Hillary Clinton has revealed she started wearing her now-iconic pantsuits only after photographers took “suggestive” photos of her during an official trip to Brazil nearly 30 years ago — including some that ended up being used in lingerie advertisements.
The former first lady, 74, described the moment she chose to ditch the skirts and take up her penchant for pants in an interview with CBS News on Sunday.
“I was sitting on a couch and the press was let in. There were a bunch of them shooting up,” Clinton said, describing the 1995 event in Brazil when she was first lady.
“All of a sudden the White House gets alerted to these billboards that show me sitting down with, I thought, my legs together. But the way it’s shot, it’s sort of suggestive.”
Some of the snaps of Clinton were used in an ad for Brazilian lingerie company Duloren, which sparked various news headlines like “Hillary Clinton is ‘star’ of Brazilian lingerie ad” and “First lady of lingerie: Hillary Clinton.”
Hillary Clinton, 74, said the reason she chose to ditch skirts and only wear pants out in public was after “suggestive” photos were taken of her in Brazil in 1995. Getty Images
Clinton said that incident made her aware of the constant photographs being taken of her during public events. AFP via Getty Images
Some of the photos of the then-first lady taken in Brazil were used in an ad for Brazilian lingerie company Duloren.
Clinton said that incident, as well as the constant photography that followed during public events, prompted her to switch to pantsuits.
“I also begin to have the experience of having photographers all the time – I’d be on a stage, I’d be climbing stairs, and they’d be below me,” Clinton added.
“I couldn’t deal with it, so I started wearing pants.”
The former secretary of state spoke of the origins of her trademark pantsuits in an interview alongside her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, as they promoted their new Apple TV+ docuseries “Gutsy.”
Chelsea admitted in the interview that she didn’t actually know that story, saying, “It’s by far and away the greatest revelation I had.”
“It’s so creepy,” the former first daughter added.
The former secretary of state said she “couldn’t deal with it” anymore and switched to her now-iconic pantsuits. Getty Images for Hulu
Clinton spoke of ditching skirts as she promoted her new Apple TV+ docuseries “Gutsy.” New York PostThe eight-part docuseries will features stories of the world’s “boldest and bravest women” and the promo clips include remarks from celebrities including Amy Schumer and rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
In a recent interview promoting the series, Clinton suggested her decision to stand by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, after revelations that he had affairs with a number of women — including White House intern Monica Lewinsky — was the gutsiest thing she has done.
“You have a marriage that has been on public display since the beginning,” said the Rev. Whittney Ijanaten, a chaplain at UCLA Health. “You said the gutsiest thing you ever did was stay in your marriage.”
“That doesn’t mean that’s right for everybody,” Clinton responded as she nodded her head yes.
