Rosa DeLauro has been a member of Congress since 1991. She is passionate about issues that directly impact women's lives, such as equal pay, affordable child care and a livable minimum wage. She also happens to have a pretty amazing wardrobe.
Despite her voting record and political accomplishments, DeLauro's appearance often gets as much attention as her work. This is typical for female politicians -- see the publicity Hillary Clinton's latest hairstyle received this week and the hysteria caused by her decision to go out in public without a ton of makeup on -- but DeLauro's obvious sense of style seems to prompt even more focus on what she wears. In a recent interview with The Cut, DeLauro explained the influences behind her badass -- what some call hipster -- style and also emphasized that her clothing is not the thing that's most meaningful about her.
She told The Cut's Kat Stoeffel:
I’ve always dressed the way I liked to, in clothes that suit me and that are interesting and colorful, whether it was in high school or in college or in the working world. I’ve never shied away from it. I suppose it’s an expression of some sort, of who I am, that is reflected in my dress. But it’s not defining. It’s not who you are or what you’re about. That’s about what you accomplish and what you do.
And when Stoeffel asked her if she hated getting questions about her clothes, DeLauro gave the best answer ever:
Let me say this: I don’t spend a lot of time focused on it. Someone asked me about a pair of boots. I said, "Look, I love boots. I buy them. It’s no more than that."
+1, Rosa DeLauro.