Report on the Intersection of Fashion, Politics, and Sustainable Development Goals: An Analysis of Tsai Ing-wen’s Presidency

This report examines the role of fashion as a political tool during the 2016-2024 presidency of Taiwan’s first female leader, Tsai Ing-wen. The analysis focuses on how sartorial choices intersect with political strategy and reflect broader societal challenges related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

Methodological Approach

The analysis is based on a multi-faceted research methodology designed to investigate the link between President Tsai’s public image and political messaging. This approach provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how non-verbal cues contribute to political narratives concerning gender and leadership.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Social Media Analysis: Examination of posts on President Tsai’s official Facebook page during the 2016 and 2020 presidential election campaigns.
• News Collection: A systematic review of media coverage pertaining to her public appearances.
• Image Analysis: A detailed study of wardrobe choices, categorizing garments and colors based on gender-associated fashion norms.
• Expert Interviews: Insights from an interview with President Tsai’s stylist, Lin Zi-Hsuan.

Analysis of Presidential Campaigns and SDG 5: Gender Equality

The study of President Tsai’s two successful presidential campaigns reveals a deliberate and strategic use of clothing to construct a political identity that aligns with voter expectations while navigating the gendered landscape of Taiwanese politics. This directly addresses SDG Target 5.5, which calls for ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political life.

The 2016 Presidential Campaign: Establishing Leadership in a Male-Dominated Arena

During her first campaign, President Tsai’s wardrobe was dominated by masculine-coded garments and colors. This choice can be interpreted as a strategy to establish credibility and authority in a political environment historically shaped by men, highlighting a significant barrier to achieving gender equality.

• Garment Frequency: Data indicates a strong preference for jackets, suits, and button-down shirts.
• Color Palette: Masculine-associated colors such as black, blue, and brown appeared over 212 times, far outnumbering feminine colors.
• Strategic Femininity: Instances of feminine attire (e.g., a pink cardigan, a bright yellow jacket) were minimal and strategically deployed in specific contexts, such as visits to markets or holiday greetings, a practice known as “dressing-to-context.” This demonstrates a calculated performance of gender roles to meet situational expectations.

This sartorial conformity underscores the societal pressures female leaders face to align with masculine norms of professionalism to be perceived as competent, a key challenge in realizing SDG 5.

The 2020 Presidential Campaign: Reinforcing Strength and Institutional Stability

In the 2020 election cycle, President Tsai’s style evolved to become even more masculine. This shift coincided with a tense geopolitical climate, suggesting that her fashion choices were also a tool for projecting an image of a strong and assertive leader capable of ensuring national security.

• Increased Masculinity: Feminine-coded garments were almost entirely replaced by items like white jackets and oversized blue button-down shirts, which concealed feminine physical traits.
• Contextual Reinforcement: An increase in visits to military bases and construction sites, where she was pictured in combat uniforms or suits, reinforced her role as commander-in-chief and head of state.

This strategy aligns with the objectives of SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, as her visual messaging aimed to reassure the public of her capacity to lead and maintain stability. However, the necessity of adopting an increasingly masculine image to convey strength reveals the persistent gender bias within political institutions.

Fashion as a Tool for Political Equality and Institutional Strength

The data from both campaigns, supported by testimony from her stylist, indicates that President Tsai’s masculine style was a conscious choice to perform political capability. This performance was a direct response to the hegemonic masculinity that dominates global politics, where masculine traits are equated with leadership qualities such as rationality and competitiveness.

Navigating Hegemonic Masculinity

The adoption of menswear served several strategic purposes in advancing gender equality and strengthening her institutional role:

• Projecting Competence: By adopting the established male dress code (suits and shirts), she aligned her image with conventional symbols of professionalism and power.
• Minimizing Gender Distinction: Her attire often allowed her to visually blend in with male colleagues, placing her on an equal footing and de-emphasizing her gender in a male-dominated setting.
• Subverting Gendered Criticism: A consistent, non-controversial wardrobe minimized the risk of public scrutiny focusing on her appearance rather than her policies, a common challenge for female politicians that impedes progress toward SDG 5.

Conclusion: Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

The analysis of President Tsai Ing-wen’s fashion choices confirms that clothing is a critical element of political communication, with significant implications for gender equality and the strength of democratic institutions. Her sartorial strategies reveal the persistent, often subtle, barriers that women in leadership face.

1. The study demonstrates that President Tsai was not entirely free in her wardrobe choices; she had to navigate a political sphere where professionalism is visually coded as masculine. This reflects the deep-seated social norms that hinder the achievement of SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
2. Her use of masculine attire was a strategic tool to assert credibility, project strength, and promote her political agenda, thereby reinforcing her position as the leader of a strong and stable state, in line with the principles of SDG 16.
3. The findings conclude that a full understanding of Taiwan’s first female president requires a serious analysis of her fashion. Her clothing reveals an ongoing struggle for gender equality, reflects calculated political strategies, and offers insight into the pressures faced by female leaders worldwide.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article primarily addresses issues related to two Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 5: Gender Equality – The core theme of the article is the examination of gender inequality within Taiwanese politics, analyzed through the fashion choices of its first female president, Tsai Ing-Wen. It discusses how female leaders must navigate a political landscape dominated by “hegemonic masculinity” and “Confucianist misogynistic standards.” The analysis of her clothing as a tool to project strength and competence directly relates to the challenges women face in leadership roles.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The article discusses political leadership, election campaigns, and the public image of a head of state. It highlights how President Tsai used her appearance and social media presence to build a “responsive” relationship with the electorate and project an image of a strong, capable leader, particularly in the context of Cross-Strait relations. This connects to the goal of building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s focus, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
  
  The entire article is an analysis of Taiwan’s first female president, which is a landmark for women’s participation in political leadership. The discussion revolves around the strategies she employed—specifically through fashion—to be accepted and seen as a credible leader in a male-dominated field. The text notes, “female politicians have had to adapt to the male dress code to be accepted,” directly highlighting the barriers to full and effective participation for women in politics.
• Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
  
  The article details President Tsai’s use of social media, stating, “Facebook is one of the most used social media platforms in Taiwan… many politicians adapted and started using social media to reach voters.” Her daily posts during election campaigns are presented as a method of direct communication and engagement with the public, which is a key aspect of creating a responsive and participatory political process.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article implies several qualitative and quantitative indicators that can measure progress:

• Indicators for Target 5.5:
  • The existence of a female head of state: The subject of the article, Tsai Ing-Wen being “Taiwan’s first female president,” is itself an indicator of women achieving the highest level of political leadership.
  • Public perception and electability of female leaders: The article analyzes how certain outfits were used to increase Tsai’s “electability.” This suggests that the acceptance and electability of women in leadership roles, and the societal pressures influencing them, are crucial indicators of gender equality in politics.
  • Adaptation to masculine norms in politics: The finding that Tsai adopted a masculine dress code to “convey political capability and strength” and not “stand out because of her gender” is a qualitative indicator of the prevailing gender bias within political institutions. Progress would be measured by a reduced need for female leaders to conform to such norms.
• Indicators for Target 16.7:
  • Use of social media for political engagement: The article explicitly mentions Tsai’s use of Facebook during her campaigns as a tool to “reach voters.” The frequency of her posts (“the former president posted almost every day on Facebook”) can be seen as a quantitative indicator of efforts to maintain a responsive and participatory dialogue with the electorate.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: taiwaninsight.org