Barbara Boxer's new hair style

Senator Barbara Boxer has been sporting a shorter and lighter hairstyle since June. Have you noticed? Here she is last week in the Senate, discussing the Affordable Care Act:
 
http://youtu.be/mfAOvL7WPVU


As my regular readers will surely remember, Senator Boxer's hair made headlines in 2010, when her opponent Carly Fiorina called her long bob "so yesterday."

Three years later, is this style more modern? Definitely. The long sideswept bangs are very much of this decade. And I suspect it's easier for her to care for as well - remember, a short hairstyle is only less work if it also fits with your natural texture. If the cut needs a straightener, curling iron, or multiple products, it will be work at any length.

Why does Melissa Harris-Perry's hair look like that?

I know I have a number of readers who mostly just read this blog - that is, you don't play the video, or don't play it for very long. But today, I hope you'll make an exception. Find some time on your lunch break, save it for after work, but watch these clips.

Over the weekend, Melissa-Harris Perry devoted nearly half an hour to a discussion of hair because, she said, the subject of her own hair makes "regular and frequent appearances" in the emails she receives from viewers.

First, a primer and vocabulary lesson:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And while that primer was a much needed public service, there's more.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

My favorite quote: "It's amazing that it's considered revolutionary to wear my hair the way it grows out of my head." My sentiments exactly - I was so relieved when I discovered Lorraine Massey and her staff, people who didn't view my hair as something that needed to be tamed in to submission! In DC you can have an equally revelatory experience at Parlour - tell them you want a Deva cut, which is dry. Yes, your hair can be cut the way it grows out of your head, too.

There's lots more of the MHP roundtable, that you should watch as well, on the business and socio-historical contexts, which includes Surgeon General Regina Benjamin's recommendation that hair should not take precedence over health.

All about the bangs

This is National Public Health Week, and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson recorded a message:

Ms. Jackson has kept a short hairstyle since we first saw her on camera for the EPA, but this is a new style that is shorter on the sides and longer on the top. It's a chic look for her, adding height on the top and elongating her face with long bangs.

Small change, big impact

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is sporting a new hairstyle. Check it out in the this video message about Baltimore's mentoring program:

This shorter cut looks great on her.  It's neat and it highlights her cheekbones. Her jewelry also works really well here. She's wearing multiple necklaces in different styles, but she has scaled down the size from previous looks, delivering a more professional effect.

All very good. Is Mayor Rawlings-Blake reading Style of Politics???

Wait it out

Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller gave remarks on the new START treaty last week. She wore a red jacket:

This brick red color works for her, but the proportions are off. The wide collar and chunky jewelry are out of proportion with her closely cropped hairstyle.

Considering her facial features, I would recommend a somewhat longer hairstyle, just to give some volume, particularly on the sides. Waiting longer between haircuts might well do the trick.

Breaking the rules

We were just talking the other day about how wearing a really bold necklace with dangling earrings is not a good idea.

Except sometimes it is:

The key for Joyce Elliott is an extremely short hairstyle, which keeps competing visual elements away from the earrings. Her bright yellow blazer also helps keep our attention focused on her, even with some very noticeable distractions behind her (flag, former president, etc).

When black and white isn't clear

Senator Debbie Stabenow introduced a bill on unemployment insurance last week. She wore black and white:

I can see why she probably chose this outfit. A dark suit and crisp white blouse convey maximum seriousness. But this color palette is much too severe for her. Combined with button earrings and stiffly coiffed hair, she looks impenetrable. Charcoal gray and pale green would have accomplished the professional image she wanted with a more accessible finish.

Pitch perfect pink

Rep. Donna Edwards chose a rosy pink color and gold jewelry for a taped message in her office about the Patient's Bill of Rights:

She got this look just right. This shade of pink makes her look healthy and vibrant, and her earrings compliment her short hairstyle well. 

"But wait!" you say. "Her dress is sleeveless! Her arms are bare!" Well, yes. But she's not on the House floor, or on a news program or being interviewed by a journalist. She's sitting in her office, having a chat about health care with her constituents, via YouTube. Not the same thing.

Warren suits up

If you follow me on twitter, you know that I have been looking forward to writing about Elizabeth Warren in her new role with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This excitement has a lot to do with her hair. Warren's signature bob is distinctive, flattering, and easy to care for.

