Rep. Rosa DeLauro is reflecting on being scrutinized about her appearance throughout her life, and offering a positive self-image message to women: “Wear what you want.”
“I’ve been critiqued for my appearance all my life — mostly by men who wouldn’t survive five minutes under the same scrutiny,” the Connecticut Democrat wrote in a Thursday post on X.
“But I love my self-expression and no troll is changing that. It makes me effective for the people,” DeLauro said.
While DeLauro didn’t name any specific criticism she was responding to, several memes mocking the 82-year-old lawmaker circulated following President Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday.
DeLauro is known for sometimes sporting colorful looks at the Capitol and dyed hair in support of pancreatic cancer research. In 2023, she said she got a tattoo as part of a gift for her granddaughter.
“Ladies, wear what you want,” DeLauro said in her social media post this week.
“The haters will have to adjust.”
