Five Takeaways from AOC’s Diplomatic Dressing
The U.S. congresswoman underscores the importance, and challenges, of thoughtful fashion.
“Dress is a form of communication,” declared Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram last week, the first slide in a series of Stories that made my So Many Thoughts heart swell. As part of a Q&A about her recent trip to Latin America, the U.S. Congresswoman outlined the thought she put into what she wore — AOC with the SMT!
Here’s the thing about the language of fashion: It is almost always unspoken. We occasionally hear little snippets about the intended message, either from the person wearing the clothes or the designer of the garment. But it is rare to get a detailed explanation of multiple outfits like the one Ocasio-Cortez offered up on social media.
Before the congresswoman’s posts disappeared, I made sure to screenshot them. I found myself reading and re-reading what she wrote. Five takeaways emerged, which I wanted to share with you below.
To be sure, this is one person’s perspective on how she gets dressed for her specific public role. But in Ocasio-Cortez’s self analysis I think there are important universal truths about dressing with intention — both the purpose and the challenges.
And make sure to read to the end! More info on how to share your most thoughtful outfit at the bottom of this email. 🫶
But first…
📚 As back-to-school season continues, a reminder that there are so many teachers in need of supplies for their classrooms. Please consider sharing or shopping our SMT Clear the List 2023 spreadsheet. And make sure to call your local officials and ask for more funding, too.
🐭 To our recent conversation about Disney fashion I wanted to add this fantastic piece in Allure by Ayana Lage entitled, “Inside the Lives of Black Disney Adults.”
🐝 Have you been or do you plan to go see Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour? I’d love to hear what you wore and all the *thought* that went into your outfit. Please share in this Google form. (I know there are a lot of concert dates still to come — I’ll leave this form open through September.)
Five Takeaways from AOC’s Explanation of Diplomatic Dressing
Before we get into her fashion on this trip, a little background on the congresswoman:
Who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
In January 2019, at the age of 29, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was sworn in as the youngest woman and youngest Latina to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her successful primary campaign received widespread national attention, taking her from a job waitressing to the U.S. Capitol in Washington in a matter of months. She represents New York’s 14th congressional district, home to roughly 700,000 people living in parts of Queens and the Bronx. Now in her third term, Ocasio-Cortez has risen to become the vice ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.
Throughout her tenure, the Democratic congresswoman has repeatedly made national headlines for both the work she has done (which you can read about here) and the often alarming ways she has been received (her address following a verbal assault by another member of congress is worth watching here).
“When I first came in, I came into an environment that I sensed was never going to give me a chance, and into a party that was extremely hostile to my presence, extremely hostile to my existence. That’s one of the reasons I dug so powerfully into my work,” Ocasio-Cortez recently told the New York Times. (You can read or listen to the full interview here.)
What is her relationship with fashion like?
I have always admired how Ocasio-Cortez speaks openly about fashion and beauty, as well as how fraught it can be for a woman in her position to publicly express an interest in either. Her 2020 video with Vogue, part of its Beauty Secrets series, shared her skincare and red lip routines while simultaneously setting the record straight:
“Just being a woman is quite politicized here in Washington,” she says. “There’s this really false idea that if you care about make-up or if you care, if your interests are in beauty and fashion, that that’s somehow frivolous. But I actually think these are some of the most substantive decisions that we make — and we make them every morning.”
Ocasio-Cortez also gave some insight into why she wore red lipstick in her first campaign (the shade, rumored to be Beso from Stila’s Stay All Day collection, became her signature):
“When I was running in my primary election the first time, and outside of our community no one knew who I was, and we were out, we were knocking doors, we were making sure that people were being heard,” she says. “And one of the things that I had realized was that when you’re always running around, sometimes the best way to really look put together is a bold lip.”
She has also been candid about the challenges of dressing for her high-profile job, tweeting in 2020 about the “thrifting, renting, and patience” required to put a closet together. In that same thread, replying to Congresswoman Cori Bush, Ocasio-Cortez said second-hand shopping helped her get “higher quality, longer-lasting things that would normally be out of budget.” If that isn’t relatable!
The following year, Ocasio-Cortez had perhaps her highest-profile fashion moment yet, wearing a white off-the-shoulder gown by Aurora James of Brother Vellies to the Met Gala. Across the back, the words “Tax the Rich” were scrawled in big red letters. “The medium is the message,” the congresswoman wrote on Instagram. (Karen Attiah, a columnist for the Washington Post, wrote about the dress and the subsequent outrage here.)
Where did AOC travel during the recess and who did she travel with?
Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez visited Brazil, Chile and Colombia along with fellow representatives Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar of Texas, Maxwell Frost of Florida, and Nydia Velázquez of New York. More on the purpose of the trip from the Nation:
“Sponsored by the progressive think tank the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the week-long mission was an immersive, whirlwind foray into the heart of progressive power in three countries that have recently seen their governments swing from right to left.”
In a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times, Ocasio-Cortez said: “We have much to learn from our counterparts in these countries, including how to confront disinformation and violent threats to our democracies.”
What about the clothing she packed?
After she returned from her trip, the 33-year-old congresswoman did a Q&A on Instagram Stories for her 8.5 million followers about her travels. She said she received “LOTS of questions about diplomatic dressing” and went on to explain her approach.
Here are five takeaways from her posts:
1. All clothes send a message
After Ocasio-Cortez’s opener — “dress is a form of communication” — she adds an important truth: “Whether one likes it or not.” Later on that same slide, she underscores the point: “Unfortunately, there is no opting out of this.”
