The criticism weaponized against Ocasio-Cortez has often been sexist, classist, and racist instead of an intellectually honest effort to challenge her ideology as a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist. At its root, the pushback is related to how the right is largely terrified of the shifting demographics in the country. Ocasio-Cortez, a young Latina from a working class background, has become an avatar for those anxieties, particularly because she defeated one of the most powerful old, white men in the House and she hasn't shied away from speaking her truth. And while the conservative narrative frequently speaks to "pulling oneself by the bootstraps," Ocasio-Cortez and her family have received no praise for embodying that narrative. The 29-year-old's father was a small business owner and her mother cleaned houses ; both worked hard enough to uproot the family from the Bronx and relocate to Yorktown, where their daughter would have better opportunities. It worked: Ocasio-Cortez would eventually go to Boston University, and now, become the youngest congresswoman in history.