(from BBC website:Power and the glory: Lagarde's air of authority is reflected in her sartorial choices, which are always appropriate but never boring. )
I just read the stupidest article in the New York Times, exploring the relationship between power and fashion, when it comes to female politicians. The paragraph where I really lost it read,
"By contrast, much could be learned from the wardrobe strategy of, say,Christine Lagarde, of the International Monetary Fund; or Sheryl Sandberg, of Facebook; or Indra Nooyi, of PepsiCo; or Mary Barra, of General Motors. But though they all dress very well, they barely utter a sartorial word — most probably because of the fear of not being taken seriously. And in doing so, they perpetuate the problem. The way to neuter the issue is not to pretend it doesn’t exist, but to embrace it and move on."
(What on earth is Vanessa Friedman saying??? She did link her article to a blog that she writes, "uses the tropes of women’s mags to mock both the forms themselves and the idea that anyone should pay attention to such things. " Well worth a look.)
On the one hand, Friedman ignores the idea that the absence of something is also presence. Hence, if Lagarde is not making a fashion statement (with which I disagree, but one problem at a time), she is also saying something. Lagarde in fact is the victim of "damned if you do, damned if you don't," a "can never do things right" fate experienced by most women in power. She has been ridiculed for her scarf wearing habits (too much, the idea of female excess); and here, in the Times, she "perpetuates the problem" of barely uttering "a sartorial word" thereby "neuter[ing] the issue."
Rather than limit the question of the importance of appearance to just the clothes politicians wear (and underclothes in the case of Bill Clinton, jeeez), because appearance is important, these people are in the public eye, mere citizens do pay attention to their public personae; we should think about the habits they might have adopted that set an example for the rest of us. I'm thinking for instance about the vegetable garden at the White House (I hope they're composting); or reducing air travel to and from a constituency; or what else??? I want to see men and women politicians wearing casual clothing so that they don't have to put the AC on full blast in order to maintain the decorum of full suit and tie. Or a sweater when it's cold…Some of us remember this photo:
And Carter might have lost the election because of it. We are so stupid.
