Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a white pantsuit to be sworn into Congress -- here's why
Thursday was a historic day for American politics, which saw a record number of women being sworn into office for the 116th Congress. Of the groundbreaking 127 women who will serve this term includes the first Muslim women in Congress, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, and the first two Native American women in Congress, Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also made history as the youngest woman ever sworn into Congress at just 29 years old. And while the young Congresswoman may be known for her pioneering efforts to reform healthcare and immigration, it was something as simple as her outfit that did all the talking for her.
For the historic ceremony, the Bronx native opted for an all-white pantsuit as a nod to the suffragette movement and to signal solidarity with other women. The color, which was selected as one of the 3 colors for the movement in 1908, indicates purity and has since become a historic symbol of activism for over 100 years.
Wrote Ocasio-Cortez in a Twitter post about her outfit:
"I wore all-white today to honor the women who paved the path before me, and for all the women yet to come. From suffragettes to Shirley Chisholm, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the mothers of the movement."
It's a look that left Twitter more than impressed.
Shoutout to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wearing suffragette-white on Day One #116thCongress#AOC
— Voting Early In Person (@ModernKingfish) January 3, 2019
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman in the House, wore suffragette white to be sworn into Congress. pic.twitter.com/Gup5Dtksyr
— Emma Gray (@emmaladyrose) January 3, 2019
You rocked the red lipstick (I’m a 65 y/o grandma and I ordered some a few months ago). Don’t let all the old farts get you down! They don’t know how else to critique you - your suit? Your dancing? 🙄
— Janice (@harleyjan99) January 4, 2019
Today I got to see you honoring the suffragettes and Shirley Chisholm *and* dancing with great joy and beauty -- another way of honoring all the gigantic women who paved the path
— Kate Crane (@cratekane) January 4, 2019
My great grandmother was a suffragist. Thank you for wearing white. You looked FABULOUS!
— Voice of Reason (@13thgenusa) January 4, 2019
As noted by Huffpost, the politician marked the occasion in the same way that trailblazers Chisholm, Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton have in the past.
“This was a way of using clothing to speak through a visual message. Because it’s not something a lot of people know [that the suffragists wore white], but once people are aware of that, it does reinforce the historical importance of Hillary hopefully becoming the first woman president,” said Valerie Steele, director of the Fashion Institute of Technology museum about Hillary's attire of choice during the 2016 presidential election.
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