Friday 15 February 2013

Politics are out of fashion but, is there fashion in politics?

I'm not into politics. I never have been and I think I never will. But I'm not here today to talk about politics, I'm here to talk about a politician who has become a role model. Politics are out of fashion but, is there fashion in politics?  Kirsten Gillibrand started her lawyer career back in 1991 in a law firm in Manhattan where she became a senior associate. In 1999 she went to work Hilary Clinton's Senate campaign and in 2001 she became partner of another Manhattan law firm which left in 2005 to begin her 2006 campaign for Congress. Kirsten won her first bid for election in 2008.  After President Obama announced his choice of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Governor Paterson appointed Kirsten to fill Hillary Clinton's vacant Senate seat. She was sworn in on 26January 2009. At the age of 42, she entered the chamber as the youngest senator in the 111th Congress.  During the 111th Congress she scored two substantial legislative victories: the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the passage of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act

As you can see even though politics and politicians are out of fashion, Kirsten Gillibrand is a role model as a politician and as a mother. I remember when I met her back in 2005 when she visited us. At that time she was preparing her first run for Congress and she spent most of her holidays working, studying and reading piles of folders but always with a smile on her face and always with time to spend with her little son Theo who was only 2 at the time. In 2008 she gave birth to her second son Henry becoming only the sixth woman to have a child while serving as a member of Congress. She continued to work until the day Henry was born and received a standing ovation from her colleagues in the House of Representatives for this! In November 2012 Kirsten won a full 6-year Senate term in her own right with a record 72% of the vote. 

Among all the other good work she does, Kirsten is also a big supporter of New York’s fashion industry and, in turn, has received support from leading figures in fashion such as Anna Wintour who hosted a fundraiser for her. The Senator was also seen dancing in Saks 5th Avenue on NY Fashion Night Out and in the front row at Carolina Herrera's NY show supporting one of the city’s greatest designers.  






In 2010 Kirsten was featured in Vogue Magazine US under the title "In Hillary's Footsteps". Here are some pictures that prove that there's still some fashion in politics.




Kirsten with her sons Henry (left) & Theo (right) 

For the sake of full disclosure, Kirsten is my sister-in-law and I’m very proud of her!






Pictures: Vogue US, Getty Images. 

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