ST PAUL, Minn. — During Wednesday night's Democratic Debates, gender was a topic of discussion a few times. Electability came up - referring to women running for office. It's 2020, and we're still talking about a woman candidate's look, her outfit, her hair and her voice.
On Monday (President's Day), New York City based women's clothing company M.M. LaFleur announced it will be lending women its clothes for free while they campaign for a political position.
This is what the email to customers read, in part:
"As we head into Primary Season, we want to do our small part in supporting female candidates. One of the ways in which we've been able to do this in the past is by dressing women for the campaign trail. Over the past few years, we have dressed candidates ranging from Cynthia Nixon to Representative Stephanie Murphy. This Spring, we're taking things a step further by lending our clothes, for free, to any woman who is running for public office - whether it be for the House of Representatives or your town council."
This news was a welcome one for Meggie Whittorf, the executive director of Women Winning.
"For all of time, political information has been exchanged with a handshake and a wink," Whittorf said. "Our job is to remove those barriers and get that information to the women who step up to run for office."
Women Winning is a political 501(c)3 that helps women candidates get in touch with resources that go into creating a successful campaign. Whittorf explained that part of her work includes trying to strike down barriers that face female candidates.
"It can be scrutiny about the way someone is dressed, it can be about their voice," Whittorf said. "What we see is over time, all these narratives can manifest in comments like, 'I really like her, but I just don't think she can beat so-and-so.'"
Whittorf said she's heard that kind of phrase too many times. So when she heard about M.M. LaFleur's endeavors, she thought it could be a great resource for the candidates working with Women Winning.
"Do I think an outfit that a woman wears is going to win her an election? No," Whittorf said. "Do I think that barriers exist when women step up to run for office? Yes. If we can identify what some of these barriers are and remove them, then we are absolutely going to do it."
"Our company's mission from day one has always been, 'the world is a better place when women succeed in the workplace,'" M.M. LaFleur's founder Sarah LaFleur said over video chat on Thursday. "In this case, the workplace just happens to be on the national or state-level stage."
LaFleur explained that after the 2016 elections, she heard from customers who encouraged the company to do more to help more women hold political positions.
"It's 2020 and nobody seems to be talking about Biden's suits," LaFleur said. "It's definitely a sexism that exists and at the same time, what we're saying is that because the sexism exists, I want to give women an upper-hand jumping into it."
Her seven-year-old company didn't start with intentions of making clothes that customers found to be "perfect" for the campaign trail. She also clarified that she doesn't believe that a certain outfit for a woman will lead to a certain outcome. However, she said she wanted to be a part of a solution, saying that no matter the office, women deserve to not worry about what they are wearing.
"Yes, it's unfortunate that I think what you're wearing is something that you might be judged on," LaFleur said. "But I think if it can communicate the idea that you want to communicate about who it is that you are as a potential representative, if it gives you the extra confidence that you want or need in that day to make your point, why not borrow the power of costume?"
LaFleur said women who are interested and running for a position can reach out via email at readytorun@mmlafleur.com. She said all you need is your name and some credentials (like a campaign website) and a stylist from the company will walk you through finding clothing that will work for you.
She said the program will run until November and will provide clothing to women until their campaign is over, regardless of the outcome.