She’s right. The image-heavy time we are living in, with an endless stream of photographs on social media and video on cable news, places a heightened importance on the visuals of any given moment. What you are wearing is the first thing many people will see. Even “minimalism is a choice and message,” Ocasio-Cortez writes, “so it’s important to be aware of this reality.”
As an aside: She closed her first slide by pointing out she did not buy any new clothing for this trip; the pieces were either from her closet or rented. Given that she has been criticized in the past for the cost of what she wears, including the congressional inquiry into whether she paid for the aforementioned Met Gala dress (which she did, eventually), Ocasio-Cortez was smart to get out in front of any possible criticism by removing the question of cost here. It’s often the first form of fashion scrutiny, tallying up the price of an outfit.
2. Style expectations are higher for marginalized groups
The burden of fashion is not distributed equally. “Women and LGBTQ+ people,” Ocasio-Cortez writes, “are examined visually with MUCH more scrutiny than cis men typically are.” (I would expand this to any marginalized group.)
In a subsequent slide, she offers up a specific example, citing her meeting with Chilean President Gabriel Boric. According to the congresswoman, Boric’s on-the-ground approach to politics was reflected by his suit without a tie. “Boric is sending a message of informality and approachability — aka ‘I am one of you,’” Ocasio-Cortez writes. “It is a significant message, but it is important to note that this line is a gendered one.” Women, she continues, “are more likely to be scrutinized as sloppy or disrespectful.” Also true!
The formality of the white suit she chose to wear, Ocasio-Cortez writes, “communicates the significance of this moment and respect for the position.”
3. There is fashion freedom in shared experiences
Meeting another woman — in this case, Colombia’s Vice President Francia Márquez — is a “game changer for the dressing dynamics,” writes the congresswoman. “I felt free to be expressive since I knew she was, too.” I found this fascinating! Of course the person or people you are meeting will change the style dynamic and constraints. Still, it’s not something I have heard expressed so frankly.
In meeting Márquez, the congresswoman also notes the connection between progressives and “celebratory colors” as well as Latinas and the embrace of “large floral or organic motifs that reflect the lush ecology that shape our lands and people.” Ocasio-Cortez chose a dress that checked several boxes. The pattern “incorporates U.S. blue with Latin American floral motifs to underscore my Boricua background,” she writes, “as well as that of our host country, Colombia.” Márquez wore a vibrant yellow, black, and white ensemble, which Ocasio-Cortez notes “powerfully reflects her Afro-Colombian identity as well.”
Another aside: I’m not 100% certain but it looks like the congresswoman is wearing a Jason Wu Collective dress that is available on Rent the Runway here. The following slide appears to be a dress by Jay Godfrey that is also on RTR here.
4. Dressing intentionally takes extra time and effort…
All of this comes at a cost. In response to a question about whether she has a stylist, Ocasio-Cortez writes, “No, I do not! I’m still a regular person with a complicated job. I don’t normally have time to put this level of forethought into my dress each and every single day, but for a trip like this I did put in extra nights to prepare.”
Yes, yes, YES. Let’s acknowledge the time and effort it takes to pull off dressing thoughtfully. There is a burden here, one that I don’t think is discussed enough.
In the previous slide, the congresswoman was asked about the “discrepancy” here “in the work women must do vs men.” Her answer is frank: “Picking clothing all the time can be tiring and it takes a lot more energy, money, and time from women — especially when you consider the hair and makeup required to be perceived just as well-groomed as a man who splashed some water on his face.”
5. …and it’s an opportunity for expression and communication.
“Is it fair? Definitely not,” Ocasio-Cortez writes. “But there’s more to it as well.”
She then goes on to reframe traditional men’s attire, which is regularly touted for its benefits. “Rigid and more old fashioned interpretations of masculinity,” she says, can be “highly limiting as well…men are also judged if they venture outside a pretty repressive box of navy suits.” (Anyone remember the time in 2014 that President Barack Obama wore a tan suit and got a ton of…ahem…feedback? It has its own Wikipedia entry.)
The congresswoman closes with a “both” statement, acknowledging the challenges and the opportunity fashion affords. “As a woman, I am liberated to express and communicate much more with my dress,” she writes. “But it takes a lot more and I am scrutinized much more for it as well. It’s a dual dynamic.”
Now it’s YOUR turn!
After seeing what you wore to Barbie, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé (coming soon!), I am eager to highlight more style from the SMT community. Please share your most thoughtful outfit via this Google form — what you wore and why you wore it. It could be for something celebratory (a wedding, concert, trip, etc) or more challenging (a big meeting, appointment, or appearance). The more you can tell me, the better! I want to hear not just the fun stuff, but how fraught fashion it can be, too.
This form will stay open for the foreseeable future. My hope is to find a way to semi-regularly share the best and most thoughtful outfits among us. Thank you!
I like the acknowledgment and details provided by AOC on the importance of clothes and appearance. She uses her platforms in an innovative way and for her audience I think this is important information to share. I think we’ll see a lot more of this from her and other high profile women in other professions. Love it!
I recently attended an event hosted Secretary of the Army - the first female to be in a Service Secretary position. My first thought was - none of the male secretaries (ie: Air Force, Navy, Sec of Defense, etc) need to worry about what they wear to work. And every day, this woman has to worry about what she puts on. And her shoes - none of the men have to worry about walking into a room wearing 4 inch heels!