An analysis of how politics and fashion influence each other by Natasha Sawhney
Fashion functions as a mirror to our times, so it is inherently political,” notes Andrew Bolton, Curator at The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “It’s been used to express patriotic, nationalistic, and propagandistic tendencies as well as complex issues related to class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.” When fashion comes to mind, we think Dior, Gucci, Kendall Jenner. We think sparkly and fancy clothes created only for celebrities to wear on runways. What we don’t think about is Politics. Throughout history, fashion in situations such as this has been a pillar in politics. What, when and how an individual wears something denotes and expresses their social freedoms and influences. Clothes are used in this form by large communities taking a stance, celebrities making a statement and political figures showing support to something or the other. Runways and haute couture aren’t the only aspects of fashion; it spills out into street fashion, everyday wear, and even concerts and rallies. It spills out into almost every aspect- daily life, the music industry, the art industry, the political sphere and more.
Prevalent examples of political dressing in the celebrity world have been Blac Chyna and Amber Rose at the 2015 VMAs, Lady Gaga’s meat dress and more. Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress at the 2010 MTV awards was thought to be just that. Another eccentric Lady Gaga outfit for an odd sort of glamour. The outfit was actually a statement against a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the USA- a policy that prevented people from the lgbtqia+ community from joining the military. Blac Chyna and Amber Rose sported dresses to fight victim shaming and societal restrictions on women’s clothing.
We have also seen stars like Freddy Mercury, Billy Porter, Harry Styles and Ranveer Singh wearing dresses and “feminine” clothes in a show of gender fluidity. Billy Porter, for example, wore a tuxedo dress “to be a walking piece of political art.” At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, we also witnessed an almost complete blackout. All celebrities wore black as a sign of support for the #MeToo Movement.
Designers such as Prabal Gurung have also used their clothing collections as platforms for their political stances. Burberry dedicated their 2018 fall collection to the lgbgtqia+ community while we saw Kirby Jean-Raymond document Black History in his 2019 spring Pyer Moss collection. A Perry Ellis show in 1992 featured a collection inspired by the ACT-UP movement for those who have AIDS and HIV. Prabal Gurung stated, “So, not to be vocal, not to be in the forefront of having a conversation, especially when you have the audience and the platform, I think is a sign of complicity.” when asked about his politics-influenced shows. The Lacoste x Save our Species, and H&M conscious collection can also be noted as these collections touched upon environmental topics and were worn by the general public. There are so many occurrences such as these, and even more in the world away from the celebrity one.
In contrast to using concerts and red carpets as a platform for political dressing, we have seen the common crowd adopting trends and clothing items and dedicating them to different social causes. The “Pussyhat” is among these trends- pink knit hats denoting support for women and feminism. Another is the ‘MAGA’ cap that became popular during Donald Trump’s campaign. To many, these hats represent oppression, racism and right-wing ideologies. Miniskirts also emerged in the States in the 60s as a symbol against dated ideas of how a woman should dress. During this, women began wearing more pants and even burned their bras as a show of force, while in the more recent past, we saw women sporting white bandanas for the Tied Together Movement, which promotes solidarity. Negatively, white polo shirts and khaki pants have also come to be known as a uniform for white supremaci
At the end of it all, what impact does fashion actually have on political science and vice-versa? Fashion fits into our everyday lives and influences everyone on a daily basis. Ultimately, clothes are the loudest yet simplest means to express one’s thoughts and beliefs. The two have been profoundly impacting each other for as long as one can remember. From celebrity platforms to brands for the common person- you can see a lot of what they believe in, something as simple as a hat. When we think of fashion, we think of fancy clothes, walking down a runway. But it can be so much more than that.
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