Anyone who frequents airports knows that soft clothes rule. And not just on weekends or exclusively on flights to Miami or Las Vegas. Even for longer journeys business like Montreal-Toronto, New York or London, some days it feels like a chartered flight to go to a Canadian game abroad. The person who ventures to wear a jacket or, worse, a tie attracts astonished looks, a bit like the tattooed person of the 1980s who was often associated with delinquency. I know something about this, being among the last diehards to wear a suit and tie.
Is it possible that in 2024, we will still judge a person based on their clothing choice? We must believe so in light of the scandal surrounding shoes worn by Minister France-Élaine Duranceau during a recent press conference.
I had fun analyzing the piece of evidence that caused so much discussion – this photo where Mme Duranceau, accompanied by two federal government ministers and the mayor of Montreal, inadvertently tilts her heel to reveal the indelible mark of Christian Louboutin. If, as some suggest, Mme Duranceau wanted to project his social status by presenting himself with luxury shoes, so what clues about their personality do the clothes worn by the other extras reveal?
Well, let’s start with the federal Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault. Nothing scratched about him, we will agree. Donning pants forgotten in a high temperature drying cycle and shoes probably rented during a visit to the bowling alley, Mr. Guilbeault fits perfectly with the image of his government – messy! Soraya Martinez Ferrada, her ministerial colleague, sports a one-color Silicon Valley 2010 style. The oversized Doc Martens project an inhospitable air that clashes with her responsibilities as minister responsible for Tourism in Canada.
Of all the people photographed, I would bet that it was Mayor Valérie Plante who thought the most about her look. The long, colorful coat, the striped blouse, the sneakers – she looked like someone leaving for Los Angeles immediately after the press conference. And not with Sunwing. No, we rather imagine him climbing the few steps of a private jet and turning towards his subjects to promise them to bring back some souvenirs.
What then should we conclude from the messages that these political actors wanted to convey through their clothing? Uh nothing. Like zero. My fashion review – in the second degree, we will have understood – wanted to illustrate the ridiculousness of this false controversy.
Mme Duranceau really doesn’t have any luck. She can afford to buy luxury goods and campaigns for a center-right party – still crimes of lèse majesté in certain neighborhoods of Quebec. For a society that prides itself on being modern and egalitarian, how can we explain that we continue to use filters from the 1960s to attack a woman? Never would a man have been targeted as M wasme Duranceau.
Many who had rightly decried criticism of former MP Catherine Dorion’s clothing choices showed an unfortunate silence in this episode. Among the women who came to the minister’s defense, too many took the opportunity to recall an imperfect career in politics, thus somewhat justifying the criticism of her.
How often do we hear voters want authenticity and transparency in politics? If the entry ticket requires a candidate to embrace hypocrisy and change her wardrobe, change her children’s schools or use the services of a daycare center rather than a babysitter at home, what about Is there sincerity? What would the media and opposition parties say if they learned that the minister owned twenty-five pairs of luxury shoes that she only wore on weekends, but that she had purchased five pairs from Yellow for his press conferences?
I know Mme Duranceau for around fifteen years and even if she sits in the National Assembly for a different party from that of my partner, also an MP, I consider her a friend. I saw her get involved in philanthropy, occasionally wearing designer scarves, and never counting her hours. Quebecers will decide his fate and that of his government in 2026. For now, let’s say they have a headwind. Although her performance is up to voters, her fashion choices should be completely beyond their judgment.
What do you think ? Participate in the dialogue
reference: www.lapresse.ca