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(CNN) – As soon as Kamala Harris took the stage in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday night, social media was full of posts about her outfit. It was a significant sign, for better or worse, of the public scrutiny that her clothing style will face for years to come.
But while the VP-elect’s acceptance speech will surely, and rightly be, remembered for the inspirational words offered to women in the United States and around the world, the commentary on her wardrobe wasn’t as trivial as it might seem. Because instead of distracting from her words, the white trouser suit and blouse with a bow served to reinforce her message of unity and emancipation.
On a night Harris attributed to women who came before her – “I lean on her shoulders,” she said of those who fought for the right to vote in the early 20th century and the “new generation” who had exercised. those rights last week – it also channeled its symbolism.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrives to address the nation in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, November 7. (Credit: Robert Deutsch / USA Today / Bloomberg / Getty Images)
White has long been associated with the women’s suffrage movement, adopted as a symbol of moral purity alongside green for hope and purple for dignity. He also pointed to his spirit of non-violence, an olive branch for those threatened by his then radical calls for political equality.
But Saturday night wasn’t just about the women’s vote. Harris, the first black and South Asian vice president-elect, was inspired by Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968, who wore white when she was elected. It was on the shoulders of Geraldine Ferraro, dressed completely in white to accept the role of running mate of Walter Mondale in his presidential campaign of 1984. And also on the shoulders of Hillary Clinton, who wore a trouser suit. target of signing to accept Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.
Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to Congress, dressed in white. (Credit: Pictorial Parade / File Photos / Getty Images)
Harris’s very deliberate choice was a gesture of solidarity with the long line of women who defied America’s expectations in politics. It showed that the vice president-elect is not seen as an exception to the rule, but rather as part of a continuum, of the slowly bending “arc of the moral universe”, as President-elect Joe Biden said in his speech, citing Martin Luther. King Jr.
Kamala Harris’ white dress
Harris’s bow blouse also had historical weight. It evoked Margaret Thatcher’s powerful attire, which she wore hers like her male colleagues wore ties, a fitting metaphor for how the former British Prime Minister co-opted and remade the boys’ club rules of 1980s British politics. More recently, Melania Trump’s choice of the classic boss at very particular moments, namely a summit against cyberbullying and a presidential debate shortly after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, they speculated. some (hopefully, perhaps), thin beards aimed at her husband’s infamous boast.
Margaret Thatcher sports her signature bow tie. Philippe ACHACHE / Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images
The vice president-elect was clearly looking beyond the Trump era to something more universal. But her dress, presumably created by American designer Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera, spoke of recent history in other ways as well.
Democratic Party women have continually dressed in white in silent protest against a president they see as a threat to their rights. In Trump’s joint speech to Congress in 2017, a group of lawmakers synchronized their dresses to raise awareness of women’s issues, including reproductive rights and equal pay.
They did it again in subsequent State of the Union speeches, the most recent in February of this year, when lawmakers marked a century since the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote (although women of color they would have faced voting barriers. for decades more). Even the image of Nancy Pelosi dressed in white sarcastically clapping behind the president a year earlier, as a large group of congressmen dressed in white sat in front of him, will live long in the memory. Harris was also standing on his shoulders.
Democratic representatives dressed in white during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in February 2020 (Credit: Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg / Getty Images)
As the vice president takes office, which has been communicating through men’s formal wear standards for more than 230 years, Harris’ wardrobe options will continue to generate discussion. Attention may not be welcome, but lack of precedent may also be liberating. She has the opportunity to remake the role in her own image, creating a reference point for the many women who will inevitably follow in her footsteps. As she told the crowd in Delaware, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last.”
Harris has already offered snapshots of his more casual side, most notably his apparent preference for Converse sneakers. While her Instagram account is heavily populated by the dark trouser suits she has traditionally preferred, a video posted shortly after her expected victory was announced shows her in training gear as she celebrates with Biden on the phone (“What a we did, Joe! ‘) This kind of lighthearted moment is a requirement of the social media age, but it offered something refreshing and deprived of the usual refined style.
Understandably, many female leaders have denounced public questions about their fashion choices. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has raged against double standards, denouncing “letter writing” instigated by teams apparently selected to divert attention. Former British Prime Minister Theresa May, meanwhile, has spent much of her prime ministerial post subject to sensational unwarranted criticism of impromptu elections that would have been ignored had they been held by a male counterpart.
However, only the most blind political observers can deny the power of clothing if leaders choose to harness it.
The women’s suffrage movement used white as a symbol of moral purity and non-violence. (Credit: George Rinhart / Corbis / Getty Images)
On the most important stages and at the most crucial moments, political women have embraced unspoken symbolism, whether Jacinda Ardern wears a hijab in an act of unity with Muslims after the Christchurch terror attack, or deputy Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez applies a red lipstick as “war paint” while challenging a fellow representative for alleged sexism.
On Saturday night, Harris not only demonstrated that he is aware of this power, but that he is not afraid to exploit it.
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