Whether you like it more or less, the image is the first letter of introduction that exists. Therefore, in politics the first impression is almost never a trivial matter. And not so much when it comes to protocol adequacy, which can very legitimately be intentionally questioned if one or another decides that what they are looking for is, precisely, to break the rules. Rather in regards to the message that is intended to be conveyed.
This week, Pedro Sánchez's new Executive has been made up of a plurality of personalities ranging from the most established faces, such as Nadia Calviño, to the most unknown, such as Ana Redondo, on whom special scrutiny now falls. the curious and expectant look of the cameras and the citizens. But what is the background of this snapshot medley?
A lot has happened since the first Executive of the revalidated president was formed back in June 2018. At that time, the family photo on the steps of the Moncloa stood out precisely for its total absence of diversity, since it showed a rigorous compliance with match discipline in the form of a locker room. That would be, in fact, the last solo Government, the full stop before a new stage of Spanish politics definitively began.
Thus, of the 11 ministers that made up the Executive, up to five of them – Carmen Calvo, María Jesús Montero, Carmen Montón, Magdalena Valerio and Reyes Maroto – appeared completely dressed in red. To make matters worse, three of the remaining six, Nadia Calviño, Dolores Delgado and Margarita Robles, were not among the militant ranks of the PSOE, but were independent. And even Sánchez himself was wearing, leading the photograph, a bright crimson tie.
It is worth remembering that at that time, the fight to take over the space of the left against a still strong Podemos – in 2017 it had opened the ban so that a motion of censure could go ahead for the first time since the transition – was fierce, so Making the PSOE brand active and passive visible was, for Ferraz's men and women, an absolute priority. It had to be 'very clear' that this was a Government of the PSOE and only the PSOE.
That incarnated and homogeneous image is far away, which has ended up mutating into another of a miscellaneous nature that is now fully normalized. Coalition governments are by definition varied in their composition, but also in their appearance. And the one formed this week by the PSOE together with Sumar, perhaps even more so, since very diverse formations converge within the latter.
In fact, on this occasion only one of the ministers showed off the old tradition, with a sober 'look' of which only the brand color stands out. And this is Elma Saiz, the new Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, who in 2024 will celebrate twenty years of membership in the PSN-PSOE.
Possibly, one of the photographs that has had the most impact these days has been that of Redondo with the outgoing minister, Irene Montero, and which reflected the contrast between the stage that is ending and the one that is just beginning. For his farewell, Montero chose a two-piece with a vest and wide pants with a tartan-type print in feminist lilac tones and a T-shirt with the brand's name printed on it Trust, pussy, which defines itself as “a pact of benevolence and love with yourself” and who later published a post on her Instagram account thanking both ministers.
In contrast, Redondo opted for a total black base outfit with an orange blazer, a more than risky bet. Orange, as Eva Heller explains in Color Psychology, “is the most inappropriate of all colors” since “for decades it has been the typical color of plastics.” “It is not a color for expensive and prestigious items [...] over time it has become the identifying color of the design of yesterday and the day before yesterday,” Heller explained at the time.
And although in recent years orange has been regaining a certain prestige in the world of trends, it is still a color that some excessively formal environments have not become accustomed to.
In any case, that may be precisely why Valladolid opted for him. As an open vindication of his own identity and his own preferences. Because he also did not hesitate to show off some striking multicolored feather earrings with violet tints that ended up being the protagonists of many headlines.
On the day of the family photo he repeated the lobe with them. This time, yes, with a more moderate white jacket suit very similar to the ones that her Work counterpart usually wears. In line with her welcome speech, in which she recovered the line typical of Zapatero's times: she avoided pronouncing the word "feminism" and emphasized the term "equality", although she did quote the black feminist Angela Davis and made clear her alignment with the rights of trans and LGTBIQ people.
For her part, Mónica García strutted around with one of her most controversial outfits: the red and white outfit with which she faced Isabel Díaz Ayuso in the 2021 electoral debate, who on that occasion also wore the flag colors of the Community from Madrid. The intention? On the one hand, claim the regionalist origin of her formation, Más Madrid, to justify having abandoned the autonomous Assembly in favor of a ministry in the face of voices that accused her of territorial betrayal. On the other hand, send a message to Ayuso and to those who, as she herself said in a video shared on her social networks, call her “‘mema’ for being a doctor and mother”, who “now have a new syllable to incorporate.”
Because fashion is also a field of dispute for power and not only in the sense of being the one to attract attention, which does not always have to translate into flattering popularity. It is, rather, a fight for legitimacy: to be the most beautiful, the most stylish, the one who wears the uniform skirt best, even though all those skirts, a priori, are exactly identical.
