The term political statement is used to refer to a communication which makes commentary on an issue of political, identity or social significance. There is no limit on the form a political statement may take - they may be written, verbal, constituted by actions, or communicated through objects, clothing, design, traditions, language or style. A political statement can vary from a

mass demonstration A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against a cause of concern; it often consists of walking in a mass march formati ...

to the wearing of a badge with a

political slogan Slogan, Slogans and Catchphrase, catchphrases are used by politicians, political parties, militaries, activists, and protestors to express or encourage particular beliefs or actions. List International usage * Better dead than RedAnti-communi ...

. Often, political statements are intended to be provocative, as a form of

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

. For example, the

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Liverpool, United Kingdom, as , the winner of the with the song "Stefania (song), Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, was unable to host the eve ...

was described as a "political statement" comprising a "four-hour anti-war protest, with extra neon." At the 2021

Met Gala The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Benefit, is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala was and still is popularly rega ...

, Democratic U.S. Representative

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989), also known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the United States House of Representatives, US representative for New York's 14th congressional distric ...

of New York attended wearing a controversial gown which targeted the attendees of the Met; worn off-the-shoulder, her gown was sewn with the phrase "tax the rich" in bold red satin lettering. This political statement faced controversy as an arguably hypocritical act to condemn

wealth inequality The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society. It shows one aspect of economic inequality or economic heterogeneity. The distribution of wealth differs from the income distribution in that ...

while attending an event with a $35,000 ticket. In an interview, designer Aurora James explained how she thought it smart to be able to deliver the message directly to those who need to hear it. The Met Gala has been the stage for various other political statements in recent years. Less explicit examples of political statements are evident where individuals conduct or express themselves in ways which challenge political, identity or social norms. By way of example, the rejection of social or legal pressure to wear a hijab in ceratain societies may be a political statement. By contrast,

Pauline Hanson Pauline Lee Hanson (''née'' Seccombe, formerly Zagorski; born 27 May 1954) is an Australian politician who is the founder and leader of One Nation, a right-wing populist political party. Hanson has represented Queensland in the Australian S ...

made a political statement by wearing a burqa in the Senate chamber of

Australian Parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament) is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the Monarchy of Australia, monarch of Australia (repr ...

to underscore a call she intended to make to ban the religious garment on national security grounds. Clothing and fashion has also been used to make political statements by the LGBTQ community, while hairstyles and gardens have also been described as having been used to make political statements.

References

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