Up until now, her clothing style has been, well, mostly professorial, even as she came to Washington to work with TARP. Turtlenecks, cardigans and soft shapes were main features in her wardrobe. So it was interesting to see that for the day of her appointment in the Rose Garden and subsequent interviews in the media, she chose a jacket instead:

This is definitely a more business-like look, although funnel neck hearkens back to the turtlenecks of the past - the high necks work well with her hairstyle in particular.

My favorite part, though, is the animal print on the cuffs. Not only does it lighten up the severity of the jacket, it lends a sartorial nod to the idea that Warren is ready to "roll up her sleeves" and get this new agency up and running.

What was that about hairstyles again?

I wonder what would have happened if Carly Fiorina were running against Dianne Feinstein instead of Barbara Boxer.

Senator Feinstein was on CNN's State of the Union this week to discuss US strategy in Afghanistan. She wore purple:

The last time we wrote about the Senator's hair, it was a bit longer, and that gave it some youthfulness. Here I think it's just a tad too short, which makes it stiff and just a touch too curly. Another half inch of length would calm down that flippy little curl above her left ear.

I love this rich purple color on the Senator, although I would perhaps remove the shoulder pads from her blouse. And here we also see a perfectly appropriate use of a multistrand necklace with a professional outfit.

The irony of Fiorina's hairstyle opinions

Carly Fiorina inadvertently made a candid comment about her opponent's hairstyle on camera while waiting for an interview to start today:

There are two things that I don't understand about this.

1. Barbara Boxer's hair looks great. The style is appropriate for her age and flatters her face. Here she is in her latest campaign video:


 2. Fiorina's present hairstyle, which is short and undyed, has come in the aftermath of chemotherapy treatments for cancer that caused her to lose all her hair. But before that, she sported a style that was remarkably similar to Boxer's:

Has Fiorina's taste really changed that much in two years? Or are we just having a middle school moment here?

The advantage of neutral colors in changing light

Karen Bass is the front runner in today's Democratic primary for California's 33rd district. She was interviewed last week at the Georgia Aquarium, where the lights cycled through a rainbow of colors:


Ms. Bass was extremely well served by wearing neutral colors on this occasion, although it was certainly a coincidence. The black, tan and white tweed looks great under yellow, pink, blue, green and so on. I also like that she keeps her jewelry small and understated to compliment her short hairstyle and not compete with her bold glasses.

Melanne Verveer reports on the potential of Afghan women and girls

Ambassador-at-Large Melanne Verveer presented remarks on the diplomatic potential of Afghan women and girls before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. She wore an evergreen jacket with the collar turned up:

If you ever wondered how to make the "popped collar" work for you in a professional environment, this is how. The turtleneck under the jacket is the same color and she accented with jewelry under the jacket, not outside or anywhere near the lapel. This can be a great look for women who have concerns about the neck and chin, provided your hair is no longer than chin-length.

Eleanor Holmes Norton reacts to Harry Reid's remarks

Eleanor Holmes Norton was on a local news affiliate to discuss Harry Reid's remarks on Strom Thurmond. She wore pants:

This is a great suit. The shorter length of the pants looks elegant and feminine. If you ever wondered whether dark colored pant suits are "too masculine" to wear for a public appearance, this should answer your question.

Ms. Norton famously keeps her hair quite short, which is well balanced by bold jewelry and bright colors. She might consider a slightly stronger eyebrow color, though, considering that she also wears glasses.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on greenhouse gases

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson gave a press conference on greenhouse gases and climate change. She wore a silk blouse under her suit:

In general, I'm a great fan of pairing a silk blouse under a suit, even one with some sheen to it, like this one. But I think Ms. Jackson has a combination of wardrobe factors going on here that have conspired to create a look that is pretty, but perhaps not as professional as it could be. As I said, shiny silk is fine. A little bit of ruffle is fine. Together, probably still ok for the office, but not on the day you're giving a press conference.

There is a similar situation with her jewelry. Big hoop earrings (of good quality) are fine. A stylized cross is fine, on a rope instead of a chain, probably also acceptable at work, but not on camera.

Ms. Jackson has a great hairstyle. Very short looks can be work to maintain in terms of the frequency of the cut, especially when keeping your look consistent is important. In this video, I would guess that it was just cut, within a week or so, and probably looked even better a week or two after this. But short cuts can be great on women with straight hair and fuller faces. The very short bangs help keep this style looking current and youthful.

We know grooming is important, but there is such a thing as an over groomed eyebrow. Ms. Jackson might do well to back off the tweezers a little here and maybe even add some brow powder to her makeup bag.