Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Politicians saluting more than flag pins

Fashion has played a very crucial role this year when it comes to politics. President Barack Obama and Governor Sarah Palin both show that style can be political by wearing an American flag pin. The politically neutral purple tie made an impression on news anchor Keith Olbermann, and the ever popular pantsuit worn by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also shows her professional and more serious side.

When it comes to politics, it is imperative that politicians dress in a way to make their audience think they are serious about their position. Style has become a huge part of the political world, and it plays an important role in how others view their candidate.

According to Boston Globe Correspondent Meagan Agnew, purple usually is a color that marks royalty. To show their politically neutral side, talking heads and political analysts on television wear this color tie. Keith Olbermann, Bill O’Reilly and NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams are just a few that support the neutral color.

“I believe the tie is just a tie,” Andrew Kury, a freshman business major, said. “It should all be up to the politician or media type on what they would like to wear. I do not believe they should be criticized for wearing the neutral purple tie, and also I do not believe it should be mandatory for them to wear a red or blue tie either.”
The flag pin has also been flying high, as almost every politician is supporting one. Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Palin are just a few who are stylish when it comes to wearing the pin.

Obama created a stir when he told an Iowa reporter that he had stopped wearing his American flag pin due to all of the controversy with the Iraq war. He said that the lapel pin “became a substitute for, I think, true patriotism,” according to the Boston.com Web site. Obama began wearing the flag pin again, but the issues of red, white and blue allowed for no gray areas.

Another politically fashionable issue is Palin’s wardrobe. In late October, the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 on clothes for Palin and her family. Palin said that the clothes did not belong to her, and she was not taking them with her. Some think that even talking about a female candidate’s wardrobe is sexist, while others believe that the obscene amount of money that was spent ruined her appeal.

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