This Is Why Women Will Wear White to the State of the Union
On February 5, Donald Trump will deliver his second State of the Union address to the American people. (The state of the union is…questionable.) While chances are Trump will stick to his usual wardrobe of wide-legged suits and XXL ties, some of the women in the audience will wear a different uniform.
The Democratic Women’s Working Group has rallied women of both parties to dress in white—in a nod to the suffrage movement as well as to represent the goals of the new congressmen and women who just began their terms in office. The selection (and its significance) will be familiar to those who obsessed over the white pantsuit Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore (and paired with gold hoops) and the Ralph Lauren outfit Hillary Clinton wore to Trump’s inauguration.
Florida Representative Lois Frankel, who chairs the group, described what the white ensembles will represent. “It’s about sending a positive message, that Democrats are fighting for the people, by promoting economic security for women and families,” Frankel tells Glamour. “We’re talking about paycheck fairness, combating sexual harassment, family-friendly workplaces, and getting more resources for affordable child care. These are the kinds of issues that will raise the wages of women and help make our families more secure.” This isn’t the first time Frankel has coordinated wardrobes to make a political point. In 2017, for Trump’s first joint address to Congress, women in attendance wore white to take a stand against attempts the Trump administration might make to roll back women’s rights. And in 2018 members wore black to the State of the Union to show support for the Me Too and Time’s Up movements.
Frankel also notes that their message isn’t an attack on Trump but more a celebration of what the Democrats plan to do now that they’ve won back the House of Representatives. “We don’t have to come in on Tuesday and even talk about Mr. Trump,” she says. “We want to talk about what we can do for our country and what we can do for our people.”
In addition to their clothes, the congresswoman have a plan to keep their policies and priorities front and center at the event. Each will bring a prominent figure in the fight for women’s equality as her plus-one. It’s a move not unlike when Time’s Up actresses invited activists to join them at the Golden Globes in 2018.