Fashion in Politics

With elections, many Americans watch the Presidential debates for two reasons; to hear what issues the candidates are addressing and to see who exactly the candidates are. You may be wondering why viewers are concerned about how a person looks; I mean why not worry about bigger things like… what they’re wearing. Today fashion plays a big part in life, and in order for politicians to gain votes, they have to appeal to the audience they’re catering. One way to achieve this is by learning and understanding their culture.

During the early 1960’s politicians like John F. Kennedy wore regular suits and ties, however his wife Jackie was taking fashion out of this world by being the poster child for Chanel. With these classic modern styles of the time Mrs. Kennedy's elegant style captivated America. During the late sixties African Americans looked toward their own political leaders such as the Black Panthers for more Afro centric style which consisted of dashikis and black leather jackets. While women chose to wear Afros instead of wigs, to showcase their pride in what was natural and not fake.

In the l980‘s, many rock performers started wearing they‘re hair out and Tipper Gore jumped on the band wagon. Mrs. Gore even shocked media by taking a picture with Twisted Sister's lead Vocalist Dee Snyder after speaking to congress about having music ban that contained explicit lyrics. The shocking part wasn't what even happened, it was the fact that they were sharing the same hair style.

Most politicians go all out to win votes by dressing conservative in fancy expensive suits, however Bill Clinton did the total opposite. Of course when he was appearing at debates, he would always wear a suit and tie, but whenever he would visit urban areas, he would be sporting a pair of jeans, khakis, and a white shirt. Bill Clinton even showed America how hip he was when he appeared on the Arsenio Hall show playing the saxophone, while wearing dark shades.

Next year many Americans are going to be glued to their televisions to see presidential candidates Hillary Rodham-Clinton or Barrack Obama run to take their spot in history. What have they been doing to gain support for their campaigns? Linking up with many of today’s top Hip Hop stars. Rodham-Clinton asked hit producer Timberland to endorse her while Obama asked Grammy Award winning Ludacris to help him with his campaign. By doing this they are gaining support from the young hip hop music lovers and they will hopefully take action and vote. But what are they doing to gain support from the fashionistas? If you ask me Rodham-Clinton might want to try hitting the runway for Betsy Johnson and Obama would look great in a new Sean John suit.

Written By: Ra SHAWN CHISOLM