The Tamesis
Anyone who lives in Los Angeles recognizes it: the offset block serif logo of the Los Angeles Dodgers or the italic Bodoni font used by the Lakers. So it might be a bit surprising to some locals to see them being used for reality TV star Spencer Pratt, who is running for mayor of Los Angeles.
Pratt first became famous nearly 20 years ago as a villain on the MTV show hills, Now he’s suddenly emerged as an insurgent force in the city’s hotly contested mayoral race, spurred into action when his home in Pacific Palisades burned in a fire last year.
Despite the relative immaturity of his policy proposals, he made progress in Trumpian fashion, fanning the fury of a frustrated populace into a frenzied campaign. Like the current president, he has used his reality TV fame to fuel a growing movement despite his lack of political experience. In the process, however, he deftly tapped into the city and state’s rich imagery: wearing Southern California footwear favorite Vans with a boxy suit—as he did during a CNN interview with Elex Michaelson—or donning a cap with “Pratt” emblazoned on the front, with the “A” replaced by the recognizable Dodgers logo and another in the Lakers’ stylized font.
“Fashion has always been political,” said Maria Cabrera Arus, a sociologist and NYU Gallatin faculty member who studies the politics of fashion and material culture and has a forthcoming book on the subject. “It symbolizes power, status, class, and gender. And, as studies of material culture and fashion show, appearances don’t just reflect politics; they structure politics.”
Through his choice of clothing, Platt conveyed two things: He wanted to be seen as a political outsider, and he also wanted to be seen as the embodiment of California, specifically Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
The current primary election is scheduled for June 2. If no candidate wins 50% of the vote, a runoff will be held in November. Platt’s two biggest opponents are Democratic incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who came under fire while out of the country during the catastrophic wildfire outbreak, and Nithya Raman, a democratic socialist who serves on the City Council. In an alarming sign, Platt currently surpasses both of them in fundraising despite his weak record.
Arous points out that historically, political fashion has served two main purposes: to project authority, status, and unity (imagine all the men in homogeneous suits) and to promote branding (think Trump’s red MAGA hat). “What’s interesting about Pratt’s case,” she said, “is that his choices seemed to be doing something hybrid. On the one hand, suits and formal attire were read as an attempt to distance himself from the political establishment he was trying to win over. Coming from a reality TV show, attire conveyed a sense of belonging.” She mentioned New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani, a democratic socialist outsider, adorned his revolutionary message with innocuous tailoring to create a visual connection with familiar city hall leaders.
