Sen. Kyrsten Sinema sparked outrage on Twitter after wearing a bright yellow dress to President Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, with social media users cracking jokes about the flamboyant outfit choice.
Among a sea of Congress members dressed in black and navy business attire, Sinema’s loud dress with giant ruffle sleeves stood out, and many on Twitter said it was an obvious attention-grabbing stunt.
“Kyrsten Sinema……tell me you’re desperate for attention without telling me you’re desperate for attention,” Twitter user Jason Rector wrote, alongside a screenshot of the C-Span broadcast showing her dress in stark contrast to her colleagues’ dark colours.
And the legislator received a lot of attention.
“Why did Kyrsten sinema [sic] wear Big Bird floaties to the State of the Union? Was she hoping for a water landing?” In a tweet, Roger ZenAF inquired.
Another Twitter user compared her appearance to the Sesame Street character.
“Not sure about that outfit Kirsten Sinema chose to wear to the State of the Union Speech,” Roshan Rinaldi captioned a photo of Big Bird seated in an auditorium among guests.
Others saw Sinema’s outfit as belonging to a different child television show character.
“Who looked the best? LaLa [sic] or Kysten Sinema?” Jennifer Theut tweeted about the yellow Teletubby.
The eye-catching colour wasn’t the only noteworthy feature to examine.
Twitter users mocked the dress’s oversized sleeves.
“Did Kyrsten Sinema’s airbags deploy during the State of the Union?” user Gabe Sanchez tweeted.
Others speculated that the former Democrat-turned-Independent was mistaken.
“Kyrsten Sinema got confused and thought this was the Grammys,” joked writer Lesley Abravanel.
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Dara Faye, a former California congressional candidate, joined in on the awards show joke.
“I’m just honoured to be nominated,” Krysten Sinema tweeted about her State of the Union nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Live Circus Performance.
Sinema’s daring style is well-known in Washington, DC. She’s appeared in the Senate chambers wearing colourful wigs, floral ’50s-style dresses, knee-high boots, and even a denim vest.
The lawmaker’s style is not for everyone, but it appears to be appealing to some customers. Sinema reportedly has a side hustle, selling used items like high heels on Facebook Marketplace in addition to her job in public service.
Sinema was not the only member of Congress who was mocked for their State of the Union attire on social media.
Twitter users also targeted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was dressed in a cream coat with a fluffy, fur collar.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kyrsten Sinema [sic] look like comedic-relief villains in a 90s Final Fantasy game,” MSNBC producer Manny Fidel wrote on Twitter.
Many people compared Taylor Greene’s appearance to Cruella de Vil, the villain in Disney’s 101 Dalmatians.
“I believe Marjorie Taylor Greene intends to leave Biden’s State of the Union speech early in order to steal more Dalmatians.”