Fashion
Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush On Thrifting Her Wardrobe for the Hill
The activist-turned-politician is highlighting the realities of being “a regular person going to Congress.”…
VOGUE: God, why is it so refreshing to hear a woman in politics speak matter-of-factly about weight gain?
CB: It is what it is! Doing activism, I gained weight. Running for office, I gained weight. Like, I just had other stuff on my mind. And then, during the pandemic, I had double-pneumonia. My doctor thinks I had COVID-19, probably, and anyway they gave me these steroids and they made me bigger, too. So my old clothes, it’s like—well, too bad. Guess I need a whole new wardrobe. But like I tweeted, damn that’s expensive.
VOGUE: What kinds of things are you shopping for?
CB: Everything. Blazers, suits, skirts, blouses, sweaters, scarves, shoes, purses, jewelry. All of it. And I can’t just put on a black blazer and black slacks. It can’t just be basics. What I’ve found for myself is that, when I’m going into places where I always have to fight, where I have to bring it, I need something to make me feel good.
VOGUE: How would you describe your sense of style?
CB: Oh, pretty classic, for the most part—but with flair. I like to push it. I’ll put on a plain-looking, dark suit, but my shoes will be…what?! I love pink. But not that Pepto pink—deep pink. And sparkles, I love sparkles. Clothes with rhinestones and sequins, I’m so into that. Even if I need to bring it down a notch, I’ve always—always—got sparkles on my nails. I do them every two weeks, and they are never, ever just a plain color. I’ve got to have that sparkle. So when I’m feeling down I can look at my nails and it snaps me out of it.
VOGUE: Which female politicians do you look to for inspo? I noticed that AOC was giving you advice.
CB: Yeah, I got tips from Alex, from Rashida [Tlaib], from Ayanna, from Ilhan [Omar], and from Grace Meng. She told me about this great consignment store here in D.C. that I went to today. I do like a lot of the stuff Ayanna wears, and she was also telling me how to do the makeup on a budget, the lashes on a budget… But I can’t say there’s any one woman in politics I look at and think, I want that. I guess the closest would be Michelle Obama. She always looked good.
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