Reporter Lauren Green asks Congress members about the outfits in the viral video where fashion bridging partisan divisions.
Returning to Congress, government closures that could possibly close the government
Congress is facing the possibility of government shutdowns as Democrats push back GOP budget cuts and demands.
Lauren Green has one of the most colorful jobs on Capitol Hill.
Washington Examination Reporter, 24, covers what Congressional lawmakers are doing, with special emphasis – unlike most journalists in the country’s capital, about what they wear. Green’s video went viral when he asked council members about details of their outfits.
Interrogation of the outfits of everyone, from Green’s buttoned representatives to Parker-dependent Senators, has earned over 600,000 views on Tiktok, showing a less odd aspect of the infamous split Capitol.
“There are some amazing people in Congress on either side of the aisle. I love making videos with them,” Green says.
After graduating from the University of Oklahoma in May 2022, Greene won a job as a Congressional Reporter for a National Magazine. She faced dramatic first few weeks when Republicans moved in the fall of 2023 to overthrow a former GOP speaker in the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
“We were straight underground for 21 days, and no one knew. I was a bit crazy because I wasn’t used to the job. To pass the time, Green and his colleagues, who worked at NBC News, evaluated the members’ clothes as they passed.
“One of my colleagues said, ‘You should do that. They’re wearing crazy things so it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Green says. So she did that. And Greene did what the Gen Z reporters in their work might do and turned the bit into viral content.
“OOTD” (costumes for the day) content is popular among members of her generation (born between 1997 and 2012). Gen Z viewers are particularly drawn to content creators like 24-year-old Alix Earle. He gained fame with the “Get Ready With Me” video, told by an influencer who talks about life struggles that are relevant when applying makeup.
Similarly, Green’s videos are accessible to viewers and mixes the everyday habits of dressing in the Washington insider viewing.
From Poshmark to Pizzaz: Lauren Green covers council clothes
In her first video, she has former Rep. Jeff Jackson, D-North Carolina, his own Tiktok star, and two million followers, and is now the state’s attorney general. Jackson, 43, likes a relatively simple suit and tie in predictable gray and blue colors.
“I didn’t think it would be a series,” Green said. “I did it with him because he was great and then people loved it, so I kept going from there.” More viral videos followed. Her #ootd approach to Washington is bipartisan.
In one green video, Maga Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert said he “slaps” a “half-baked match” on second-hand fashion site Poshmark. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat known for her black and white outfit, wore a theory outlet outfit and a Mark Fisher pump.
Dylan Wells of the Washington Post won the youthful lens follow in Washington, documenting the Democratic governor when he took a shot of West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice’s English Bulldog, Babydog, and Chicago’s staple food, Bitter Recall Maloto, host of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Green is also in a place where fashion has been stolen and doesn’t have it on the internet.
Still, some lawmakers are receiving internet backlash for their choice of clothing at the Capitol.
Arizona Senator Kirstensinma wore high thigh boots, a purple wig and a bright pink “dangerous creature” sweater at various times. Her Pennsylvania counterpart Sen. John Fetterman wears a Carhartt sweatshirt that is often paired with black shorts. However, most politicians are stubbornly clad in scripts and dressed in calm clothes.
Lauren Green interviews Gov. Tim Waltz Pete Battig
In one clip, Green had to remember Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett to tell him what he was wearing: “Oh, I’m wearing a beautiful Carhartt jacket,” he replied. In his @laurenoncapitolhill debut, Texas Democrat Greg Cassar wore a rag tie made in Houston.
Have you ever had Green’s favorite videos? She is dispatched with Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz, the 2024 Democratic candidate for the Vice President, and Pete Battigee, the former Transport Secretary known for her unique twist in fashion.
After Waltz was chosen as Kamala Harris’ running buddy last summer, the campaign unfolded a camouflage hat that rivals President Donald Trump’s Red Magazine hat, which nods to all the images of the governor. Buttigieg regularly supports bold blue ties, white button-down shirts and slacks.
“I meet[Congress]members every day, so it’s pretty surreal to see them, but I don’t see any vice presidential candidates or secretaries every day,” says Green. She said “I couldn’t believe their staff saw my video.”
Green, who counts CNN star Kaitlan Collins, has been praised for her chic looks as though she is a fashion inspo, but has her own thoughts on the senator’s preference for clothing that regularly chooses inappropriate black suits and blue dresses over a wardrobe that boasts a variety of shades.
“I don’t think a lot of them get something that suits them very well,” Green says.
Perhaps Greene himself has found a way to fit in Washington, finding viral moments is always seasonal and listening ears in buildings where seeking attention seems never out of style.
