Looking at photos of the audience at President Trump’s first address to Congress, the eye will gravitate to a small, but radiating section of white jackets and dresses, a stark contrast to the navy and black suits around. Weird, but seemingly insignificant.
It’s not.
The Democratic women of Congress planned this special appearance, referred to as #WomenWearWhite, as a nod to the suffragettes of nearly 100 years ago that protested for their own rights — and wore white while doing so. “In just his first days, [Trump] and congressional Republicans have made it a priority to attack a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion and instilled terror in immigrant mothers, daughters, and wives,” explained Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif) to Yahoo Style. “Taken as a whole, it is a dangerous rollback of the rights we have gained over the years. Yet we cannot forget that those rights came from our power at the polls — a power we still possess. That is why, as President Trump faces us tonight, we will be wearing white as a reminder of the power and importance of women’s suffrage, and that our voices will not be silenced by his bullying.”
“I’m wearing suffragette white at President Trump’s #JointSession tonight, in honor of the generations of women who marched and fought for our sacred rights,” wrote Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif) on Facebook. “President Trump needs to know that his sexist, chauvinistic and predatory behavior is unacceptable and un-American. Our rights – and our bodies – are not up for grabs.”
This unification of female delegates comes during a tense time among Trump’s media-dubbed “War on Women.” Despite claiming to “cherish women,” Trump signed the Global Gag Rule back into law just three days into his Presidency. The law, more formerly called The Mexico City Policy, prevents international nongovernment organizations that offer abortions from receiving federal funding — including Planned Parenthood. Since its inception in 1984 with Ronald Reagan, it has been repealed by Democratic Presidents, and reinstated by Republican ones. And days after the Women’s March on Washington, the House passed a bill that could turn the Hyde Amendment into permanent law (however, it still has yet to be approved by the Senate).
The Democratic women of Congress are not the only ones who have shown power through wearing white. Hillary Clinton herself has been seen in a white pantsuit at three pivotal moments in her 2016 career: her acceptance of the Democratic Presidential nomination, at the third presidential debate, and at Trump’s Inauguration.
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