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political campaign texts and fashion following the election

This Tuesday, September 17th, was National Voter Registration Day. I know this because, despite countless efforts to remove myself from political campaign distribution lists, a text reminding me so dinged me awake. This of course was shortly before the landscapers started, so I was left restless with my thoughts 30 minutes ahead of my alarm. Despite all better judgment, I clicked the link in a separate Tuesday morning text on September 9th to watch the Harris-Trump debate.

It played out like this act usually does; each side did their best to drop as many buzzwords as quickly as possible to signal towards their slightly off-hued camps. Trump only coherent enough to be racist, xenophobic, transphobic, etc. and Harris doing her best to wrangle as many center-right voters as possible. Too young to vote for Obama, I could not predict how exhausting it would be to witness the first Black and South Asian woman run for president, loudly endorsing capitalism and xenophobia with a smile—a smirk, as liberals pull off so expertly.

The next day, my pre-alarm political texts celebrated Harris's “stellar performance” on the debate stage. She “clearly won,” reports The Hill. I translate that to mean she represented America in a “respectable” manner for liberals, a task Trump and Biden failed at. I get it; they want a break from thinking about America. I sure wish I could have one as well.

If Harris-Walz can pull this off in November, liberals will take that break. Undeterred by the most oppressed of us being unable to. Finally satisfied with the face of their nation, they will have permission to go back to feeling comfortable and, worse, justified in their quieter but no less lethal nationalism. I mean, after all, we beat Trump and fascism twice! Hats off to us; let’s celebrate and relax. They will probably go as far as to chastise leftists for not doing so.

In a recent TikTok, I predicted that a Harris presidency could invite a return of bohemian fashion styles due to this “relaxing”. Biden’s presidency was not enough to assuage liberal guilt, but a Black South Asian woman president could be more than enough necessary to do so. Obama’s image of “Hope and Change” brought us out of the embarrassment of market crashes and GWB Jr. Kamala’s “A New Way Foward” can do the same for the Trump years. Obama was inaugurated in 2009, and the early 2010s were rife with bohemian-style fashions.

Further to this point, as I explained in my TikTok, while early 00s fashion styles have been trending for the 2020s, early fashion adopters are shifting their focus to the mid-00s and early 2010s for inspiration. While missing in the current Y2K revival in favor of glitzy “McBling” and “Office Siren” looks, I would love to see bohemian styles come back to the forefront as more people begin to take nods from the mid-00s and 2010s.

@jainabennettYess 30 mins lmaooo. Mid 2000s eats♥️♥️ #2000sfashion #mid2000s #2000sstyle #2000saesthetic

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A comment left on my video inquired what I thought would transpire if the election went the other way in favor of Trump. I did something painful but necessary and scrolled back on my Instagram page to see what I wore in 2017 and 2018. One piece I could not get enough of was my (self-designed & printed) “Reagan? More like Satan” t-shirt, printed on a cropped American Apparel tee, of course. There it was. The feminist statement t-shirt marked the 2010s. With Trump in office, a growing #BlackLivesMatter movement, and the spotlight on sexual assault and intimidation that the #MeToo movement brought into the mainstream, the feminist tee/fashion accessory became a clear indicator of which side of these social issues the wearer resided on. Davis & Shakur & Lorde & Collins or Notorious RBG t-shirt? Pink pussy hat or Make America Great Again cap?

However, I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of this feminist tee fad, instead I predict moreso a signaling of “normality” and/or an attachment to the mainstream. This will be donned to communicate an affinity for the overt fascistic nationalism Trump parades but also to seek safety by blending in. With prominent social activists disappearing, social media algorithms that shadow “controversial” topics, and an ever-expanding surveillance state, wearing clothing to fly under the radar makes the most sense. Normcore and Americana, your time to shine. After being natural with minimal heat styling for about ten years now, I am considering being a straight natural; sometimes, I just don’t want to be bothered and questioned and still somehow gawked at when I’m getting my groceries.

So there’s my long-winded answer to a TikTok comment that got my brain going.

Oh, YA, Thanks for 250 subscribers! I’ve always been writing, my whole life, just for me. I can’t believe there are people here now!!!!1 I’m beyond grateful for everyone who engages with my work and thoughts in any capacity. Kisses!!