You may say that Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez grabbed the
spotlight at yesterday’s inauguration with their stunning fashion and soaring renditions
of patriotic songs. Or was it Amanda Gorman, the young woman who recited the inaugural
poem? If you go by memes, Bernie Sanders and his practical fashion is all we seem to be talking about today.
In true New England style, Senator Sanders was bundled in a
thick down coat and the wooliest mittens we’ve ever seen, sitting hunched on a
folding chair while he watched the ceremony with a grumpy scowl. By the end of
the day, Sanders had shown up everywhere imaginable.
From our favorite TV shows...
...to movies...
...to music...
...to art...
...to theater...
...to sports...
...to historic moments.
Sanders even took a scenic tour around New York City.
He stayed warm, because he of course know how close winter is.
He even got a little animated making pottery:
Soon, little Bernies were being co-opted by companies and government agencies, like this one, hoping to get the word out to dress warmly:
One of the best was this
one, which mocked those “Steal This Look” spreads in magazines:
So, how do you steal this
super warm look? Turns out, we’ve seen the coat before, from Sanders' last viral meme, where he made a video looking for campaign support with the famous line, "I am once again asking you..." where meme-makers quickly edited in video game and movie references. Frugal Sanders knows you really just need one coat if it's a good coat, and this one is from Burton, a
snowboarding company from Burlington, Vt.
As for these mittens, they’ve
got a sweet backstory. According to reporter Ruby Cramer, a teacher from Vermont
named Jen Ellis makes the mittens and gifted a pair to Sanders five years ago as a fan. He actually
first debuted them on the campaign trail. They are probably as warm as they
look, as they’re made from old sweaters and fleece made from recycled water
bottles. Ellis calls them "swittens" and sadly no longer sells them, but did have a message on her Twitter feed directing people to other crafters on Etsy instead.
In true Bernie fashion, Sanders
made it clear that he is not amused by all of this and is not here to play. In a video edited for his Instagram
feed, when Gayle King of CBS asked about
his mittens, the clip jump-cut to Sanders urging for the Senate to approve a
third stimulus check. Bernie doesn’t have time for your frivolous questions. In reality, he did tell King that clothes in Vermont are for warmth, and not
fashion. As a fellow New Englander, this is the truth.
We hope Bernie never changes -- his perseverance, nor his warm clothes.