Following an intense week right after the inauguration ceremony of the new US President Joe Biden, one certainly came across the viral meme of poor Bernie Sanders, the U.S. Senator for Vermont. A photo of him sitting alone, socially distanced, legs crossed, wearing a mask, a simple parka and the statement (!) large pair of brown and white mittens stole the show and was spread immediately across all the social media platforms but also the traditional media.
According to the Washington Post, the creator of the world-renowned Sanders' mittens is a 42-year-old elementary school teacher called Jen Ellis and she made the gloves from repurposed wool sweaters, using fleece made from recycled plastic bottles for the inside lining.
When asked about his outfit, the Democrat smiled widely and said to CBS's reporters: "You know in Vermont, we dress warm, we know something about the cold, and we're not so concerned about good fashion." Well, we say that recycled is the best fashion you can wear! :D
Sen. Bernie Sanders wears mittens as he attends the inauguration of Joe Biden. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
*Nonetheless, the most interesting fact about the mittens meme is not the unpredictability of pop culture's ways, rather its positive outcome:
1. Ellis has a huge amount of mittens orders
2. Sander's fame on meme sites already turned into online sales of a sweatshirt with the meme stamp, with the 100% of the money raised going to "Meals on Wheels", a program that feeds low-income senior citizens, initiated by Age Well.
xx,
Calliope