Zelenskyy’s outfit: Statement or snub?

We live in a world which is filled with all sorts of biases and prejudices. They are socially constructed having diverse dimensions—social, economic, religious, cultural, and political. Since biases or prejudices stem out of deep-seated convictions they are manifested in different forms and formats. Across the world people have been experiencing both verbal and physical biases/prejudices in covert and overt ways. Everywhere and at any time the outbursts of biases/ prejudices manifests such as cricket and foot-ball fields, work places, educational institutions, class rooms, lecture halls, podiums, hotels, malls, airports, on trains and in-flights, etc., etc.
Prejudices and biases are deep-rooted and deep-seated having psycho-mind dynamic. Biases and prejudices are formed and perpetuated on some particular group, community, society, country and ethnicity. They are comprised of caste, class, gender, and racial considerations. Almost all the countries and societies are caught up with biases and prejudices either one or combined. Is it a human nature or externally influence that even in 2025 we have such incidences cutting across diverse arenas. People of all walks in some way or other express or display their biases and prejudices against those who they have differences.
On Friday, 28th of February, 2025, an incident happened in Oval Office in White House that went viral right across the world. Over TVs and dailies, I saw and read about the incident. It is so disgusting and ridiculous. It was an open conversation with the President of Ukraine Zelensky between. President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance, and others in his cabinet along with the press reporters were present. For Zelenskyy it is crucial as he is literally fighting for his country’s survival—shielding innocent children and civilians from relentless Russian attacks. He came to Washington to negotiate with Trump on security and other deals.
When these leaders were engaged in serious negotiations, a news reporter asked Zelenskyy that why he wasn’t wearing a suit? Probably he could be from the mainstream media, a racist towing the ideology of white nationalism and a supporter of Republican party. His responded by saying “Will wear a costume (suit) after this war finishes, yes. May be something like yours.” This far-right hack seriously asked him why he isn’t wearing a suit, and went on if he “even owns one”. Vulgarity of racism has crept even in dress codes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making headlines—not just for the tense Oval Office exchange but also for his choice of attire. Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Zelenskyy has consistently stuck to his black-on-black sweatshirt and cargo trousers. He has been wearing this outfirt even for high-stakes meeting, where he was surrounded by men in sharp suit, including President, VP JD Vance, and a press corps armed with pointed question—one of which was about his attire.
Though we may claim to be progressive, but on certain things we are still regressive. I don’t think wearing a suit or not has anything to do with the way you carry yourself or character or does mean anything. Leaders belonging to various culture and societies wear their national attires which exhibits aesthetics. That is his prerogative.
He likes to wear sweatshirt with a good pair of jeans looks better than a bad suit that hardly fits the person wearing. Zelenskyy wore a consume that looked modest and did not come to the Oval Office half naked.
If that racist reporter finds fault lines on Zelenskyy by pointing to his dress code, does that mean Elon Musk is disrespecting America too? He stopped wearing suit as his country is under constant Russian bombardments. He must have made a conscious decision to forgo wearing suit/tie till the war gets over. This is where we need to go deep into the corroded mind-sets of racists who would look out for flimsy reasons and beautifully cover it with racist overtones. For centuries, those in power could afford to go for well-tailored suit during high-profile meetings and global summits.
And yet, American culture has also long celebrated the rule-breakers if at all wearing suit a stringent dress code. It has been just an American tradition, not a rule. And so, we come across many leaders and other top VIPs who rejected the suit as a statement of individuality. Even in America there have been many men and one among then Steve Jobs, famously stuck to his black turtleneck, jeans, and sneakers until the very end, even in rooms full of suited executives. Another example is Mark Zuckerberg made the grey T-shirt and hoodie his uniform, swapping it for a black suit only when meeting heads of states or appearing at court briefings.
Jeff Bezos, once a suit-wearing entrepreneur, gradually swapped his formal wear for tight t-shirts, vests, and casual jackets as his influence grew. Elon Musk, one of the most frequent visitors to the Oval Office in recent times, often ditches the suit in favour of black t-shirts, leather jackets, and the occasional baseball cap, even at high-profile meetings. The world is still racist and casteist.
A reporter who asked this question being present at the Oval Office in front of two powerful men in America and others asking such a silly question shows that the entire meeting was a set-up and pre-planned. The question that was thrown at Zelenskyy all of a sudden like an ambush should have pre-planned. It shows that racism is back in White House and would continue to grow in the coming years.
Dr. John Mohan Razu