why does Palin wear such severe colors?

[grasswire]

Black, red, black, black, black, brown, black....Oh, she did wear something lighter colored on convention night.

What's it about?

Female politicians usually dress to be approachable, and liked. And they dress to be flattered by bright lights and bad backdrops.

So what's with the harsh colors?

Is it an Alaska thing? Or does she dress in bordello colors to send a whole other kind of signal? Or what?

I'd like very much to know where she got that outfit worn last night. Who designed that?

[livetohike]

1. She wears such severe colors because......she's a maverick!

:-) There was a time in my career that I went to "media training" as I was doing some tv and radio interviews. One of the things I remember was not to wear red (which she does all the time). The other was not to wear dangling earrings as they distract the viewer from what you are trying to say! So guess what? She wore dangling earrings last night, something she often does. Everything was meant to distract the viewer from her words. She could have been speaking backwards and it wouldn't have mattered.

[Bucky]

2. Have you run out of substantive things to criticize? Are you just not bothered by...

... her anti-choice, anti-environment, anti-health, anti-cop, anti-eduction, pro-pollution, pro-casualty positions on actual issues?

Have you spent one electron online criticizing McCain for any of his fashion faux pas?

[grasswire]

4. lighten up, junior

It's a legitimate question of political signals in this obviously non-feminist candidate.

[Bucky]

23. I admire your chutzpah, grasswire

Posting a me-ow of a post taking her to task over her clothing choices and then attacking her for being non-feminist.

You got gumption, lady.

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. she's trying to appeal to men

not women. They've seen the numbers and now are trying to charm independent men.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. politicians wear colors that complement them

she is felt to be lacking in gravitas and power. hence the colors that complement it. if she were felt lacking in likability she would wear pastels

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. Power colors

The same reason you see men wearing black, navy and charcoal grey suits, often with a red tie. Dressing in pastels would be more flattering, but it would also make her look younger (less experienced) and softer (we need a VP that's "tough"). Female attorneys dress the same way.

[Phentex]

13. ding ding!

That's my answer too.

[youthere]

7. I dunno'..I think she looks good in bold colors. Now I'll get hanged.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

8. Bad in black

She would have looked better in any other color.

[OHdem10]

9. Talking about a peson's c;lothers is so trivial. The Cultural

Differences in this country confound me at times. The Coaster Elites
have no concept of what goes on in Middle America and Middle Americans
have no concept of what goes on with the Coasters.

Sarah Palin has become popular by dressing and looking like Middle
Americans. Concern with fashion is the least of her concerns. This
is appealing to 75% of the country.

[Bluenorthwest]

18. That's hilarious

Half of the people on the Coasts come from the Middle. No concept of how they grew up, how their families live? That line is so old and tired. Amusing, even.

Sarah Palin has not 'become popular' at all. She was thrust full blown onto the public stage, and did not gain that position by 'becoming popular'. In fact, thus far her ratings are dropping fast, and she's becoming less popular in spite of being promoted to the world stage in an instant.
Her clothes are no like Middle American's clothes anyway, those threads are far too spendy for the regular gals, and even for the regular gal's supervisior, don't you know. If what she's been wearing is appealing to 75% of the country, well they are going to have to wait for the knock offs, because they can not afford it.
Coaster Elites, are you for real?

[Beausoir]

10. Sexist swill. Stick to the issues instead of her shoes and skirts.

[frickaline]

11. She doesn't want Cheney to shoot her?

[L0oniX]

12. Hunting colors ...to keep her from being mistaken for a moose.

[Bobbieo]

15. Can you honestly picture this woman in pink?

[Madam Mossfern]

20. Didn't she wear pink

in one of the Couric interviews?

[beac]

14. I wear mostly black and brown myself and actually prefer Sarah's outfits to the

eye-bleed-inducing candy-store colors Cindy wears.

That said, Sarah's outfits look VERY expensive and belie her simple Joe-Six-Pack BS. I do wonder how she affords them with 5 kids and a gross income of $127K when she supposedly has no credit card debt. Something stinks, and it isn't her 'fish-picker' First Dood.

[Madam Mossfern]

21. I was told the other day

that Cindy took her shopping. I looked back at images of her before she was selected as VP candidate. Her style was quite different and seemed less expensive.

[beac]

24. Now that you mention it, Palin's suits DO seem to be made out of that same

shiny, raw silk that Cindy favors. I guess Cindy told her all the pweety colors waz belong to her, so Sarah got the leftovers. ;)


I wonder if the campaign is paying for Sarah's suits? Don't think JoeSixPack would approve of THAT!

[my3boyz]

16. Hahahahaha...This is so funny. On another board I just got finished

reading a post where someone talks about how the LOVE her wardrobe. LOL Funny how different people like different things. LOL

[kayakjohnny]

17. They compliment her severe personality.

[graywarrior]

19. She wants to be Rhoda?

[Grateful for Hope]

22. I think she thinks they make her more dramatic

they go with her "dramatic" personna that she has tried so hard to cultivate.

[Raine]

25. I think she dresses nice

that's the one and only good thing I can say about her.

[moriah]

26. Black is slimming, and she's already "approachable".

She's trying to come across as serious. She already has people wanting to hug her, and her entire persona is the "I'm the same as you" gig.

Hillary wore soft colors because people saw her as a Nutcracker, and so she did need to soften her image.

I also highly doubt you'll see her wearing pink much anymore after the Katie Couric thing.

[Azlady]

27. She is hoping that

we are all so busy trying to figure why she wearing that black outfit that we do not pay attention to her lies! Look at me! Don't listen to me!

[WinkyDink]

28. Black is about the most fashionable color there is. Did you want lilac or baby pink?

[grasswire]

29. the point was entirely missed.

The point is not what's fashionable. The point is that she does not dress in the colors that female politicians usually wear -- colors that are more flattering and camera friendly. Diane Feinstein wears a lot of jewel tones. Barbara Boxer wears lots of different colors. Geraldine Ferraro wore a lot of plaids and tweeds 'n' stuff. Few of them wear mostly dark things.

The question was/is -- is this a choice conjured up by political calculus in her case?