The Political Fashion Statements at the SOTU

Clothing choices raise issues from abortion to the Israel-Hamas war
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 8, 2024 1:30 AM CST
The Political Fashion Statements at the SOTU
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., leaves after President Joe Biden delivered the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Thursday March 7, 2024, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The State of the Union address is a popular place for lawmakers to make fashion statements—political fashion statements. And they were in abundance this year. The AP reports that there were a number of female House Democrats wearing white (a symbol of women's suffrage) to telegraph support for reproductive rights, and there were a number of House progressives wearing Palestinian keffiyehs, "the black and white checkered scarfs that have come to symbolize Palestinian solidarity." There were also plenty of lawmakers, both Democrat and Republican, wearing pins and stickers honoring the Israeli hostages who remain captive in Gaza. Some wore blue and yellow for the colors of Ukraine's flag, Reuters reports. Former US Representative Gabrielle Giffords wore orange to call for an end to gun violence.

And then, of course, there was Marjorie Taylor Greene, who showed up in bright red, including a "Make America Great Again" hat. The Daily Beast reports that could be seen as a violation of House rules, which generally forbid House buildings from being "used for the conduct of campaign or political activities." The MAGA hat, closely associated as it is with Donald Trump, could be seen as campaigning. The Daily Beast predicts she'll be subjected to an ethics complaint, but that since Republicans control the House, it will go nowhere. For more on the subject, the Washington Post has a piece on "how the State of the Union became the red carpet of politics." (More State of the Union stories.)

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