The Three Hoodies of Rachel Maddow
When Rachel Maddow explains why MSNBC leans forward instead of left, she does it wearing hoodies.
When Rachel Maddow explains why MSNBC leans forward instead of left, she does it wearing hoodies. When you have cable news on all day, but muted, you don't notice what's happening in the world as much as how it looks when people talk about it. On MSNBC, for example, you notice when Meghan McCain takes out her hair extensions. Or that Ari Shapiro moisturizes. Or that Rachel Maddow is always standing in front of the Hoover dam for some reason, wearing a hoodie. Then, one day, you notice Maddow has a new hoodie. This becomes significant, because when you work in a blueish-grey office away from a window, the TV is your connection to the outside. Why has Rachel Maddow changed her hoodie? It requires an investigation.
Like her fellow MSNBC hosts, Maddow does promos for the network under its newish slogan, "Lean Forward." The other hosts aren't quite so casual -- they all wear a collared shirt, sometimes with a sweater, including token working class persona Ed Schultz. Maddow is the only female primetime host, and though they don't dress her up like Fox talent, she still gets the most outfit variety. Her persona is down-to-earth nerd, but her wardrobe can't be an accident: everyone in TV knows that images are just as important as words. Each of Rachel Maddow's three hoodies must mean something.