Pink Shoes, White House: My Style Evolution as an Obama Stenographer
I struggled to make my colorful style fit the job’s low profile
Every morning, long before arriving in the Oval Office, President Obama addressed the first problem of the day. He acted swiftly, with a leader’s resolve and a lawyer’s eye for discrepancy. Without authorization from Congress or approval from his fellow Americans, the president of the United States stood in front of his closet and got dressed. To protect his time, energy, and sanity, the leader of the free world streamlined his work wear. He wore black, navy, or gray suits (let’s try to forget about the audacity of taupe). He donned white or light blue button-down shirts. He selected understated ties before lacing up innocuous, well-shined shoes. The president didn’t need flash or flare, because his agenda was the ultimate statement piece.
I, on the other hand, lived on the opposite end of the color spectrum.
I bought my first pair of hot-pink flats at a thrift shop for a dollar. “Please don’t,” my sister said, so of course I did. I was a recent college graduate, enjoying my first real job as a high school English teacher. Young and energetic, I tried to keep my lesson plans as eye-opening as possible, but there was nothing like hot-pink flats to wake up sleepy…
