- An $8 discounted Old Navy maternity dress has become an unlikely online talking point.
- It was worn by Second Lady Usha Vance and cited in a NYT report on pregnancy style among Republicans.
- Vance clapped back at the report, sparking online discourse.
A discounted Old Navy maternity dress is having a moment on the internet right now.
The bump-hugging coral dress, recently worn by Second Lady Usha Vance, who is pregnant with her fourth child, became the subject of discussion after The New York Times' Vanessa Friedman wrote about pregnancy and style among high-profile Republicans.
Friedman pointed out that three key women linked to Trump's administration — Karoline Leavitt, Katie Miller, and Usha Vance — have been pregnant at pretty much the same time this year.
While the pregnancies are coincidental, she writes, the way they have presented them is less so. Tight-fitting, bump-hugging dresses and Instagram posts telling women that it is "peak feminism to have babies" are examples of this, she says.
"Together, the women have created a notably consistent, and somewhat paradigm-shifting, picture of the White House's family and fertility platform," Friedman writes.
"If the bare-chested, muscled mixed martial arts fighters of the UFC match that President Trump hosted on Flag Day were the poster guys for MAGA's image of masculinity, then the pregnant women of Trump world are one half of their feminine counterparts," she said.
Usha Vance later shared a screenshot of her dress on Twitter, along with a video of her wearing it during her video podcast, "Storytime with the Second Lady," which her husband joined for a special Father's Day edition. Vance quipped at the NYT report and, more importantly, revealed the big discount she got at Old Navy.
"Now that we know the political significance of my $8.75 coral maternity dress from Old Navy, can't wait to hear what the New York Times has to say about my elastic-waistband pants and compression socks!," she wrote.
Twitter commenters couldn't get enough. "Beautiful and frugal and relatable!" one wrote. "You should be in charge of government spending," another said.
The dress, which originally cost $50 but was reduced to as little as $7.47 on Old Navy's website, is now sold out in all colors and sizes. It's not immediately clear when it sold out, and Old Navy did not respond to a request for comment.
The sell-out dynamic would be reminiscent of the "Kate Middleton effect" or "Meghan Markle effect," when a single public appearance could send shoppers racing to buy the same outfit, often causing it to sell out in hours.
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