Fashion: The Neglected Political Tool

AOC wearing her 2021 Met Gala dress with Brother Vellies designer Aurora James. Photographed by Jun Lu.

Looking back at 2021, the fashion statement that caused the most controversy at the Met Gala was not Kim Petras’ horse headdress or even Kim Kardashian’s head-to-toe black suit, but rather Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Brother Vellies gown. The dress, designed by Aurora James, was an off-the-shoulder mermaid gown that, across the back, featured the phrase “TAX THE RICH” in bold, red writing (Spellings). The dress was not a random fashion choice, but a strategic political move to gain support and attention for her economic positions as a debate on the budget and reconciliation bill began. AOC successfully gained attention from fashion and news media sources alike. From Vogue to CNN, AOC monopolized headlines; something which could not have been accomplished with a simple dark pantsuit.

Media coverage of women politicians’ appearances is often seen as a disadvantage that reduces the audience’s perception of their competency and takes away from their legitimacy and policy points (Van Dembroucke 8-9). However, these media practices as well as the norm of fashion strongly perpetrating femininity, women in politics are strategically placed to use fashion as a political tool in a way that men simply are not. Women in politics can manipulate their appearances as a mechanism for change, instead of conforming to fashion norms that have traditionally held them down. This weaponization includes using fashion to draw attention to policies and political issues, like AOC did at the 2021 Met Gala, and utilizing fashion to enhance the impacts of symbolic representation and the role-modeling effect, ultimately aiding in the movement of eligible women candidates to the aspirant stage in the political recruitment model.

Why Fashion Matters

Fashion is not a frivolous expression of self-identity but a form of communication, and it has long been intertwined with politics (Titton). From American flag lapel pins in the 18th century to pink pussy hats in the 21st century, it is obvious that fashion has meaning. It is through fashion that power and politics are made most visible (Haulman 2; Titton; Behnke 116). However, women in politics have been missing out on this powerful form of communication as they often concede to the underlying norm of proper business attire being a neutral pantsuit and succumb to dawning a “sober look in order in order to swim the male-dominated waters of political life” (Van Dembroucke 9). Women in politics are faced with an unfortunate double bind surrounding how they dress, as they will be criticized if they dress masculine and criticized if they dress feminine; ultimately though, women falling in line with the male power structure of workplace dress is not a solution. Dark suits are heavily symbolic of a hegemonic structure in which men sit at the top (Flicker). These suits are largely regarded as a political standard of dress which functions as a symptom of women’s historic exclusion from politics and high-profile positions (Behnke 116). Therefore, when women wear these suits, not because they choose to but because it is what's expected of them, they are simply reestablishing antiquated norms and showing compliance towards this power structure. There are certainly negative impacts of doing the opposite and associating with feminine forms of dress, yet by only focusing on these negatives, the positives are ignored. Instead of reinforcing the power of the suit, it would be prudent for women in politics to take advantage of fashion as a specialized form of political communication.

Democratic congresswomen wear white to Trump's joint address to congress. Photographed by Office of Congresswoman Lois Frankel.

Fashion as Policy Promotion

AOC’s move at the 2021 Met Gala was not the first time a woman in Congress has utilized fashion to gain public attention. In the U.S. in 2017, several Democratic women representatives wore white, a color symbolic of the suffragette movement, to Trump’s joint address to Congress. This was not just an act of solidarity, but rather a move to raise awareness and support for reproductive rights, child care, and equal pay, among other issues (Kenny). The media, by placing such an emphasis on women politicians’ appearances, has given women the ability to use fashion to showcase their policies in this way. While men may attempt to use fashion for political communication, it would not be as successful for two reasons. First, as asserted by Mary Douglas Vavrus, “political men are seldom described in this fashion [with reference to their appearances and personalities]” (Van Dembroucke 9). Second, even if a man did gain widespread media attention for an out-of-the-box fashion choice, it is likely to be against the norms of fashion and masculinity (Behnke). Therefore, the reception would be poor and ineffective in meeting its goal. When fashion as a political statement is implemented by women, however, they are only breaking the perceived norm of professionalism, as femininity and fashion are inexplicably tied together. The reception is then more focused on the issue they’re pointing to rather than the norms they’re breaking.

Fashion as Representation

Kyrsten Lea Sinema's D-AZ being sworn in by former Vice-President Mike Pence. Photographed by Zach Gibson/Getty Images.

Fashion is not used by women politicians to exclusively communicate policy but also to communicate who is fit for the political realm. The fashion choices of politicians, therefore, have the potential to strengthen by symbolic representation and the role-modeling effect. Behnke argues that fashion not only showcases individual identity but also “locates the subject in relation to and part of the wider collective…dress can symbolize, generate and engender collective identities, such as political, social and nationalist identities” (Behnke 165).

