The fashions of global leaders don't only mean ‘clothes.’ Their fashions have a certain purpose and have a strong influence on society. Therefore, many politicians have started to use fashion as a way of managing their popularity or delivering their political messages. As well-dressed people can gain a good deal of popularity and can deliver their intentions effectively, fashion is a simple way to give an effective visual message. -Ed.


  Many fashion experts say that fashion doesnʼt mean just ‘clothes.’ Tina Santi Flaherty, an American businesswoman, said in her book What Jackie Taught Us, “Clothes are more powerful weapons than guns.” Robin Givhan, who won The Pulitzer Prize in 2006 as a fashion journalist for The Washington Post, also said, “The direct speech of politicians is also important, but their indirect communication like fashion can also deliver their political orientation and faith effectively.” She also added, “Especially, the fashion of female politicians is the same as issuing political statements. Their clothes can be a means of communicating with the people.”
  In fact, there are a lot of female politicians who used fashion as a political strategy. For example, the fashions of the former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and the former U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy had huge impacts on American diplomacy. Albright was the first female Secretary of State in the U.S., and she was famous for ‘brooch politics.’ She delivered her political messages with various brooches in the shapes of bees, butterflies, spiders and crocodiles. For example, when she met former President Kim Dae-jung in 2000, she was wearing a sunshine-shaped brooch. This brooch delivered her political opinion that she would support the Sunshine Policy, which was South Korea’s foreign policy towards North Korea. When Jacqueline Kennedy visited France with her husband, the former U.S. President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, her fashion had a big impact, too. Jacqueline Kennedy wore the French fashion brand ‘Givenchy’ to gain the support of the French. As a result, she was welcomed by the French, and her fashion smoothed the uncomfortable relationship between the U.S. and France.
  There was also a female politician who formed her own image by using fashion. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher used handbags to show her charisma. She always carried a square-shaped handbag. Moreover, she flipped her handbag on the desk in front of officials, which made them feel nervous. Her handbag strategy even created a new word, ‘Handbagging’, which means ‘aggressive’ or ‘self-assertive.’
  The Fashion of Politicsʼ that imprints oneʼs own philosophy and image on the public with their own fashion style isnʼt only limited to female politicians. Male politicians also have formed their own images and delivered their political messages through fashion.
  Former British Prime Minister David Cameron wore soft-looking suits and green ties. He created an environmentally friendly image. Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev also emphasized dynamic images with a tight-fitting suit and ties with intense colors. Ties have especially been used among male politicians, just like the brooches of female politicians. When they wanted to give an active impression to the public, they usually wore blue ties, and when they wanted to reveal their thoughts, they wore intense red-colored ties.
  Finally, the fashion of the First Lady Michelle Obama is considered as ‘a fashion of personality.’ She is famous for her natural manners, habits and humanity. She usually wears low-priced clothes, which are targeted at common people, and she promoted domestic clothes around the world by wearing clothes made by sophisticated American fashion designers. Every outfit she wears gets lots of attention from the public. Her fashion style exerts a strong influence on the American fashion industry because it raises brand awareness and increases sales. Therefore, the American media say that Michelle Obama revitalized the stagnant American fashion industry.
  As such, the fashions of politicians have great influences on many people. In other words, fashion is certainly one of the important means of delivering a message.

By Choi Ji-su l jsz36@cbnu.ac.kr
Kim Hyo-seon l hs37@cbnu.ac.kr
Hong Ye-ha l yh37@cbnu.ac.kr