In a show of support for Ukraine, first lady Jill Biden wore a deep violet LaPointe silk dress with a custom embroidered sunflower on her sleeve during President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address. The seemingly simple style detail was an outward statement meant to signify solidarity with the pro-democracy movement and the Ukrainian people following Russia’s attack on the country. Dr. Biden was seated next to Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, whom she greeted with a warm hug before her husband’s speech began.
Ukraine had previously designated the sunflower the national flower of the country. However, it wasn’t a looming symbol of resistance until a viral video emerged showing a Ukrainian woman suggesting a Russian solider to put sunflower seeds in his pocket so that flowers would grow when he met his inevitable match against Ukrainian forces.
Since that video, the sunflower has become the ultimate sign of resilience and independence, prompting an outward gesture from the international community and celebrities to show their support for Ukrainians even in the smallest of ways they can. Along with FLOTUS’s sunflower-embroidered style, Outlander actress Caitriona Balfe wore a sunflower-themed micro-purse on the red carpet at the Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards.
Acknowledging the cultural and political zeitgeist through the lens of style isn’t something new to U.S. women in politics. Whether it be through honoring the suffragettes in all white or championing American designers at inaugurations, style has always been used as a political tool. And, as Jill Biden knows, it’s best to use it wisely.
