough is Salon's politics writer, focusing on gender, sexuality and reproductive justice. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.

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