Trump’s shoes and the rise of 'political looksmaxxing'

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Trump’s shoes and the rise of 'political looksmaxxing'

Published: 06 May. 2026, 00:04

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Park So-young

The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.

In early March, cameras captured U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio chatting with lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Attention, however, shifted not to his words but to his feet. A noticeable gap, wide enough to fit two fingers, separated his heel from the back of his black leather shoes. The image seemed oddly at odds with the stature expected of a top diplomat.

Behind the scenes lies an anecdote. In December of last year, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly criticized the shoes worn by Rubio and Vice President JD Vance during a meeting in the Oval Office. He then ordered Oxford shoes from his preferred brand, Florsheim, and presented them as gifts.

U.S. President Donald Trump, second from left, Vice President JD Vance, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, second from right, meet the Democratic Republic of the Congo's foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on June 27, 2025. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

What followed drew more attention. Rather than exchanging the ill-fitting shoes, Rubio appeared in public wearing them despite their size. The visible gap at the heel was read by some as a symbolic gesture, suggesting that the leader’s judgment took precedence over personal comfort. It became a visual cue of deference, even a performative display of loyalty.

The New York Times described the episode as part of Trump’s broader effort to regulate the appearance of his aides, including facial hair and clothing. According to the report, Trump views his inner circle as “assets,” expecting their outward image to align with his personal brand. The newspaper drew parallels between this tendency and the growing trend of “looksmaxxing” among young men in some Western countries.

Looksmaxxing refers to the practice of maximizing physical appearance through plastic surgery, diet and exercise, often quantified as a form of personal specification. It reflects a belief that in an uncertain future, the body is one of the few domains individuals can control. A similar logic appears to operate in politics. The difference is that the standard shifts from self-optimization to the preferences of a superior. Instead of demonstrating conviction or policy competence, individuals align themselves with an approved image to signal loyalty and capability. This phenomenon may be described as political looksmaxxing.

Such image-driven signaling is not unfamiliar in Korea. However, instead of formal symbols such as dress shoes, politicians often turn to more practical items such as sneakers. During the 2022 presidential election, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party (PPP), then a third-party candidate, appeared in red sneakers when announcing his unification with the PPP's nominee, Yoon Suk Yeol. The gesture condensed a complex political decision into a visual symbol. By adopting the color associated with another camp, the policy gap between the two figures was quickly reframed as a unified front.

A similar case involved President Lee Jae Myung and former Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae. When Park launched his bid for the party leadership last year, he wore the same blue sneakers Lee had worn during the presidential campaign. While the message emphasized a hands-on approach to politics, the public largely interpreted it as a symbolic gesture of alignment with the leader. If Trump’s shoes reveal hierarchical control, Korea’s sneakers emphasize solidarity and unity. In both cases, however, the choice of image tends to follow power rather than personal conviction.

Korea is now entering the campaign period for the June 3 local elections. Campaign sites will once again be filled with candidates wearing sneakers and jackets in vivid party colors. They will lace up their shoes and highlight their presence on the ground. Yet if these images are consumed merely as symbols of loyalty rather than expressions of commitment, the implications are different.

Democratic Party leadership candidate Park Chan-dae, center, adjusts blue sneakers that are the same as those previously worn by then–presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung and party leaders during the presidential election, at a joint speech event for the Yeongnam regional primary ahead of the party convention held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on July 20, 2025. [YONHAP]

The challenges facing Korea are far from superficial. The youth underemployment rate remains above 20 percent, while rising housing costs continue to strain household stability. The local elections will take place at a time when the population gap between Seoul and surrounding metropolitan areas including Gyeonggi and other regions has reached a record 1.04 million. The outflow of students from regional universities, the steady migration of young people to the capital region and the growing number of areas at risk of depopulation point to a structural crisis that can no longer be ignored.

This is where the risks of political looksmaxxing become clear. A politics focused solely on an image approved by leaders cannot address the complex challenges now confronting the country. Local elections are meant to select community leaders who will work closely with residents, not proxies of central power. Yet voters still tend to identify candidates by the colors of their sneakers and jackets, asking whose side they represent.

What is needed is a politics that designs policies suited to the public's lives rather than one that wears shoes chosen by a superior. Only when candidates direct their attention not to the expressions of those in power but to the realities on the ground can politics fulfill its role. The act of tying shoelaces should no longer symbolize loyalty but mark the starting line for meaningful change in local communities.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.