Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Worn-Out Campaign Shoes Are Headed to a Museum

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unseated 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in the June 26 Democratic primary in New York, she famously shot back at claims that she only won because of “demographic reasons.”

In a June 29 tweet, she wrote, in so many words, that it was because of her wavering commitment to canvassing: “I knocked doors until rainwater came through my soles. Respect the hustle. We won bc we out-worked the competition. Period.” And she offered side-by-side photos of her well-worn zip-front slip-ons as proof.

Now, nearly three months later, after having made history as the youngest woman to be elected to U.S. Congress in the 2018 midterm elections, the representative-elect’s tattered campaign trail sneakers are being immortalized at Cornell Costume Collection’s “Women Empowered: Fashions From the Frontline” exhibit starting Dec. 6.

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We can’t think of a better example of fashion from the frontline: U.S. Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York’s 14th district has loaned us her first pair of campaigning shoes. “I knocked doors until rainwater came through my soles,” she tweeted back in June. These shoes represent the hard work, dedication, determination, and commitment of the youngest woman ever elected to Congress 👟👟👟 Thank you @ocasio2018 for being part of “WOMEN EMPOWERED: Fashions from the Frontline.” 💛💛💛 Exhibit opens December 6 (with reception 5-7 PM) on Level T of the Human Ecology Building ✨ #frontlinefashions #cornellcostumecollection #campaignshoes #alexandriaocasiocortez #empoweredwomen

A post shared by Cornell Fashion + Textile (@cornellfashioncollection) on Nov 21, 2018 at 11:29am PST

“These shoes represent the hard work, dedication and commitment of the youngest woman ever elected,” read the collection’s Instagram announcement.

Items that will also be on display include collars from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the inaugural suit worn by Texas Gov. Ann Richards along with the skirt suit worn by her daughter Cecile Richards when she testified before Congress as president of Planned Parenthood in 2015. The exhibition will be displayed on Level T of the Human Ecology Building at Cornell University from Dec. 6 to March 31.

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