And on the primary day of the 119th Congress, Rep. Nancy Pelosi wore flats.
The previous president first arrived within the Home on Friday morning. since she broke her hip in a fall down a marble staircase in a Luxembourg palace and endure emergency hip alternative surgical procedure.
Gone are her four-inch stiletto heels, which Ms. Pelosi, 84, wore religiously a long time after most ladies ditched uncomfortable footwear for extra forgiving, if much less modern, footwear.
As a substitute, she wore snug slip-on clogs.
The sight of Ms. Pelosi, in any other case completely coiffed with a periwinkle sweater draped over her shoulders over an identical pantsuit, in a shoe that appeared vaguely orthopedic was surprising. Excessive heels have been such a staple for the Home’s grasp tactician that it appeared she might have her toes completely arched like Barbie.
“Nancy Pelosi is 84 and wears stilettos and I’ve refused to go to a live performance with out chairs since I used to be 26,” comic Jill Twiss wrote on social media final summer season.
The residences could solely be a brief resolution: In a textual content message, her daughter Alexandra Pelosi stated that Ms. Pelosi’s physician truly instructed the household that it was greatest for them to remain on level of her foot and that she did not must do it. Ditch the heels for good.
Ms. Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, has lengthy been her private shopper, and her smooth designer fits and heels have lengthy been her signature look, projecting female energy. “He has Armani on pace dial,” Alexandra Pelosi said in a previous interview. “He’s the full-service husband.”
As members gathered to vote for a speaker on Friday, Ms. Pelosi was greeted with applause and hugs from her colleagues, and had small speak with admiring youngsters and grandchildren of members of the Home. Bed room. When she voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York’s Democratic chief, for president, she obtained a standing ovation.
For Ms. Pelosi, heels have lengthy been a part of how she presents herself as superhuman. In 2018, whereas serving as Home Democratic Chief, she spoke on the House floor to talk about young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers and remained talking for eight hours and 7 minutes on the Home flooring, the equal of a filibuster.
The truth that she did it in four-inch heels solely added to the drama.
“She likes to put on excessive heels, very excessive heels,” recalled Rep. Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, who was standing subsequent to her when she not too long ago fell down one of many final steps of the marble staircase , which had no ramp. . Even after the autumn, Ms. Pelosi stood and posed for a bunch photograph with the remainder of the congressional delegation, nonetheless carrying her smooth black stilettos.
Clogs may very well be a short-term measure for Ms. Pelosi. However someday heels finish for everybody, and Ms. Pelosi has already set a world file together with her pointe sneakers.
