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When Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, gender became a more important part of the race.
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According to experts, Harris’ clothes radiate a balance between “feminine, but not too feminine.”
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Trump understands the importance of visual communication and incorporates his ideology into his ‘loud’ style.
If Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump ever stand side by side on the debate stage, viewers from their living rooms will notice — even if subconsciously — what the two candidates are wearing.
With reproductive rights a major campaign issue and Trump’s historic run of misogynistic comments, gender issues have been a hot topic this election cycle. But when President Joe Biden dropped his re-election campaign and Harris became the Democratic nominee, those questions inevitably came into the spotlight.
Trump’s “loud aesthetic” contrasts with Harris’ more subdued style.
Dress and image have always been an important part of politics, going back to the earliest days of the English monarchy, says Derek Guy, a menswear writer best known for his popular Twitter account. The traditionally masculine suit remains a staple of the American political scene. And in that scene, which has long been visually and literally masculine, Harris has had to carve out a space for herself as a woman of color.
“I think the question of gender in the political space would be more about how clothing has changed as women have stepped into it and taken on or challenged the male uniform of politics,” Guy said. For Harris, that has taken the form of an understated but recognizable femininity, experts who study political science and fashion told Business Insider.
Trump has adapted the traditional masculine suit to his body and his brand. Guy said Trump often wears navy Brioni suits, which are reminiscent of ’80s power silhouettes. The shoulders are padded and elongated to give him a leaner, more masculine figure. Around his neck, Trump opts for a shiny, satin, bright red tie.
According to Guy, it’s a “loud aesthetic.”
Harris, on the other hand, is far from loud in her attire. Sparsha Saha, a Harvard professor who has co-authored a book on the political meanings and effects of clothing styles, called it “unobtrusive, but also feminine.”
For women in male-dominated fields, styling is often an attempt to establish their worth and authority, says Shauna Shames, an associate professor at Rutgers University and co-author of the forthcoming book Dressing for Sex: The Democratic Paradox Revealed by Clothing.
“Most female politicians start with an assumption of accreditation, to show that they are competent,” Shames said. “The clothes are a good signal of competence.”
Harris’ campaign did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Trump’s campaign has been highlighted for his style choices, with spokesman Steven Cheung saying: “President Trump has the most style of any president in history.”
An old controversy emphasized the importance of styling.
For Harris, attempting to “credential” meant looking like a lawyer at a big-name firm. She often wears designer pantsuits in traditionally safe colors and neutral Manolo Blahnik pumps, but she also has a noted affinity for Converse sneakers. In a nod to her sorority at a historically black college, Harris typically wears a string of pearls. For major events, like the commencement, she sometimes dresses in clothes by black designers.
According to Shames, the whole look is a combination of traditional femininity and professionalism, which is often perceived as masculine and white.
“Keeping the feminine look, which I think is strategic, while she’s balancing being a professional woman, a woman who’s always on the go, and an advocate,” Saha said. “Being strong. She wants to convey all of those things and I think she’s done a really good job of that so far.”
“She’s developed an image that’s incredibly powerful, but doesn’t want to erase her femininity,” Joseph Altuzarra, the designer behind many of Harris’ pantsuits, told the New York Times in 2021.
Harris faced a sartorial controversy early in her vice presidency when she appeared on the cover of Vogue Magazine in her own jeans and sneakers. People immediately called the look too casual and said it didn’t command enough respect.
The fallout has likely taught her that styling, for better or worse, has real consequences, Saha said. Women in politics, and the professional space in general, need to walk a fine line between associating themselves with masculine leadership traits and dressing in accordance with expectations for traditional femininity.
“It’s called a double bind. How do you look feminine, but not too feminine?” Saha said. “And that’s her style. I think that’s her style of dressing. Feminine, but not too feminine.”
Trump’s clothes don’t have to go through the same needle — this year’s Republican National Convention leaned on traditionally masculine tropes. Shames said red, his signature color, symbolizes masculinity.
Clothing communicates values and is a necessary consideration.
Guy, however, sees Trump’s signature style as more closely tied to industry than gender. He typically wears suits tailored to a classically masculine physique, but his overall look exudes the wealth of traditional real estate moguls. Some of Trump’s sartorial choices—particularly the bright, shiny tie—push against classic menswear, but work because of his particular brand of power.
“You can never really take a person’s style away from the person wearing it,” Guy said. “If we never had Trump, if anyone else wore this, it would just be seen as cheap, tacky, and flashy.”
Given his background in reality TV, Saha said Trump understands the game of quick visual communication and knows that clothes can send signals about values. Harris knows the same, Shames said. Aware that people will inevitably scrutinize her, especially as a woman of color, the vice president wears strategic outfits.
“It’s a beautiful dress that exudes competence, it exudes sophistication, but it doesn’t distract from what she’s doing or saying,” Shames said. “I think she’s learned that she has to deal with the attention. She can’t not be looked at, but she wants to minimize the look.”
While Trump has rewritten the political playbook in recent years and changed what many consider normal this election cycle, the importance of gender and dress has remained stubbornly consistent, Guy said. With Harris leading the Democratic ticket, the question of how to communicate gender to voters is playing out before our eyes, at rallies and in TV ads.
Trump has had years to craft his distinct visual brand, which, like much of his politics, “reflects a rejection of traditional conservative good taste,” Guy said. Harris, however, is still refining her look, as style columnist Rachel Tashjian noted in the Washington Post . According to Saha, she’s likely very conscious of the message her styling sends, given Trump’s tendency to attach appearance-based slogans to his opponents.
The tensions are not foreign to lower-profile politicians or even the average voter, Shames said. Many can understand the crisis of dressing for an event and grappling with how they want to be seen.
“This is not far below the surface. It’s just there. The politicians I’ve spoken to know about it, are very aware of it, struggle with it every day,” she said. “We all think about clothing every day.”
Read the original article on Business Insider
