Kamala Harris' State Of The Union Ensemble Has Everyone Saying The Same Thing
On March 1, President Joe Biden gave the first State of the Union address of his presidency, intent on discussing the numerous elephants in the room, like the way the country is recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and the current invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. While this State of the Union was notable for many of the points Biden made, there was another reason people were potentially excited to see the president standing in front of the joint members of Congress on Capitol Hill: This State of the Union address would be the first time both the speaker of the house and the vice president — who sit behind the president during the address — would be women.
As many know, Vice President Kamala Harris became the first female vice president of the United States when she and Biden were elected to office in 2020. This success would allow her to achieve numerous firsts throughout her tenure, and the State of the Union address was no different. However, while many were happy with her inclusion in the vice president's chair in the House chamber, there were some who weren't too thrilled with what Harris decided to wear to the event.
People questioned Kamala Harris' outfit choice
The theme of the Ukrainian invasion was apparent throughout the State of the Union address, from the words President Joe Biden spoke; to the inclusion of the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, as First Lady Dr. Jill Biden's guest; to many in the chamber wearing the colors of Ukraine's flag or waving a small version of the flag during the speech. However, some people who attended the State of the Union did not follow the decision to wear blue and/or yellow/gold, including Vice President Kamala Harris.
While some questioned Harris' decision to not show her support for Ukraine via her fashion choice, others took to social media to wonder about the color she ended up sporting. Though the cut of Harris' suit was on point, many took issue with its brown hue, pointing out that it caused her to almost blend into her surroundings. "What was @KamalaHarris thinking with this outfit that blends into the chair??? She looks like a floating head," one Twitter user expressed. "@VP I love you so much but how did you pick out that outfit. Please brown suit in a brown chair and a brown desk. Blue and Yellow was the theme today why not blue or yellow or both," another wrote in part. "Kamala Harris [sic] outfit tonight sponsored by Hershey," a third person quipped.
Hopefully Harris will attempt to not blend into her surroundings in the future — although it goes without saying she has bigger issues on her plate at the moment.
Kamala Harris missed out on some stylish advice
Then again, perhaps one of the reasons why so many people criticized Vice President Kamala Harris' choice of color during the State of the Union Address is because she is often seen as a political fashionista, so to speak. After all, she did appear on the cover of Vogue back in January 2021 and has a stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, who has become something of a style icon after fans saw her dazzle in a sequined coat at President Joe Biden's inauguration. Speaking to Vogue, Emhoff even opened up about the "weirdness" of being in the style spotlight at the time. "The past month's been pretty crazy. I realized it was going to affect everyone in my life, and you guys are the closest ones to me," she said back in March 2021. "It's all been so fast."
Now why Emhoff didn't give her stepmother a pointer or two or maybe discussed the importance of rotating one's color palette no one knows, but the audience at the SOTU address noticed another detail about Harris' outfit that seemed to contrast to that of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others in the room.
Plenty of other people got the dress code memo
Many noticed that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle wore blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's national flag, according to ABC News. What's more, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to have worn not just a blue blazer, but a pin that had both the American and Ukrainian flags. Meanwhile, Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat from Florida, posted a photo on Twitter of her and her fellow members of Congress clad in head to toe blue and yellow before President Joe Biden's address to the nation.
However, Vice President Kamala Harris was one of the few people in the room that not only wore an interesting shade of brown but didn't have a Ukraine pin on her lapel. Perhaps Harris simply didn't get the memo that on Tuesdays, we wear blue and yellow.