Quirky womenswear company Wildfang responded to reports that Donald Trump requires women to adhere... [+]
Donald Trump's attitude towards women can be diplomatically described as retrograde. The pageant-owner-turned-President has bragged about grabbing women's genitals; was accused of sexual harassment and assault by multiple women (he denied these allegations); has objectified women; and has described a "wife" working as "dangerous."
Labor advocates have already expressed concern that working women will experience a Mad Men-style backlash under his administration. A report published on Thursday by political news startup Axios suggests it's already begun, and close to home for POTUS: the White House.
A Trump campaign worker told Axios that the reality TV veteran "likes the women who work for him 'to dress like women'":
"We hear that women who worked in Trump's campaign field offices — folks who spend more time knocking on doors than attending glitzy events — felt pressure to wear dresses to impress Trump."
Immediately, working women and their allies across genders took to social media, both to balk at the notion that there's any one way an entire sex should dress and to show off their own professional attire, from surgery scrubs to army fatigues.
The hashtag #DressLikeAWoman was swiftly propelled to the top of Twitter's trending topics chart:
That's me on the left wearing my favorite outfit #DressLikeAWoman pic.twitter.com/M8UnQ2pBwE
— Rebecca Alleyne, MD (@BeckyAlleyneMD) February 3, 2017
This is how I used to #dresslikeawoman #women #army pic.twitter.com/J7FXFBWm8Q
— Shannon H. Polson (@ABorderLife) February 3, 2017
Is this how you #DressLikeAWoman ? pic.twitter.com/Ft992ch4wX
— SNAFU Sara. (@NJGirlSEliza) February 2, 2017
Yes, I'm doing an autopsy wearing pearls. #DressLikeAWoman pic.twitter.com/l3QBlCeJ2m
— Judy Melinek M.D. (@drjudymelinek) February 3, 2017
A mother posted a photo of her wildland firefighter daughter. Another user, in a nod to the Trump administration's Muslim ban, posted a much-shared image of computer scientist Anousheh Ansari, the first Muslim woman to go to space. One Twitter wag used the hashtag to point out the hypocrisy of any sort of dress code while the permanently rumpled Stephen Bannon remains in proximity to the White House.
It didn't take long for brands to get in on the action. Quirky womenswear company Wildfang sells suits and snapback hats; its aesthetic is miles away from, say, the jewel-tone shifts and stilettos of Ivanka Trump's collection (which, coincidentally, was dropped by mall chain Nordstrom the day this report surfaced).
On its popular Instagram account, Wildfang showcased such diverse, boundary-breaking women as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, clad in her robes; Nobel-winning activist Malala Yousafzai, in a headscarf; and U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe, in the uniform she wore as part of the FIFA Women's World Cup-winning team.
Alongside the hashtag #DressLikeAWoman in each caption, Wildfang asks: "Hey Donald, was this what you had in mind?"