Kyrsten Lea Sinema's D-AZ pre-swearing in look, featuring a pink coat and pink purse. Photographed by Elizabeth Landers.

For example, in 2019 Kyrsten Lea Sinema’s D-AZ swearing-in look was heavily feminine with elements of ‘pin-up’ style, which is symbolic of the LGBTQ+ community (Cauterucci). Sinema is the first openly bisexual senator, and while claiming this identity does offer symbolic representation, visually claiming it and choosing to make that her image through fashion takes everything a step further. It speaks louder and universally says that the LGBTQ+ have a political voice. If Sinema had shown up in a plain dark suit, this visual story would have been lost.

AOC at her swearing in for the 116th congress. Photographed by Win McNamee/Getty Images

An even more powerful example comes from AOC, who has made red lips and large gold hoop earrings her iconic look. These two style choices are heavily intentional as they hold strong cultural significance to the Latina community. When asked about this she responded in a tweet, “…Next time someone tells a Bronx girl to take off their hoops, they can just say they’re dressing like a congresswoman” (Ocasio-Cortez). This choice by AOC signals to young Latina girls that they too can be a politician, and that their style choices do not automatically define them as politically unfit. It is important for political recruitment that women see politicians that look like them in terms of not just identity and race but fashion and style as well. That visual cue has the potential to strengthen the role modeling effect and help to remove style as a deterrence from politics.

Fashion and style should not be seen as a hurdle that women politicians have to overcome but rather one of their most important tools. Their appearances should be utilized as an avenue to promote policy as well as to encourage other women to become active in politics.Women politicians should recognize that their style options range well beyond the traditional dark suit and that fashion can be used to their political advantage, while still being fabulous!

Works Cited

Behnke, Andreas. The International Politics of Fashion: Being Fab in a Dangerous World. Routledge, 2017.

Cauterucci, Christina. “Kyrsten Sinema Is Not Just a Funky Dresser. She's a Fashion Revolutionary.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 31 Jan. 2019, https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/01/kyrsten-sinema-fashion-boots.html.

Flicker, Eva. “Fashionable (Dis-)Order in Politics: Gender, Power and the Dilemma of the Suit.” International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, vol. 9, no. 2, 2013, pp. 201–219., https://doi.org/10.1386/macp.9.2.201_3.

Gibson/Getty Images, Zach. Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/for-nancy-pelosi-and-the-new-women-in-congress-fashion-was-a-defiant-statement-of-purpose--and-resistance/2019/01/03/0f8c2836-0f7a-11e9-831f-3aa2c2be4cbd_story.html.

Haulman, Kate. The Politics of Fashion in Eighteenth-Century America. University of North Carolina Press, 2011.

Kenny, Caroline. “Democratic Women Wear White to Trump's Address.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Mar. 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/28/politics/democratic-women-wear-white-donald-trump-speech/index.html

Landers/Twitter, Elizabeth [@ElizLanders]. Twitter, https://twitter.com/ElizLanders/status/1080846371140366337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1080846371140366337%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.harpersbazaar.com%2Fculture%2Fpolitics%2Fa25737896%2Fkyrsten-sinema-swearing-in-outfit%2F.

Lu, Jun. New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/style/aoc-met-gala-dress.html.

McNamee/Getty Images, Win. Allure, https://www.allure.com/story/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-red-lipstick-hoops-swearing-in-sonia-sotomayor-nail-polish.

Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [@AOC]. “Lip+hoops were inspired by Sonia Sotomayor, who was advised to wear neutral-colored nail polish to her confirmation hearings to avoid scrutiny. She kept her red. Next time someone tells Bronx girls to take off their hoops, they can just say they’re dressing like a Congresswoman. Twitter, 4 January 2019, https://twitter.com/aoc/status/1081284603850174467?lang=fr.

Office of Congresswoman Lois Frankel. Fortune, https://fortune.com/2017/02/28/democratic-women-white-trump-speech/.

Spellings, Sarah. “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Sent a Message with Her First Met Gala Appearance.” Vogue, Vogue, 13 Sept. 2021, https://www.vogue.com/article/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-met-gala-2021.

Titton, Monica. “Afterthought: Fashion, Feminism and Radical Protest.” Fashion Theory, vol. 23, no. 6, 2019, pp. 747–756., https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2019.1657273.

Van Dembroucke, Celina. “Exploring Media Representations of Argentina's President Cristina Fernández De Kirchner.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 14, no. 6, 2014, pp. 1056–1070., https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2014.882858.

Copyedited by Trinity Gates

Graphics by Ned Feininger