Why Hillary Clinton - and her husband Bill - wore purple for her concession speech

NEW DELHI: In her uplifting and inspiring concession speech last night, US Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wore a pantsuit with a purple shirt and a jacket sporting purple lapels, very likely because it is a colour of an early women's movement, the one that campaigned - hard - for women's right to vote, say Vogue and Vanity Fair, as well as several American social media commentators.

And this sartorial choice - even Clinton's husband Bill wore a purple tie - was no accident. Because Clinton's winning opponent, Donald Trump, wouldn't wear this colour, even by accident.

The colour, in the US and the UK, is called suffragette purple, by many. Suffragette refers to those who participated in the movements - especially in the UK and the US - for equal rights for women. Purple, with white and green are the colours of the Suffragette flag.

Eight years ago, when Clinton lost a hard-fought Democratic primary - only to lose - she talked about the "glass ceiling." She was referring to a term that the US Federal Glass Ceiling Commission describes thus: A glass ceiling is a metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that keeps a given demographic (typically applied to women) from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy.

This definition also applies to minorities anywhere, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities. Purple is the colour of the anti-bullying movement in the LGBTQ communities.


In 2008, Clinton called a woman being US President "the highest, hardest glass ceiling" and said that although they "weren't weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time... it's got about 18 million cracks in it."

And she referenced the suffragettes.

"Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes," Clinton said about the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, which many call the first women's rights convention.

Clinton referred to that "glass ceiling" again, in last night's concession speech.

"Now, I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday someone will - and hopefully sooner than we might think right now," Clinton said.

After a campaign full of revelations about her opponent Donald Trump and his history of appalling and near-criminal behaviour toward women, Clinton last night had a message for young women and young girls.

"... to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams," she said.