Last week, a comment in the White House struck a nerve:
“Don’t you wear a suit? Do you even own a suit?”
Shouted by a “reporter” as Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky attended a “meeting” in the White House on February 28, 2025.
And before the meeting even began, 47 set the tone in front of the cameras—mocking the President of Ukraine, a man still fighting for his country.
“You’re all dressed up.” 47 said, shaking his hand with a smirk. Then, turning to the cameras, he added, “Look, he’s all dressed up today.”
Was this an awkward joke? No. It was a calculated insult—a public attempt to demean and establish power dynamics before the meeting even started. A clear message:
You are not one of us. You are less than.
Because in certain spaces, belonging isn’t about your skills, your leadership, or—in this case—the fact that you’re literally defending your nation in war. It’s about whether or not you perform the right version of acceptability.
The Costumes We Wear.
Every day, marginalized people navigate spaces where they’re expected to perform acceptability. The right look, the right tone, the right demeanor.
Because it’s not just about clothes. It’s about power.
The right suit, the right hair, the right skin tone—all signals meant to say:
✅ I am one of you.
✅ You don’t need to fear me.
✅ I don’t think independently.
✅ I am the same as you.
Because if you look different, you might think different—and that’s the real problem, isn’t it?
The “Good Ones” Know How to Disguise Themselves.
This is why diversity is feared in certain spaces. If you don’t look like them, you might not think like them. And that’s dangerous. So, the unspoken expectation is clear:
Blend in. Disguise yourself. Make yourself palatable.
🔹 Straighten your hair. (That nappy hair will never get you into management.)
🔹 Lighten your skin. (Because the darker you are, the more “foreign” you seem, and different is dangerous.)
🔹 Change your name. (That one is too hard to say.)
🔹 Wear a suit. (Because when YOU dress casually, it’s “disrespectful.” But when WE do it? It’s “cool.” “Innovative.” “Tech-bro.”)
Funny how the Special Employee of DOGE strolled into the Oval Office this week in a t-shirt and a baseball cap—and yet, no one yelled about decorum. Strange how that works. 🤔
Now, the quiet part is being said out loud.
The Unspoken Rules of Power.
This was never about a suit. It was about who gets to belong without question and who has to prove—again and again—that they deserve to be in the room.
It’s about the message being sent loud and clear:
❌ Don’t challenge us.
❌ Don’t think differently.
❌ Don’t be different.
❌ And for the love of power, don’t be compassionate, intelligent, skilled, or bring expertise—because that makes you even more of a threat.
Because in this reality, not wearing a suit doesn’t just make you “unprofessional.” It outs you as an outsider.
And the moment they realize you’re not one of them?
They want you out.
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