On Monday evening, the 2024 Democratic National Convention kicked off in Chicago with the theme “For the People, For Our Future.” The event, where VP Kamala Harris will officially be recognized as the Democratic presidential nominee, comes one month after the Republicans held their convention in Milwaukee. The DNC will run through Thursday.
Typically, it’s the convention’s programming and speeches from politicians past and present that capture national attention. For example, on Monday, the event started with President Biden taking center stage to thank his constituents for his time served and officially congratulate VP Harris for earning the Democratic presidential nomination. Jesse Jackson, the American civil rights activist and former presidential candidate, also made a surprise appearance.
But, based on social media buzz, Hillary Clinton’s look was among the night’s noteworthy elements. In a fiery speech, Clinton honored the women trailblazers in politics who have also run for national office. Clinton’s speech was met with a standing ovation, while her signature bob haircut fueled praise online. “Hillary’s bob is soooo perf!” Shelby Ivey Christie (@bronze_bombSHEL; 50,6000 followers), a fashion and costume historian, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Clinton has rocked various versions of the bob for decades. In fact, in January, Clinton posted a photo of herself in 1996 with the caption, “In my bob era.” But overnight on Monday, searches for “Hillary Clinton hair” spiked 100%, according to Google Trends. Dash Hudson shared that social engagement on Hillary Clinton-related content on August 19-20 experienced a 4,276% increase, compared to the 24 hours prior. Plus, Hillary Clinton was the top trending keyword related to the DNC during the same timeframe.
On X, users pointed out the feathering, layering, updated highlights and volume that gave her trademark style new life. Celebrity hairstylist and author Antonio Velotta, who has also styled VP Harris’s silk press, is the stylist behind the trendy ‘do.
Fashion has long had a place in politics as politicians and their partners are known for intentionally choosing clothing either to make a statement, honor historic moments or otherwise symbolize something meaningful. But beauty has slowly crept into the conversation.
After VP Harris was officially announced as the official Democratic presidential nominee on August 5, searches for “Kamala Harris hair” spiked by 33% the following day, according to Google Trends. The interest in VP Harris’s hair didn’t happen overnight. A resurfaced clip from a July 2023 interview inspired the recent TikTok trend “presidential silk press,” which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
Clinton made history as the first woman to be a major party’s presidential nominee when she ran in 2016. Though she fell short, losing to Donald Trump, Clinton went on to become the 11th and first female Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast. In 2023, Clinton also co-founded the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia University.
