Rapper Cardi B is officially endorsing a 2024 candidate for president, and she's using fashion to send a clear political message.
On Friday, November 1, Belcalis Marlenis Cephus—also known as Cardi B—took the stage at a Vice President Kamala Harris campaign rally at the Wisconsin State Fair Park Exposition Center in West Allis, Wisconsin.
While delivering a nearly 10-minute speech, Cardi B wore a Jackie Kennedy-esque all-white power suit—a clear homage to the suffragette movement also worn by women (and some men) who attended this year's Democratic National Convention (DNC) to watch Harris become the first Black and Asian woman to accept the presidential nomination from a major political party.
The suit—which featured bows on the sleeves and waist—was paired with white gloves and matching white pumps.
During her appearance, Cardi B endorsed Harris for president, admitting that she didn't plan to vote in this year's presidential election until the vice president entered the race.
"Imma be real with ya’ll, I wasn’t going to vote this year—I wasn’t. But Kamala Harris joining the race, she changed my mind completely. I did not have faith on any candidate until she joined the race and said the things that I wanted to hear," the rapper and mom of three said.
In July, President Joe Biden officially dropped out of the presidential race after intense scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats. While announcing the end of his presidential run, President Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, for president. Harris became the Democratic party's official candidate for president at this year's DNC.
For the historic moment, Harris also wore a custom-designed power suit by Chloé's creative director, Chemena Kamali, featuring a navy wool two-piece suit and a matching pussybow blouse.
The candidate's dark blue suit arguably represented feelings of "tranquility and deep reflection." The color can also bring about emotions of trust and reliability.
Meanwhile, the vice president's pussy-bow blouse also carried historic and feminist meaning after becoming an alternative to the suit and tie in the '60s and '70s, when women stepped out of the kitchen and into the corporate world. In the '80s, it became a symbol of female power when Margaret Thatcher became the first female U.K. Prime Minister and adopted the pussy-bow as a staple of her political image.
In Wisconsin, Cardi B went on to compare her entertainment career—and the criticism she has received in the wake of her success—to the vice president's political trajectory, now that she is facing off against former president Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.
"Just like Kamala Harris, I too have been the underdog. I’ve been underestimated, my success belittled and discredited," Cardi B said on stage. "Women have to work ten times harder, perform ten times better and still people question us, how we got to the top."
