Jennifer Rauchet, wife of US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, sparked a partisan backlash after wearing a dress reportedly from Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein, priced at $42, to the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The gown, similar to one on Temu for half the price, drew criticism given Hegseth's nationalist 'America first' stance and the ongoing US-China trade war.
Influencer Ella Devi posted on X: 'peter hegeseth's [sic] wife wore a dress from temu to the white house correspondents dinner (I'm not joking).' The tweet garnered over 6 million views. Fashion watchdog Diet Prada also commented, noting the irony of fast fashion from overseas despite the party's nationalist ideologies.
However, some defended Rauchet's choice. Far-right activist Laura Loomer praised her, saying: 'She looks amazing. I thought the left was about "eating the rich?" Now you want to dunk on someone who didn't waste $10,000 on a dress they will only ever wear once.'
Sustainable fashion expert Aja Barber called the outrage political point-scoring, but stressed that society should take the issue of sweatshop labour seriously, regardless of who wears the clothes. She noted that similar criticism was levelled at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for wearing an expensive dress to the Met Gala, while Melania Trump's $39 Zara jacket with a controversial slogan sparked uproar over the message, not the price.
Barber argued that the real issue is the cost of clothing: 'A dress should cost more than $40.' She emphasised that garment workers in the global south are often erased by narratives that celebrate affordable fashion, and that bipartisan point-scoring over dresses misses the deeper truth about labour exploitation.
