Power Dressing A Confronto: Donald Trump Vs Joe Biden
Politics, even more so today, is full of symbols, meanings, implicit gestures and carefully chosen words. On the other hand, men and women of power have shown that they know precisely the secrets of power dressing: the power of the evocative language of colors and clothing emerged in a powerful way during the last confrontation between the current US President Donald Trump and his rival Joe Biden.
The confrontation, which took place on, was not only a clash of opposing ideologies that refer to two different ways of conceiving America, but also two completely different aesthetic styles and orators. Let's see together how the two exponents of opposite parties have used the secrets of power dressing to support their communication strategy.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden: same chair, different tie
The power dressing of the two opponents, Donald and Joe, clarify in a clear and linear way the ideas and ideals of each of them. The outfits of the current president have already been widely discussed. How can we fail to notice its austerity? There are those who have defined him as "a Wall Street tycoon in the Eighties", which in fact he is. The commercial and economic empire created by the Trump Organization is clear in the president's outfits: straight-cut jackets, straight shoulders, white shirts and the inevitable red tie.
If in recent years there have been many politicians who have decided to put it aside by creating a more informal look, on the contrary Donald has never given up on it. The tie is a symbol of authority and for him, not wearing it would be too middle-management. Almost always classic, knotted so that they reached the belt and almost always red, the symbol par excellence of the Republican party. A warm and positive color that expresses strength, energy and confidence to the wearer. For this reason, it is associated with ambition and determination, which is why Trump often wears it during press releases to talk to the nation about military interventions or very strong political and social choices.
In contrast, his opponent Joe Biden, a Democrat and vice president of the United States during the Obama presidency, introduces himself to his constituents more lovingly. In the photos she always appears with her arms crossed, in a dress and with strictly blue ties or shades of blue. The pose is relaxed, less austere than that of the current president whose typical smile, combined with platinum blonde hair, has become one of the most clicked memes on social media.
Unlike Donald, Joe smiles in serious dark-toned clothes, but with a youthful cut despite the candidate, if successful, would be the oldest president in US history. The colors of the tie not only reflect those of the party to which they belong but also topoi as trust, reality and responsibility. Joe focuses precisely on this: he wants to remind Americans that in order to solve problems it is sometimes good to move with calm, rationality and civic sense. Joe wants to communicate tranquility to his constituents, focusing on a power dressing as composed as he is caring, almost like a father towards his children.
The dress code in political communication
It can, therefore, be said that power dressing is a powerful communication tool that is gaining more and more space within the world of politics. On the other hand, communicating with one's physical appearance is a practice that has been widely used in the past as well. Louis XIV, better known as the Sun King, was famous for his opulent dresses, made by the best French seamstresses with the most expensive fabrics in the world. In his court, every event was a moment to give light to himself and his majesty, so the color of the outfit, the cut of the jacket or the height of the heel of the shoes were essential. Not surprisingly, for political meetings he used to use austere dresses with lace and fringes, while for party evenings at Versailles he dared with bright colors such as red or yellow.
Power dressing is therefore a modus operandi already used in the modern age and highly taken up today. It is a carefully studied strategy, aimed at creating a precise idea of oneself, without leaving room for misunderstandings. Based on the event in which you participate or the political campaign in which you compete, you choose a specific outfit, so as to be consistent with the characteristics of the electorate you are addressing. The women and men of national and international politics have grasped the importance of stylistic choices in their careers, aiming to create their own personal branding, capable of shaping a unique, decisive and clear public idea.
Already in the early 1900s, fashion sociologists such as Georg Simmel stressed that dressing was, especially in Western, capitalist and classist societies, an important tool to mark one's belonging to a social group or to be precise political. Today, we talk more about real marketing, highlighting how a politician's way of dressing at a public event is a real ace to play with care if you don't want to lose the game. This is why Donald Trump, current president of the United States of America, and his presidential opponent Joe Biden are a clear example of this. It is important to highlight how the First Ladies themselves curate their outfits to support husbands in the countryside: see Michelle Obama, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Melania Trump. Color, cut, accessories must be carefully evaluated.
