The Daily Beast released an op-ed on Tuesday that angered people over its ‘sexist’ statements about Vice President Kamala Harris and her fashion choices.
The controversial piece was titled Kamala Harris Is Well-Suited for President—but Poorly Dressed and it stirred up quite the conversation on X (previously Twitter) as Kamala’s supporters called out the writer’s remarks.
After Chitra Ragavan wrote, ‘Harris has failed to leverage one of the most powerful communication tools for female leaders: her sense of style,’ people flocked to X to describe the article as ‘sexist’ and ‘superficial.’
Chitra explained she felt Kamala’s suits were dated and boxy, and that she should instead embrace her heritage with bold colors and intricate jewelry.
However, many X users believe Kamala is simply dressing like a politician – and that her classic fashion choices wouldn’t be in the spotlight if she was one of her male peers running for office.
The Daily Beast released an op-ed on Tuesday that angered people over its ‘sexist’ statements regarding Vice President Kamala Harris and her fashion choices
The When It Mattered podcast host wrote that Kamala ‘has been pragmatic and risk-averse in her sartorial choices, filling her wardrobe with the requisite staid pantsuits and dated “pussy bow” blouses.’
The pussy bow was quite popular with former First Lady Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign, and Kate Middleton is also a fan of the style.
Chitra described Kamala’s ‘boxy’ pantsuits as ‘poorly tailored,’ and says they ‘don’t do justice to her flawless skin, delicate face, and petite figure,’ calling for more feminine silhouettes, instead.
Chitra, who works as a leadership coach, also called for Kamala to ditch her penchant for navy blue and instead ‘proudly represent America’s modern-day diaspora through subtle nods to her roots in her wardrobe,’ by tapping into her Indian and Jamaican roots with ‘vibrant colors’ or ‘intricate jewelry.’
Chitra complimented Kamala’s running mate, Tim Walz, for his ‘all-American, everyman attire,’ including the ‘wildly-popular Harris/Walz camo baseball caps,’ and ‘his love for outdoors outfitter L.L. Bean and construction gear company Carhartt.’
After The Daily Beast shared the story on X, people called it ‘sexist,’ ‘irresponsible,’ and ‘ridiculous.’
‘Classic sexism: No matter their accomplishments, women will still be hyper-judged on their looks,’ one person tweeted.
‘This is utterly irresponsible and ridiculous when women are dying from a lack of medical care across the country. Do better,’ another woman urged.
‘None of that makes what you wrote any less sexist, or frankly revolting. This was poorly conceived and unfortunately you are perpetuating the outdated narrative about the importance of how women dress,’ a perturbed commentator wrote.
‘Classic sexism: No matter their accomplishments, women will still be hyper-judged on their looks,’ one woman tweeted about the controversial op-ed
After Chitra Ragavan wrote, ‘Harris has failed to leverage one of the most powerful communication tools for female leaders: her sense of style,’ people called out the article on X
‘There’s nothing wrong with her sense of style, you bum. You don’t have to like it. That you found it worthy of a think piece, says more about you than it does about her,’ another response read.
An undecided voter weighed in, ‘I’m unsure whether or not I’m going to vote for her because she hasn’t worn Chucks lately. No Timbs either,’ as Kamala is famous for her love of Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers.
Other people on X called it ‘a stupid and silly article’ that was ‘so superficial,’ tweeting, ‘sad that the Daily Beast focuses on clothes, not substance.’
One person pointed out, ‘Meanwhile, frumpy Trump—the man in the race—gets a pass as he shuffles along in his ill-fitting, rumpled old suits.’
One woman retweeted the story and explained, ‘VP Harris wears the female equivalent to the male suit. No one says this about the male candidates, that they are ready to be president but fail to leverage a sense of style.’
Not everyone disapproved – one person said, ‘I was wondering when a fashion article would show up; this one is actually good and would be helpful to her.’