This, translated into the field of political language, becomes appearing to be the most prepared, the most appropriate, the most revolutionary or the most from Madrid, depending on what is pursued. In short: the most legitimate. Furthermore, one of García's main battles in his opposition to that of the PP has been the defense of Public Health, which is precisely what he will now be responsible for doing in the Council of Ministers, which adds flair to the matter.
There are two ways of dressing: by imitation, with the desire to resemble and become like those whom one admires, or by distinction, in order to symbolically distance oneself and differentiate oneself from those whom one rejects. Both options are, furthermore, intrinsically complementary to each other.
In fact, in politics and especially in the field of institutional politics, it is common to observe what a priori might seem like a contradiction. Public representatives must adhere as much as possible to the aesthetic standards of what is expected of them, to the rigidity of protocol, to demonstrate that they belong and deserve to be where they are.
At the same time, they need to find a way to circumvent this standardizing virus if they do not want to run the risk of falling into absolute irrelevance. And the only way to do this is by introducing certain unique details in the hope of achieving that complicated balance without going over the line and ending up becoming involuntary 'outsiders'. A bit of the same logic as when you attend a wedding or when you land for the first time at school as a teenager.
Such was the case of Sira Rego, the new Minister of Children and Youth. Woman, from Izquierda Unida, former European parliamentarian, racialized and from a Palestinian family. She herself spent her childhood in the West Bank and has explicitly and repeatedly condemned the genocide.
However, despite having debuted at La Moncloa with a spectacular fluid jacket suit with a satin print and kimono-type bow, it seemed that they had little more than hidden it in the border, placing it in a back corner where it remains invisible, covered by everyone. the others in almost all the photos. Even so, in the catwalk photos and on her own social networks, Rego was responsible for clearly showing the red triangle pin, a symbol of the anti-fascist struggle, that she wore on her lapel.
Among the already known faces of Sánchez's team, a phenomenon occurred that is not new in politics. There were several ministers who opted for the masculinized style 'power dressing', a hallmark of women who seek to assert their authority and be taken seriously in spaces typically occupied by men.
Of course, each of them with their own specificities. Margarita Robles, who repeats her duties as head of Defense, and Nadia Calviño, who is expected to be appointed president of the European Investment Bank sooner rather than later, did so wrapped in European Union blue.
Isabel Rodríguez - now changing the Territorial Policy portfolio for the newly created Housing and Urban Agenda portfolio - received her new briefcase dressed in a violet suit. Thus, she gave character to that 'power dressing' by seasoning it with color against the patriarchal imperative that privileges sober and muted tones as a symptom of seriousness.
Teresa Ribera, Minister of Ecological Transition, would do something similar, introducing velvet. But the definitive 'expertise' in this strategy was demonstrated by her 'barbiecore' María Jesús Montero, who on the stairs of the Moncloa stood out chromatically above everyone else with an absolutely pink 'outfit'.
In fact, the typically feminized looks were conspicuous by their absence. The only one who dared to pursue a purely feminine aesthetic was Pilar Alegría, who renewed her position as head of Education and now also incorporates sports. Alegría, both in the transfer of purses and in the photo of her border, claimed the heels seen with two midi dresses when celebrating her newly acquired status as Government Spokesperson.
And in the midst of so much dichotomy, Diana Morant found balance, very stylish with her fizzy blouse. Finally, Yolanda Díaz had appeared at the transfer of portfolios with that immaculate white that usually characterizes her: a Hillary Clinton-style suit matching her running mate, Mónica García.
But in the family photo she surprised with an outfit that mixed the imagery of traditionally masculine power - represented in her pants, her updo and her suspenders - with the symbolic attributions of a naïve innocence that the Victorian blouse contained. Escaping from the trenches, merging opposites.
Finally, those who did not participate in this questioning of traditional gender mandates were men. All the ministers of the new Executive attended the meeting without making use of major aesthetic innovations. Those of the PSOE, with a classic aesthetic that is very PSOE, did not take away one bit of prominence from Sánchez's leadership (aesthetic too).
Although it is worth mentioning two of the new signings. On the one hand, the Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2023 Pablo Bustinduy, with a gray suit perhaps more appropriate in terms of protocol for going to the office or less formal events, something that may have been intentional on his part to distinguish himself from the bipartisan elite with a more relaxed image. On the other hand, Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Culture, who did know how to blend in with his coalition partners.
In short, perhaps the most interesting thing about this change of season and government showcase lies in what the sociologist Erving Goffman referred to: divergence.
And, specifically, "that presented by individuals who voluntarily and openly reject the social place granted to them, and who act in an irregular and, in a certain way, rebellious manner towards our basic institutions." Although we will have to see the development of this debutant Executive beyond first impressions.
