Fashion creates and displays identity whether that is religious, cultural, or social and these sartorial choices can shape politics. The wardrobe of politicians including Sanders and Trump cement their beliefs and communicate to the American people what they stand for. In the election, the fashion of politicians cannot be ignored. Think Pieces. We're fans not critics. Sign up for i-D's regular newsletter updates. Then we can go even further and we can plead our case.
Then we can tell our story, then we can speak truth to power. Many of the trailblazing women who came before Harris used fashion as a tool for commanding attention in what was then a nearly all-male field. There was Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and, in , the first woman to run for president , who wore bold geometric prints and cat-eye glasses to speak out against racism and the Vietnam War.
At this year's inauguration, Rep. Barbara Hall D. Neither women shied away from bright colors — even or perhaps especially when facing down rooms of men in dark suits. Most notable throughout this past year, though, has been Pelosi's collection of masks: Since mandating face coverings on the floor of the House to combat the spread of the coronavirus, she has made a point of coordinating her masks with her outfits. The protective accessories — printed with butterflies, florals, and arty brush strokes, and often purchased from a local shop called Donna Lewis — have been a stylish bit of flair, yes.
He supported a bill to introduce a tax on transfers of professional athletes. The new regulation does not change the exemption from wearing ties and jackets in the chamber. That battle was fought and won in by the Sans-cravates movement, a nod to the sans-culottes of the French Revolution. There are no specific provisions for French female politicians.
Duflot said afterward:. A jacket and tie are recommended for men and appropriate clothing for women. Sandals and sneakers are prohibited for all elected officials. Until , appropriate dress meant that congresswomen as well as all staff and journalists around the chamber were not allowed to wear sleeveless tops or dresses, except with jackets. They gathered on the steps of the Capitol and eventually obtained from Paul Ryan, then Speaker of the House, the withdrawal of the unwritten rule.
Accused of sexism, he defended himself by indicating that while decorum was important , it was indeed time to modernize the dress code. But importantly, it was also a direct challenge to a white supremacist power structure that endeavored to keep black people at the bottom of the social hierarchy. There were laws in the United States at times that required Black people and slaves to dress in clothing that was considered appropriate to their status — which was the lowest status.
They adopted new styles that were suited to a new style of activism. Black Panthers wore black leather jackets and turtlenecks, berets and sunglasses. How do you see dress codes changing, given the new world we are currently living in?
Another interesting area is post pandemic and what happens to the norms of workplace attire in the era of the Zoom call. But interestingly, another thing that developed was a kind of subtle new dress code that involved, not the clothing itself, but what was behind you in the room and how one should style the background of their Zoom call in order to communicate messages. That is very much like a different kind of dress code but your kitchen, dining room or living room are part of that public persona.
I teach employment discrimination and civil rights law and a surprising number of legal disputes have involved people challenging a dress code of some kind. For instance, women challenging workplace dress codes that required high heels or makeup or people of color challenging dress codes that outlawed preferred hairstyles that are suitable to the texture of their hair, like braids or locks. Another thing that was very striking to me about these complaints was the intensity with which people fought the dress codes.
People were willing to lose their jobs disputing workplace dress code and meanwhile, employers were willing to lose a valued employee trying to impose such a dress code.
I wanted to understand why people felt so strongly about clothing, fashion and self-presentation. The second reason is more personal.
I grew up interested in fashion based on the influence of my father who actually trained as a tailor. This was at a time when African Americans often learned both a profession and a trade — the idea was they would have a trade to fall back on in case racial exclusion kept them from the profession of their choice.
He never actually worked as a tailor but he learned the craft and he understood the importance of high-quality clothing. He also deeply internalized the importance of self-presentation, which was especially important for a black man growing up during the era of Jim Crow and in the era just after our civil rights laws were passed, where overt racial prejudice was still common and racial stereotypes everywhere. I saw for him how important it was to present himself in a manner that was dignified, refined and reflected his own sense of self, but also what he needed in order to negotiate a still fairly hostile society.
Image attributions in the banner: Civil rights march on Washington, D. Stephanie Ashe, Stanford Law School: sashe law. Oriana Skylar Mastro has built two careers simultaneously: one as an academic, the other, as a service member in the U.
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