US Election 2024: Real Mimics Wheels As Women Wear Handmaid’s Tale Capes To Cast Votes At Polling Stations, But Why?

Rarely has there been a year when the US election hasn’t had people glued to their screens and biting their nails, not just in the US but around the world. This year, the stakes seem to be multiplied as both major parties — the Democrats and the Republicans — go head-to-head in their race for the White House. Donald Trump potentially returning to power has always hung like the sword of Damocles on the states’ apparently very tumultuous future. However, Joe Biden, who understandably but shockingly bowed out of a potential second term as POTUS, was somewhat of a plot twist. In came his VP Kamala Harris, who had to ensure that the Democrats remained in power. But the current tally of electoral mandates shows an easier feat for Trump than Kamala when it comes to moving into the White House.

At a time in world politics where Charles Dickens’ lines “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” ring truer than ever, you can count on there to be very skillfully curated glimpses of social messages adorning your feeds. Here is where this little socially informed TV series The Handmaid’s Tale seems to make. According to reports, and a few photos, some women have been seen dressed in the indispensable red cape and white bonnet – a series of staples – as they head to polling stations to cast their votes.

Why do you ask? The internet decodes this as a cleverly conceptualized move to express what Trump coming to power could mean for American women in the future. For context, The Handmaid’s Talebased on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name, is a dystopian television series that depicts women’s fertility being used as their cages. Reflecting this on a potential Republican coup in the White House, the party with Trump as their face has long championed ‘traditional’ families, some of which involve a serious setback for abortion rights.

Returning to the silent demonstration of women at the booths in their robes, abortion can only be a problem. It can very well be seen as a larger dialogue about the once hidden, now quite outstanding violation of the agency that women possess.

In the same breath, there are some on the internet who have expressed that the context drawn by this social message is extremely distasteful, given the fact that there are many women around the world whose reality is a more accurate reflection of the premise of The Handmaid’s Tale. “American women: You are not slaves. You are not oppressed. Maybe spend 5 minutes learning about the plight of Afghan women before you claim to be a ‘handmaiden.'” read an excerpt from one comment.

As for the results, Trump is expected to have won his second term as POTUS with the Democratic victory in Pennsylvania taking the Republican tally past the landmark 270 mark for electoral votes.