Fashion

The 'MAGA' Dress Isn't The First Political Gown

by Rosie Narasaki
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It made quite a splash, and is unfortunately burned into our collective retinas for eternity — but, as it turns out, the "Make America Great Again" Grammys dress isn't the first time a political gown has hit the red carpet. Joy Villa's gown definitely stood out on the otherwise largely stellar 2017 Grammys red carpet, and while it made a major statement, it's not the first dress to do so — Young and the Restless actor Victoria Rowell actually wore a similar dress (except pro-Obama) at the 2009 Emmys.

The dress itself was every bit as loud and forceful as Villa's Trump gown — it was a red, white and blue strapless gown emblazoned with huge portraits of Barack Obama's face (under each of which, a ribbon banner read: "44th President of the United States"). His picture was most prominently featured on her abdomen, where it took center stage, but it was actually printed all over the dress, which also happened to include a fairly elaborate train. Rowell wore the gown well after his 2008 inauguration, which lead to some head-scratching — but as she explained in interviews, she donned the dress in order to show public support for healthcare reform.

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"Setting the ruffles and caviar dreams aside is but a meager gesture to echo the herculean efforts of a health care reform package long overdue and one which President Obama is introducing for all Americans," said Rowell to Essence.com, "I spent 18 years in foster care, enduring inadequate health and dental care and unforgivably turned away more than once at a doctor's office. Nationally, 25,000 foster youth annually emancipate from foster care without health coverage."

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She even fired back at Glenn Beck's criticism's of then-President Obama's healthcare reform saying, "... if a frock (on the Emmys red carpet) donned with the President's face sparks dialogue about health care, a life-and-death issue, so be it."

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Suffice it to say, the "Make America Great Again" contingent aren't the only ones who have used the red carpet as a platform to showcase their political leanings. Love it or hate it, it's definitely a way to stir up conversation —Rowell's dress certainly earned its fair share of detractors, much like Villa's pro-Trump gown was throughly reviled on Twitter.