What Kamala Harris’ Converse All-Stars Tell Us About How Shoes Shape Our Identity

Like most public figures, Kamala Harris adapts her footwear to suit different occasions. Although her wardrobe includes traditional options such as formal black heels, it was at this show that she wore Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Vogue February 2021 cover. this attracted special attention.

As a Democratic candidate for President, these sneakers have once again become focal point her campaign.

With her choice of sneakers, Harris signals a new era of women’s political leadership and demonstrates how a leader’s choice of footwear can shape a leader’s personality and ability to connect with voters.

Adoption of All-American Values

We may know not to judge a book by its cover, but all politicians… especially women – know that we inevitably do this. The appearance of others is how we categorize people to understand the world and our place in it.

Clothing is a key means by which we identify ourselves and others. Shoes especially have multiple layers of meaning: when we observe someone’s shoes, we use them to tell us whether we identify with that person or not.

This is what politicians and their teams know and manipulate to win votes.

One famous scene A perfect illustration of this is the concession speech of Democratic Congressman from Brooklyn David Norris in the film The Adjustment Bureau (2011).

The character, played by Matt Damon, talks about the significant work required to create the perfect outfit:

We associate shiny shoes with expensive lawyers and bankers. If you want to get the working man’s votes, you need to scuff your boots a little, but you can’t ruin them enough to put off the lawyers and bankers (…) So what’s the right amount of scuffing? Did you know we actually paid a consultant $7,300 to tell us THIS was the ideal amount of scuff marks?

While Harris’ Chuck Taylor designs generally appear pristine, she is open about her understanding of the style’s importance to potential voters, explaining it in simple terms. interview 2020:

Whatever your background and whatever language your grandmother spoke, we’ve all had our Chucks at one point or another, right?

Relatively inexpensive and utilitarian, the Converse All-Star, an all-American shoe worn by people of all ages, races, genders and sexual orientations, is a social equalizer—a smart choice for a politician who wants to identify with a broad electorate.

How other As it turns out, Harris’s choice of sneakers speaks to her American values ​​and no-nonsense approach.

She’s ready for anything in these shoes.

Shoes change us

interview in 2018Harris’ relationship with sneakers goes back several years and certainly seems genuine.

Whether the original choice to wear them was hers – or, like Norris, the choice of a team of consultants – is now irrelevant. In the process of wearing shoes, they change us.

They not only influence how we physically move through the world, but also shape our social attitudes towards others.

Anyone who’s chosen a particular pair of shoes for a job interview or special occasion is familiar with the transformative effect it has on helping you feel like you’re a part of the situation.

Identity can be understood as something that is realized. When a performance is perceived as compelling, we become the role we play and our identity is incorporated into our sense of self.

Harris’ shoes command respect. In them, she is perceived – and therefore can be felt – accessible and down to earth.

During an election campaign, the social interaction they provide increases her ability to socialize and connect with others. Through this process, her performance and her personality become one.

You could say that it became her shoe; in doing so, she became the personification of the all-American values ​​they represent. And at just 5ft 4in, the decision to not compensate for her height with heels exudes a self-confidence that more and more women are discovering.

This woman knows who she is and feels confident.

In search of authenticity

Besides ongoing speculation As for Trump’s height and whether he wears lift-up insoles, his choice of footwear has received comparatively less attention, as is often the case with male politicians.

According to Footwear newshe rarely refuses to wear black leather shoes, a testament to his corporate connections. That didn’t stop Trump from starting gold sneaker linecalled “Never Surrender High-Tops” and retailing for $399 in February. New design with the words “Fight, fight, fight.” was released after the July assassination attempt.

It’s a completely different use of shoes to communicate with voters.

In an era when authenticity in politics is increasingly valued, Harris’s footwear choices represent more than just campaign strategy. This reflects changing expectations about power and leadership.

Her Converse sneakers challenge the idea that women should literally rise to command.

Instead they offer a new kind of political speech where power comes not from height or traditional status symbols, but from the ability to genuinely connect with voters.