Sunday, March 20, 2016

Breaking the Binary in Hillary Clinton's Pantsuits


Nikki Chasin suit, Fred Perry top, Lady Grey earrings and necklace, L. Jardim brooch

Photographers: Matthew Leifheit
Stylist: Miyako Bellizzi
Hair: Alex Andrade
Make-Up: Jess Plummer


Models: Claire Christerson, Alana Nuala, Leah James, Martine Gutierrez, Dese Escobar, Richie Khan, Erin Meuchner, Mars Hobrecker, Lizz Jardim

Of all the women who've adopted the pantsuit as a symbol of their empowerment (from Katharine Hepburn to Grace Jones), Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is without a doubt the two-piece's biggest champion. Which makes a lot of sense considering that when American women usually break into a space typically dominated men, they do it in a pantsuit. And what space has been more exclusive to men than the Oval Office?

That's not to say that we are blind to Clinton's history. She has a troubled record with the LGBTQ community, extending from her misguided support of the Defense of Marriage Act and Don't Ask Don't Tell to her recent statements that Nancy Reagan helped start the national conversation on AIDS. However, when we started to develop the idea for this shoot, we weren't thinking about her politics specifically. We were thinking about her as a symbol for challenging the notions of conventional gender norms, one which we could appropriate and reimagine.

The truth is, despite the very real prospect of a woman taking the White House, there are still many more glass ceilings to shatter. The gender struggles within this country aren't just relegated to cis white women. Instead, they extend out to the entire queer community, including trans men and women. As such, we wanted to honor the spirit of defying gender norms and take it to its fullest extension by casting models exclusively from the LGBTQ community to reclaim the symbolism of Clinton and her pantsuit. What's beautiful to us about this shoot is that the images exhibit a strength through the fluidness in gender identities represented, showcasing a new kind of power dressing that breaks down the binary that's held us all back for so long.

—VICE Staff



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