The query of no matter whether or not US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will put on a saree on Inauguration Day to invoke her Indian heritage is 1 that is presently becoming hotly debated on social media. In the US, Inauguration Day is set for January 20 just about every 4 years. This year, it will fall on Wednesday, and the prospect of Kamala Harris – who has scripted history as the nation’s 1st Black and South Asian Vice President – wearing a saree is 1 that has led to social media customers weighing the pros and cons of the move.
Speculation about what Ms Harris could put on on her inauguration had been rife prior to the Democrats had even won the election. In 2019, at an occasion hosted by Asian American group, One APIA Nevada, an audience member had asked Ms Harris if she would put on a classic Indian garment if she have been elected president, reports KTBS.
“Let’s first win,” Ms Harris had responded, smiling. “My mother raised us with a very strong appreciation for our cultural background and pride. Celebrations that we all participate in regardless of how our last name is spelled. It’s the beauty of who we are as a nation.”
Kamala Harris’s mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennai and immigrated to the US. Her father belongs to Jamaica.
While the query of what Kamala Harris chooses to put on on Inauguration Day may perhaps appear trite and unimportant in light of bigger, more substantial globe events, some say that donning a saree could send an significant message about how the Biden-Harris administration intends to improved represent minorities.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her show up to the inauguration ball in a beautifully woven Banarsi saree,” style designer Bibhu Mohapatra told CNN.
“Madam VP @SenKamalaHarris I am standing by. It will be an honor to dress you,” the New York-primarily based style designer, who was born in Odisha, wrote on Twitter.
Thank you @CNNStyle@ZinniaBukhari for this. Madam VP @SenKamalaHarris I am standing by. It will be an honor to dress you ♥️????????https://t.co/KiouNzEgjT@mayaharris_@meenaharris ♥️
— B I B H U M O H A P A T R A (@BibhuMohapatra) January 15, 2021
His statement additional fueled speculation that Ms Harris could don the six yard garment on Wednesday.
Many folks took to social media to say that they hoped to see the 56-year-old in a saree.
How fabulous is this. Congrats ????????????????
— Pooja Batra Shah (@iampoojabatra) January 16, 2021
@KamalaHarris@SenKamalaHarris I am a Tamilian & your mother was a Brahmin like me. I would like to request you to put on pattu pudavai (Silk Saree) for your inauguration..I would like to be there for you & your household but I am not capable to. God bless you ma.. All the greatest!!
— Srinath Dharmapadam (@dosadhokla) January 18, 2021
Others believed it would be unlikely from a politician who has so far stuck to wearing formal suits.
“I predict she’s going to wear something appropriate, and likely what she generally wears: a suit. She’s been in the public spotlight for years, especially in California, and that’s what she wears. Vogue UK notes the same thing: ‘Harris has always worn suits, but she has replaced the skirts with trousers’,” wrote 1 Reddit user.
“A lot of people here are asking, “Who cares?” In all seriousness, it seems like some Indian-Americans might care. It could be a nice symbolic gesture. All the same, it still seems a bit unlikely to me that she’d do it. But more power to her if she does,” a further Reddit user remarked.
I wonder if our future VP Kamala Harris could possibly put on an Indian sari for the inauguration. Would be truly cool if she did, but I can believe of various motives she’d select not to.
— Chandra Prasad (@chandrabooks) January 16, 2021
While Kamala Harris has hardly ever been noticed in a saree, an old photograph that has becoming broadly shared on-line does show her wearing 1. The pic shows her on a couch with her grandparents, wearing a red saree.
To see the future VP and POTUS @KamalaHarris wearing a #SARI has me crying tears of JOY! #india#BidenHarris2020pic.twitter.com/TVFRpH0crS
— DR. KRUPALI ???????? (@krupali) August 12, 2020
Meanwhile, this is not the only purpose why Ms Harris’s sartorial alternatives are becoming discussed on social media. Last week, the socks she was filmed wearing in her niece’s video saw a spike in demand. Her niece, Meena Harris, posted a video on social media which shows Kamala Harris wearing socks that say ‘The Future is Female’.
The organization that manufactures these socks – Gumball Poodle – quickly posted an update on its web-site saying that the style had noticed a spike in demand and that customers could face delays in shipment.