It’s no secret that fashion has been a means of self-expression for thousands of years. In fact, fashion designer Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
Just last month, thousands of women sported "pussy hats" to represent solidarity among women. It should come as no surprise that designers and celebrities alike have taken advantage of the red carpet at the Grammy’s and the runway at Fashion Week in order to share their political opinions about America following the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Similar to the women’s marches held across the nation in January, fashion is a unique and direct way to express one’s beliefs. And, quite frankly, we can’t fault anyone for dressing in a particular manner because there aren’t any regulations when it comes to fashion, especially on the red carpet or runway. Some of the biggest gambles in fashion take place on fashion week runways or award show’s red carpets. These events lend themselves to a lot of press and publicity, which is also why these events are unlikely, but clever, places to demonstrate political beliefs.
New York Fashion Week took social media by storm when The Council of Fashion Designers of America handed out Planned Parenthood pins to participants. According to the New York Times, the pins read, “Fashion stands with Planned Parenthood” and were incorporated into the shows of some of the biggest designers in the industry, like Tory Burch and Zac Posen.
The bold pins were just the beginning of the political statements hidden within the fashion week looks. According to Cosmopolitan Magazine, the finale of the Prabal Gurung show featured models doting tees with phrases ranging from “my boyfriend is a feminist” to “love is the resistance.” The finale served a bigger purpose than it’s political statement; it worked to empower women and remind them of their value, which is fitting because millions of people tune into NYFW each year.
Playing off of President Trump’s campaign slogan, the Public School show featured red baseball hats that read, “Make America New York.”
The runways of NWYF aren’t the only stage where fashion was used to relay political beliefs in the past week. At the 2017 Grammy’s, celebrities took the opportunity to publicize their opinions toward the recent election and ran with it. Some, like Joy Villa, were extremely blunt with their style choices.
Villa turned heads on the red carpet when she stepped out in a red, white, and blue ensemble sporting President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. On the other end of the spectrum, Johnny Stevens, a member of the band “Highly Suspect” doted a black top with the word “IMPEACH” spray-painted on the back. Katy Perry wore an armband that read “Persist” during her Grammy performance and a small Planned Parenthood pin on her top. Some are even arguing that Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy, and Schoolboy Q’s daughter were wearing pink pantsuits as homage to Hillary Clinton.
Regardless of whether or not their style choices were as blunt as Joy Villa’s, the stars, like the designers at fashion week, felt fashion was an appropriate way to express their inner feelings. I, too, agree with the use of fashion as a form of self-expression. If anything, the fact that designers and stars are even able to express their varying political beliefs via style simply reaffirms the idea that we as Americans have the ability to speak our minds and share our beliefs on a large stage. This right is not something to be taken for granted, which is what the stars and designers at the Grammy’s and NYFW showed us this past week. We shouldn’t openly bash our President, but we do have the right to stand up for what we believe in, and fashion just might be the way to do so.
