Melania Trump’s wardrobe accidentally made a statement at Sunday night’s presidential debate. Just days after the release of footage in which Donald Trump can be heard bragging about grabbing women “by the pussy” without permission, his wife donned a $1,100 Gucci “pussy-bow” blouse on national television.
Soon afterwards, social media and news outlets were ablaze with people wondering if her fashion choice was a showcase of ultimate trolling, or simply ironic.
“Was it an overt wink at the media over her husband’s comments about how easy it is to grab non-consenting women’s pussies when you’re famous—a silent rebellion and bright-pink ‘fuck you’ in solidarity with other women?” asked Lizzie Crocker of The Daily Beast. “Or was it an unhappy coincidence that made her seem ever more the trophy wife of a misogynist reality TV star turned misogynist presidential nominee?”
A rep for Melania finally answered the internet’s question, telling CBS that her outfit “was not intentional.” But how great would it have been if she had meant it as a response to her husband’s vulgar remarks?
According to USA Today, the pussy-bow has a long, repressive history:
“The bows date back to at least the 1930s, when the floppy, feminine bow most likely received its name from the bows tied under kittens’ chins. In the 1970s, it became part of the working woman’s wardrobe, a take on the bow ties that male counterparts were wearing to the office, and in line with the boxy suits and button-downs that composed what was viewed as appropriate attire. Author John T. Malloy famously advised women to wear neckties if they wanted to move up the corporate ladder in his 1977 bestseller The Woman’s Dress for SuccessBook.”
Eventually, the style faded from fashion as women realized they shouldn’t have to blend in with men to be taken seriously. They retaliated against such dress codes, ditching pussy-bows and shoulder pads for more womanly looks. However, the pussy-bow has been been given new life recently as part of a feminist fashion movement, with younger women reclaiming it and sporting it alongside feminine pieces.
In her actual response to Trump’s crude language, Melania called her husband’s words “unacceptable and offensive to me.” We haven’t heard much else from Melania throughout Trump’s campaign, as she’s been relatively quiet, so perhaps we were all just a little too eager to read between the threads for a stronger condemnation.
