In this reported op-ed, writer Kelsey Stiegman connects the rise of MAGA politics to a darker fashion shift — where self-expression gives way to self-preservation.
Two years ago, fashion at large was celebrating the “Year of the Girl,” its Barbie pink flames fanned by a wave of women-fronted media and a White House administration to match. Our clothes were fuchsia, our hemlines were nonexistent, and everything was covered in superfluous satin bows. But the time for balletcore and beaded friendship bracelets is slowly turning into something new. As the political tides shift dramatically — ushering in an era of authoritarian posturing and cultural regression — fashion is following suit, trading playfulness for pragmatism, and glitter for grimness.
In 2023, youthful frivolity returned to the fashion space in full force. After more than two years of drab quarantine sweatsuits and work-from-home pandemic ’fits, method dressing and jovial TikTok aesthetics joined forces to rejuvenate closets nationwide. The rise of “mermaidcore,” “coquette,” “Barbiecore,” and “Scandi girl” style inspired themed outfits so elaborate they bordered on costume. Though it came with its own complications and political pitfalls, in this way the Biden administration unknowingly succeeded in doing what Trump and his trucker hat-wearing personality cult supporters never could: Making political fashion statements fun again.
Bodily autonomy, likewise, was one of the most pervasive themes of Biden-era fashion, and an overarching theme of his administration, with President Joe Biden launching the White House Gender Policy Council, signing Executive Order 14076, which worked to protect access to reproductive healthcare, and nominating historic numbers of women in both the judiciary and his own Cabinet. Naked dresses reigned supreme and exposed nipples were the accessory du jour on every red carpet — even as Trump’s conservative-packed Supreme Court put an end to nearly 50 years of abortion access.
Yet fashion, like politics, is reactive. And the exuberant self-expression that flourished under Biden has started to recede under a drastically different regime. Today, as masked ICE agents kidnap immigrants in broad daylight, cops shoot rubber bullets at peaceful protesters, and tanks crawl through D.C. — the whimsical -cores and aesthetics that flourished in past eras are at odds with our current ecosystem.
“I call it ‘the Trumpification of fashion,’” says attorney Tashira Halyard, author of the blog Politics and Fashion and co-host of JustUS Podcast. “MAGA, like authoritarian regimes around the world, uses fear as its primary tool for compliance. Fun and free styles of dress will be disincentivized when the ruling ideology is focused on lawlessness and implementing strict gender norms.”
Trump’s tactics are exhausting by design. Violent policies released at a rapid pace are meant to break the will of the oppressed through unrelenting chaos and violence. The goal is to overwhelm and exhaust, leaving opposing forces with energy for little else — not for organizing, not for protesting, and certainly not for superfluous accessorizing — and it’s a strategy Trump’s team has admitted they employ.
With President Trump’s “content creator cabinet,” as Vanity Fair has dubbed it, taking office (the Secretaries of Defense, Transportation, and Education are all television personalities), it’s Capitol Hill like we’ve never seen before. Their disregard for political norms extends beyond policy to the very clothes they wear, Halyard says. In the past, those in the political space largely opted for sleek, professional styles, perhaps made by designers with significance. But gone are the days of Jackie Kennedy’s elegant pillbox hats, Michelle Obama’s Black designer representation, and Hillary Clinton’s collection of exquisitely-tailored pantsuits. Now, it’s baseball caps in the Oval Office, poorly-blended MAGA makeup, and visible lingerie.
“Teenage boys are running the US government,” Halyard tells Teen Vogue. “Like many adolescents, MAGA exists to defy and disrupt. Elon Musk’s DOGE, massive federal layoffs, USAID’s abrupt closing, a potential war with Iran, and gutting the Department of Education are just a few examples of how it's working to upend American democracy,” she continues. “Their fashion choices don’t fall too far behind their rhetoric.”
As American politics becomes increasingly “unserious,” fashion trends have, in turn, become more so. Designers like Tory Burch, Versace, Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Prada have all prioritized subdued, almost mournful workwear, debuting leather satchels, tweed pencil skirts, double-breasted blazers, and secretary-style glove pumps in their respective 2025 collections. Though the shift is by no means an industry-wide mandate, it’s certainly a palpable change.
Hollywood has, likewise, moved away from sheer gowns and statement thongs, embracing the modest suiting typically favored by career politicians. Ariana Grande, for example, put her glitzy Glinda the Good Witch-inspired ball gowns on pause in favor of a somber wool suit from Saint Laurent. Hailey Bieber wore the same twill set to a Rhode launch party, instead of her usual micro-mini dresses.
Even Beyoncé — whose Cowboy Carter Tour has exclusively centered flashy Western garb — found a way to work congressional staples into her concert wardrobe, debuting a charcoal Sportmax blazer/bodysuit hybrid at her May 15th show. The ensemble wasn’t far off from the posh workwear she and Kelly Rowland wore to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris at a Houston, TX campaign rally in 2024.
According to Halyard, the increased popularity of more conservative trends can be traced directly to the political movement itself. “These are symptoms of a larger push towards the right,” Halyard says. Of course, adopting these trends doesn’t mean you subscribe to the political ideals driving them, simply that the political climate bleeds into our culture at large. “In my opinion, we can track this shift with the rise of the manosphere, trad wives, and proliferation of ‘femininity’ coaches. MAGA’s influence is undeniable.”
Amy Odell, New York Times bestseller and author of the Substack newsletter, Back Row, echoes this sentiment. “Politics informs culture greatly, including what fashion brands make and what trends people gravitate toward,” she tells Teen Vogue. “Once, I talked to a trend forecaster who said whenever Republicans are in office, red trends.”
Trump’s tariffs likely come into play here, as well. In preparation for their economic impact, shoppers have seemingly begun investing their money in more timeless pieces, such as trench coats, loafers, and two-piece suits—essentially, items that will serve them through years of fiscal turmoil, Odell says. According to Business Insider, this is a longstanding consumer shopping habit which has remained consistent throughout previous economic declines — in 1929 and 2008 —noting a similar shift this year.
“For the masses who may be pulling back their spending during a period of economic uncertainty, workwear is a practical way to dress that can take you from season to season,” says Odell. “Plus, people may be going back to the office in greater numbers and have an increased need for that type of clothing,” she adds, citing Elon Musk’s DOGE-led push to return remote workers to the office.
Perhaps fashion’s workwear fixation is an unconscious attempt to retain employment status as the government rolls back workplace discrimination protections and cuts federal jobs by the hundreds of thousands. After all, the time to break office dress codes is not when the unemployment rate is 4.2% (compared to 4% in May 2024 and 3.6% in May 2023), with increases projected by the Federal Reserve over the coming years. Dress for the job you want to keep.
Fashion is no longer just about personal taste — it's about survival, self-preservation, and signaling. What we wear has become armor against a culture of instability.
