Reply to Kamala Harris fashion as President

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]She is really sticking to neutrals so far on the campaign trail -- black and gray and white and tan and beige. It feels very much like a purposeful choice -- she has previously mixed in blues and purples with her campaign clothes.

She also seems to be leaning into slightly more masculine coded clothes. That asymmetric high neck blouse she wore for her first presidential campaign appearance is the most feminine thing she's worn -- everything else has been pretty free of feminine details. Her feminine touch is her jewelry but she has a strict wardrobe for it that's pretty traditional -- classic necklace in pearls or gold and matching earrings. She even eschewed the necklace when she wore the asymmetrical top. The lapel pins are also coded as masculine -- they are like the lapel pins many male politicans wear and do not look like a decorative brooch or a feminine pin.

I am curious to see how people respond to this sartorial approach. Other female presidential candidates have embraced color and more feminine details. Even Hilary wore a lot of bright colors on the campaign trail. I think it was viewed as a benefit for women to be able to stand out in that way since men are not "allowed" to wear a red or purple suit. But I guess there's also a risk there that people will reject it as different from what they know -- presidential voting choices tend to be very emotional and almost primal and Hilary's run really revealed how many people (men and women) have some deep-seated misogyny that stokes anger and rejection at feminine coding in a presidential candidate.

I think Harris' approach so far has been partly driven by her existing personal style but also there maybe a tactical campaign choice to avoid putting her in anythng that highlights the fact that she's a woman or that she is black (or that she is mixed race for that matter). Obviously people know these things about her but I wonder if they are trying to subtly avoid provoking internalized misogyny by keeping her as neutral and masculine coded as possible.

To be clear none of this is judgment (or approval). I am very intersted in fashion as communication and interested in how this translates for trailblazing female candidates. Ignoring fashion because you think it's sexist to discuss a female candidates clothes is ignorant in my opinion. Her fashion will impact her candidacy just like it will impact any man's candidacy. The difference is that male candidates have access to a prescribed uniform for being president and women don't. Discussing fashion and Harris as a candidate is one way of discussing how gender and gender coding impacts this election and Harris' chances and reception by the electorate. It's interesting.

If you are intersted in this kind of fashion analysis I highly recommend the book Queen of Fashion: What marie Antoinette wore to the Revolution. There's also a biography of Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire that incorporates a lot of the same analysis -- women have used fashion and presentationa has political tools for a long time. It's not frivolous BS. Politics is about communication and fashion is a form of communication.[/quote]
Here’s some blue from earlier this week!
[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GTyNCeQXgAEpf3M?format=jpg&name=small[/img][/quote]

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