The Olive Green Sweatshirt Goes to Congress
In the seminars we teachabout crisis communications, we often talk about the fact that what you say may be less important than how you say it. “How you say it” also includes the way you look. Ukranian President Zelensky purposely chose not to wear a suit and tie for his recent visit to Washington, DC. Here’s how Vanessa Friedman of The New York Times described what she saw.
He never donned the political camouflage of a suit.
The olive green sweatshirt, with its little Ukrainian trident embroidered at the neck, cargo pants and boots that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine wore on his trip to Washington may seem the least important part of the highly choreographed and powerful piece of political theater that was that diplomatic event, but they were also a telling detail: a reminder of what exactly the purpose of the surprise visit had been.
Namely, that despite the fact that it was Mr. Zelensky’s first foreign trip since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, and despite the fact that Ukraine has defied all odds in holding out for 10 months against an aggressor that was widely expected to roll over the country with ease, the watching world should be on notice: The fight was far from over.
In his wartime uniform, Mr. Zelensky was a constant, living symbol of that battle, no matter the pomp and circumstance that surrounded him.
His D.I.Y. fatigues stood out from the moment he emerged from his diplomatic vehicle on the White House lawn to be greeted by President Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden. They were a stark contrast to the president’s classic navy suit and the first lady’s sky blue coatdress and pumps. They stood out when Mr. Zelensky posed with the president for a photo call in the Oval Office, just in front of a fireplace festooned with Christmas wreaths, and in the joint news conference the two men held afterward, the flags of the United States and Ukraine at their backs.
For more, click here.