Donald has often said that Hillary plays the “woman’s card” to give herself an artificial advantage. This is bull, of course. Hillary Clinton’s gender has been an anchor on her candidacy. But during the debate Hillary used her gender to her advantage by wearing a brilliant red suit and bright red lipstick. It was a move reminiscent of Kennedy outshining Nixon in the first televised presidential debate by wearing a dark suit while Nixon’s light-colored suit blended into the background.
If you are an artist or graphic designer, you know that the human eye gravitates towards brighter colors. In the previous presidential debates where two men were debating, the suits were neutral so that viewers could concentrate on the words the candidates were saying. Trump used this rule to his advantage during the Republican Primary Debates by allowing his showy body language to upstage the other candidates, distracting the viewers’ eyes while Rubio or Bush or Cruz were trying to debate policy. With everybody wearing the same suit, the body language won. Now that the presidential debate stage, for the first time in US history, has a woman on it…. that rule is off the table. Trump again tried to upstage Clinton while she debated sober policy, but visually his body language couldn’t compete with her color. Literally. The bright suit and bright red lipstick contrasted with pale skin and pale hair meant that- love her or hate her- your eyes ALWAYS went towards her. It’s simply how your brain works.
And when your eyes are on Clinton, your brain cannot ignore her. Or the words that she is saying.
So kudos to Clinton and kudos to her stylist. That was a masterful move.