From Jacob Gallagher, the Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2019
AFTER LAST MONTH’S two Democratic primary presidential debates, one thing was certain: Never before in the history of political campaigns have we seen such a diverse array of…hair styles. Compared to the straightforward, crisply combed styles that Republican candidates typically sported in 2016, the coifs of the 20 Democrats on stage ran the full gamut: from Cory Booker’s cue-ball dome to Joe Biden’s shock-white mop to Tulsi Gabbard’s gray streak. At this early stage, with an array of candidates that rivals the number of toilet-paper rolls in a big-box value pack, hair is one of the few things that voters may actually remember. “[Hair] is part of a candidate’s appearance and presence,” one of the standard ways we size people up, said Peter Loge, an associate professor of political communication at George Washington University.
These Democratic hopefuls are, of course, vying to challenge Donald Trump, a president whose gravity-defying combover has generated more attention than perhaps any other governmental hairdo ever. That hair has become a crucial part of the Trump brand, appearing in Halloween costumes, doodles on homemade campaign posters and merchandise on Mr. Trump’s campaign website. Politicians are judged, jeered at and even sometimes revered for their hairstyles. Some ’dos, like Mr. Trump’s, are more memorable than others. As the democratic campaigns forge on, have any rivals successfully made hair a signature?
Some see South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg’s cropped haircut as a callback to his military background, while Senator Bernie Sanders’s messy mop has become the candidate’s signature. Photo: Getty Images
Senator Bernie Sanders is the obvious choice. His trademark mess of fly-away, white strands underscores an “I’m working for the everyman” attitude. “The message behind it is he’s so busy and so passionate about what he’s doing, [hair] is not important,” said Carol Davidson, a New York-based image consultant. And the look is now part of 77-year-old Mr. Sanders’s brand. His website sells “Feel the Bern” merch featuring a silhouette of his disheveled tufts and glasses. (Mr. Sanders’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.) Senator Cory Booker stands out as the only totally bald candidate on the trail while former Vice President Joe Biden’s full head of hair has long stoked speculation that the 76-year-old has undergone some form of hair transplant. Photo: Getty Images
Next in line would be Cory Booker, whose lack of hair has separated him from the pack. “Right now there’s 20 candidates on stage–people need to be remembered,” said Sharrona Pearl, an associate professor of medical ethics at Drexel University and a historian and theorist of all things face and body. “Cory Booker, we’re gonna remember him. He stands out on stage.” During a campaign stop in Iowa last month, Mr. Booker convinced three supporters to shave their heads in exchange for his offer to donate sums of $1,000 to Iowa charities of their choice. According to Newsweek, as Mr. Booker posed with the three men for a photo, the crowd chanted “the bald brotherhood.” (Mr. Booker’s campaign did not provide comment regarding his hair.) Representative Tulsi Gabbard has garnered social media attention for a gray streak sprinkled in with her black hair. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, 38, has a strip of gray running down the left side of her black mane. A March Tweet posted to her Twitter account, attributed to her sister Vrindavan, explained that the silvery streak appeared naturally after Ms. Gabbard’s military deployment in Iraq. “She keeps it as a daily reminder of her experience and her purpose,” the Tweet read. Even as a recent Quinnipiac poll showed Ms. Gabbard’s support hovering around 1%, the splash of gray has garnered her social-media attention: One user called it “strikingly subversive”; another less kindly compared it to the hairdo of Dalmatian-thief Cruella de Vil. “She’s making a statement with her hair that reflects her personality. It seems authentic and organic,” said Lauren Rothman, a Washington, D.C.-based image consultant. (Ms. Gabbard’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.)
To some observers, South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg’s hairstyle similarly ties into his military backstory. “With his haircut you see a little bit of that military [inspiration],” said Ms. Rothman. His precise crop may also help the 37-year-old, among the youngest candidates in the race, appear more serious. (Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.)
In the same way, Beto O’Rourke’s salt-and-pepper hair might be doing its bit to package the 46-year-old former Texas congressman as a weightier candidate. “I think for men there’s gravitas associated with salt-and-pepper or even white hair,” said Professor Pearl. (Mr. O’Rourke’s campaign did not provide comment regarding his hair.) Former Maryland congressman John Delaney has been meme-ified online for his unique balding pattern.
On the other end, former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, has a startlingly robust head of hair for a man of his age. The “impressively full” hairstyle shows that Mr. Biden “might be old, but he’s virile,” said Professor Pearl. That said, Washington, D.C., has long teemed with speculation that Mr. Biden received some sort of hair transplant around the 1980s. Photos of Mr. Biden during the Anita Hill hearings reveal a senator with hair that is far more thinned-out than the white mane he sports today. (Mr. Biden’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.)
After the last debate, the candidate who garnered the most attention on the follicular front was probably former Maryland congressman John Delaney. The tomato-throwers on Twitter were quick to compare Mr. Delaney to Bill, a hapless cartoon character on the TV show “King of the Hill.” (Mr. Delaney’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.) Despite the mocking this male contender endured, Professor Pearl maintains that female candidates “in general tend to be submitted to far harsher critiques based on how they look.” Mr. Sanders’s shaggy hair has become a cornerstone of his brand. Yet if Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris were to blaze the campaign trail with similarly unkempt hair, would voters be as forgiving?
