We live in a visual age where one's personal image is often carefully curated for others' consumption. This is doubly true for politicians, whose careers can be made or broken on a strong impression.
Q+A's Whena Owen took a deep dive into the superficial, but vitally important, politics of personal portrayal.
As political campaigns ramp up ahead of October's general election, more attention is paid to presentation as a serious business, and to all of the strategizing going on behind the scenes of every photo-op, ad and public meeting.
This is because "voters can get a lot of information and sense about a politician from the way they look," says Jennifer Lees-Marshment, Associate Professor at the University of Auckland and an expert in political marketing.
"So what's important in an image is where they are, what they're doing, who they're with [and] what they're wearing.
"There's a lot of strategic thinking that goes into an image and a lot of tactical planning to try and resonate positively with voters."
Party leaders' dress requires especially careful thinking as they try to appeal to a broad electorate.
Wearing a suit and shirt without a tie, for example, can indicate that a politician is professional, but still down-to-earth and approachable, according to image consultant Suzanne Fahey.
Fahey is experienced in consulted to politicians on managing their appearance and the first advice she gives them is: "to be clear on the message that you're giving".
Lees-Marshment draws a distinction between the message opposition leader Christopher Luxon wants to give to voters — about confidence and trust in a National government — and Chris Hipkins' goals in distinguishing himself from Ardern's cabinet.
"Voters are looking for someone who understands them, so they've also got to be sometimes out of that suit and not wearing a tie, not wearing a formal dress."
Being seen listening to people and in environments with a diversity of people is a major task for party leaders, and can actually be quite difficult, she says.
The ability of opponents and media to spin images around at even the slightest misstep makes careful choreographing and handling of photo ops even more essential out on the campaign trail.
However, Kiwi politicians tend to do all-right when it comes to leadership style — with The New York Times' fashion editor praising former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her use of clothing as a political tool.
Fahey highlights National Deputy Leader Nicola Willis and Green Party leader James Shaw as politicians who dress with a defined brand, and Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi for their involvement in "fashion activism".
However, while staged photo-ops and focus-grouped public personas are here to stay, Lees-Marshment warns voters to look behind the image for substance.
"The first step is decent policy and the second step is imaging. It shouldn't be the other way around."
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