NYT:s modechef ser en ”kultledare” i Tulsi Gabbard men en president i Hillary Clinton – baserat på samma kläder

Till och med kläderna är politiskt korrekta eller inte, enligt New York Times modekritiker Vanessa Friedman. Det blir tydligt när Friedman bedömer kläderna helt olika beroende på om de bärs av Hillary Clinton eller Tulsi Gabbard trots att båda har nästan identiska vita kostymer 2016 respektive 2019.

När Hillary Clinton som var presidentkandidat 2016 var klädd i en helt vit kostym ser Clinton ”presidentiell” ut och hon är redo att bära atomvapnens koder, enligt Vanessa Friedman. När Tulsi Gabbard, som nu är presidentkandidat för USA-valet 2020, bär en vit kostym låter det annorlunda. Friedman skriver i sin bedömning av hennes kläder att hon knappast är en vinnare, att hon rör sig på marginalen och hon antyder att det vita kan associeras till kultledare.

Från Vanessa Friedmans artikel: ”Why Hillary Wore White”, 2016, om Clintons kostym:

”It was not just showing people who do not understand her and who do not trust her who she is as a person, or laying out her policy proposals, but also demonstrating that when she represents them on the world stage, she would do so with that hard-to-pin-down aura of leadership and power.

And she did. In her white suit, with her white crew neck underneath, Mrs. Clinton looked supremely unflappable: perfectly tailored and in control. Not a hair out of place (but some hair nicely waved). The kind of person who could carry the nuclear codes with aplomb.”

Så här skriver Vanessa Friedman i november 2019 i sin artikel ”Tulsi Gabbard’s White Pantsuit Isn’t Winning – The Democratic presidential candidate has made white the staple of debate night appearances. It leaves a chill”, om Gabbards vita kostym:

”Her white suits are not the white suits of Ms. Clinton, nor even the white of Ms. Williamson, whose early appearances in the shade often seemed tied to her wellness gospel and ideas of renewal and rebirth. Rather, they are the white of avenging angels and flaming swords, of somewhat combative righteousness (also cult leaders).

And that kind of association, though it can be weirdly compelling, is also not really community building. It sets someone apart, rather than joining others together. It has connotations of the fringe, rather than the center.”

Relaterat

• Glenn Greenwald: Same author, same newspaper, completely different claim
• RT: Hillary’s white pantsuit says ‘empowerment’ but Tulsi’s says ‘fringe cult leader’: NYT pilloried for two-faced style commentary