Voting in Style
With the November election right around the corner, it’s fascinating to see fashion become a medium to express political activism. When I recently saw Hailey Bieber in the above “VOTE” sweatshirt I thought “how cool!” Now I want an accessory to do the same!
Send the message:
Since starting my blog I’ve learned that fashion is a powerful tool for both self-expression and to send a message to others. So how can we use fashion to get more people to vote in the 2020 election? Over the last week I‘ve been on the lookout for fashionable ways to subtly remind people to vote rather than talk or post about it all the time. This isn’t a relatively new trend, as we’ve seen celebrities and influencers in the past sending the message to vote, like Katy Perry when she wore a dress that had a checked box next to who she planned to vote for in 2016.
Not controversial:
Something pretty cool about a message that simply says “vote” is that it’s not offensive. It’s a fantastic way to encourage people to use their voices and take part in the election without sharing which side of the fence you’re on — if that’s something you’re planning to keep to yourself.
I don’t know about you guys but registering to vote and figuring out where and how to during this pandemic is pretty confusing. Can we go in person? Mail in our votes? Is there early voting? What’s the deal? It turns out every state has different guidelines so I went through the somewhat annoying process yesterday on vote.gov. In my opinion it’s much better to get it done sooner than later so it you can get it over with. There have been so many close presidential elections throughout history that could’ve had different outcomes depending on more voter turnout, and I think that this upcoming one is more important than ever. Each one of our votes really does matter... so we have to try and encourage people to get out there and do it!
My favorites:
Birdies’ “vote” leather flats:
Meghan Markle, known for her past political activism before becoming a Royal, loves this pro-women brand based in San Francisco and has been spotted wearing them around with Prince Harry. Apparently they’re so comfortable that they feel like slippers. This collection comes in a few different colors and with different “voting” slogans— the neutral colored ones pictured below are my favorite!
ByChari’s “vote” gold necklace:
Michelle Obama recently wore the “VOTE” necklace by this black-owned jewelry brand. It comes in both silver and gold (I ordered mine to wear from now until the election. I’m so excited!)
This chic t-shirt is really cute, and I love French so it spoke to me! Also, check out their black and white (my fav colors to wear) crossbody strap in their voting collection that can be attached to your bag.
What better way to promote voting than during a pandemic while we’re all walking around with masks! I especially like that GAP donates to two nonprofits that assist in voter registration during the election year. These washable masks also include a pocket where you can insert a filter for more protection.
Levi’s customizable “vote” merch
Hailey Bieber, also a political activist, was recently in this campaign along with Jaden Smith and spoke about the 70 million eligible voters for the 2020 election who are the most diverse group yet. Not just for women, Levi’s has voting shirts for men! Their website has a direct link to register to vote in each state, which is really helpful.
