That ’70s political fashion show
IF EVER THERE was proof of the power of clothes to be storytellers in their own right, it’s Mrs America, the new TV series detailing the fight to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 1970’s USA. With a stellar cast including Rose Byrne (right), Sarah Paulson, Elizabeth Banks, Uzo Aduba and Cate Blanchett (below, left and right), you’d be forgiven for thinking that the costumes were simply an extension of each of the characters, designed to enhance the aesthetic of the show. But they’re so much more than that – they’re political signifiers that reveal the ideas held by the wearer, identifying which side of the culture war they’re on, either for or against the advancement of women’s rights.
Take, for example, Rose Byrne’s Gloria Steinem, arguably the most famous of feminists, as renowned for her centreparted hair and aviator glasses as she is her ideology. She, like the other women campaigning for the ERA, is dressed in bold patterns, corduroy and jeans, as opposed to Cate Blanchett’s Phyllis Schlafly and her fellow conservatives, strictly anti-era and wearing A-line skirts, pastel colours and conservative blouses. As Bina Daigeler, the show’s costume designer, explains, ‘I wanted to draw a strict line between the “antis” and “pros”, [so it was] easy for the audience to understand who is on which side. I really think that the way a woman dresses often reflects her ideas and her way of being.’
Lyst reports that searches for ’70s-inspired trends spiked by 63% in late April, when Mrs America first launched in the US and, since then, searches for oversized aviators, flared jeans and pussybow dresses have been among the most popular. It makes sense: the ’70s aesthetic has also featured prominently on the catwalk over recent seasons; the flared jeans of the ‘libbers’, as they’re known, could be seen prominently in Celine’s recent spring/ summer collection, perhaps indicative of our own age of political activism.
‘The fashion throughout Mrs America is very much aligned with the fashion we are seeing today, especially from the most recent A/W ’20 shows,’ explains Libby Page, senior market editor at Net-a-porter. ‘There was a nostalgic take on’ 70s dressing, from matching twinsets (yes, I mean that Khaite cashmere set) to cropped cardigans, peplum jackets and tea dresses.’
It’s easy, then, to channel the fighting spirit of Mrs America’s leading women through your clothes, whether you’re looking to fashion’s leading designers or the high street. Just remember that your outfit could say a lot more about you than you may care to give away – you might think you’re throwing on a simple mididress or pair of flares, but this time, it’s political.
I AM A FAN OF Kanye West’s music, but I don’t pay much attention to his personal life. I quite literally cannot keep up with the Kardashians – I’m not even sure how many there are. But it has been impossible to avoid the controversy around West’s series of (now deleted) tweets accusing his wife of infidelity; speculating on divorce; and calling his mother-in-law a ‘white supremacist’. He’s also launched an ostensible bid for President at a chaotic event.
West has bipolar disorder, a mood disorder, and has spoken eloquently about it in the past. I, too, have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed in my late teens and the nature of the illness has changed for me over time. The manias have lessened as I have become older. I have always had significant depressive episodes, but I now have ‘mixed’ episodes. These tend to encompass the heightened energy and grandiose ideas one would find in a manic episode, but also the melancholy of depression. I become angry and irritated, rather than experiencing the manias in my youth when – I thought, at least – I was having a grand old time.
Two years ago, West gave an interview to Jimmy Kimmel in which he said that his form of the illness tends towards mostly manic episodes. These are usually the ones where, though family and friends can see something is amiss, the person themselves will not seek help. It’s perhaps what Kim Kardashian West referenced in the brilliant statement she put out following Kanye’s tweets; she included the point that ‘family is powerless unless the member is a minor’.
There are many misconceptions about bipolar disorder, as there are with other severe mental illnesses. Thankfully, the public now has a greater understanding of conditions such as depression and anxiety – also so debilitating – but as West has said in the past, bipolar is a complex illness and it isn’t easy to understand. He’s written and talked about his experiences with medication, hospitalisation, thought patterns. Indeed, I am adjusting to an altered dose of medication because bipolar has to be constantly managed.
It is also important for the public not to speculate. I am being very careful to only reference things West himself has said, or those close to him. The only people who can truly know when West’s behaviour tips into clinically diagnostic behaviour are those who know him IRL. Kim rightly said that people ‘far removed from this experience can be judgmental’.
Social awareness campaigns and hashtags are all very well – and have helped a lot – but it’s just a fact that mental illnesses affect a person’s behaviour. Sometimes that behaviour is unpalatable. As a society, we do not seem to have fully acknowledged this. One can argue that mental illness can’t be seen as an excuse, but quite often it’s an explanation. The scariest thing about episodes of illness for me is the sense that I am losing my identity. This means my views start to shift in ways I don’t recognise. It also means that when I stabilise, I am often left ashamed or guilt-ridden.
As Kim put it in her statement: ‘We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most.’ Precisely.