San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
POWER DRESSING, 2019 EDITION
When the 116th U.S. Congress was sworn in in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3, it was one of the most diverse, and the most female, ever. In addition to a historic 102 women representatives, there was expanded ethnic and religious representation, including the first two Muslim women and the first Native American woman in congressional history. Freshman representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also became the youngest female member of Congress ever at age 29. As has become ever-more prevalent in politics — especially for women — the clothes some of the buzziest new members of Congress wore were more than fashion statements. They communicated much about the new representatives’ personal stories, identities and perhaps even their politics.
But while some on social media objected to covering the female politicians’ fashion choices as sexist, Style believes that in 2019, a dress, a thobe (a traditional Palestinian garment) or a hijab are more than just pieces of clothing. They are a method of communication — a way that politicians are using optics to tell their stories and convey their messages. As such, thoughtful discussion and decoding of fashion are a necessary part of reporting. Please tell social media to hold their outrage for the real perpetrators of sexism. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wore a white pantsuit that recalled several other female lawmakers and their homages to both the Facebook group Pantsuit Nation and Hillary Clinton’s signature pantsuits on the presidential campaign trail, and also the American suffragettes, who wore white in their marches for women’s right to vote. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, wore a jacket made from traditional African kente cloth. Kente cloths were also worn by members of the Congressional Black Caucus at the 2018 State of the Union address in protest of disparaging comments President Trump made about African countries.