Hillary Clinton has revealed that she started wearing her now-iconic pantsuits after photographers took “suggestive” photos of her during a state visit to Brazil 27 years ago and one of the images was used in a lingerie advertisement.
Clinton made the revelation about the origins of her trademark pantsuit during an interview on Sunday with CBS News host Norah O’Donnell while promoting her new Apple TV+ docuseries Gutsy.
In the interview with O’Donnell, Clinton recounted the incident with photographers during an official trip to Brazil in 1995 and how it led to compromising images of her being published while she was still the first lady.
“I was sitting on a couch and the press was let in, there were a bunch of them shooting up,” Clinton says.
“All of a sudden, the White House gets alerted to these billboards that show me sitting down with. I thought my legs [were] together, but the way it’s shot, it’s sort of suggestive,” the former Secretary of State adds.
Some of the photos — in which Clinton’s underwear appeared to be visible — were later used in ads for the Brazilian lingerie brand, Duloren.
One entire page of the advert was the photograph, while the opposite page included a message from the brand to then-President Bill Clinton: “Mr. President of the United States, Your Excellency cannot imagine what a Duloren can do.
“A homage from Duloren to one of the most important women of the decade,” the message continued in smaller letters.
Lembrei de uma saia-justa diplomática, quando a Hillary Clinton, ainda Primeira-Dama veio ao Brasil em 1995 e um fotógrafo fez uma foto dela pagando calcinha. A DuLoren comprou a foto e fez um anúncio. pic.twitter.com/h9Zagg8ge8
— cardoso (@Cardoso) August 11, 2019
Clinton explained that following this incident in Brazil, photographers repeatedly tried to catch a slip up from her, saying that when she was walking stairs they would be below her shooting images.
Clinton says she became increasingly uncomfortable with the angle and positioning of photographers at public events and this led her to make the decision to start exclusively wearing pantsuits, which have since become a staple of her wardrobe.
“And then I also began to have the experience of having photographers all the time,” Clinton explains. “I’d be on a stage, I’d be climbing stairs — and they’d be below me. I just couldn’t deal with it, so I started wearing pants.”
The former first lady’s daughter, Chelsea Clinton, interjects during the interview to share her thoughts on the photographer’s behavior.
“So creepy. That’s so creepy,” she says.
Clinton’s daughter also says that she was unaware of the story behind her mother’s pantsuit prior to filming the series Gutsy, “It’s by far and away the greatest revelation I had.”
Clinton’s eight-part docuseries Gutsy will feature stories of the world’s “boldest and bravest women,” including soccer player Megan Rapinoe, comedian Amy Schumer, and rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
The former secretary of state has had an uncomfortable relationship with photographers. Clinton’s aides previously used ropes to contain and control press photographers during an appearance at the Independence Day parade in Gorham, New Hampshire. Photos of the unusual “wrangling” quickly went viral online after being shared by reporters.
Image credits: Feature photo by World Trade Organization and Gage Skidmore.
Author: Pesala Bandara
Source: Petapixel
