New Jersey Woman Wears ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Costume to Vote, Citing Concern for Women’s Rights

Veronica McGrogan, a 50-year-old optician from Bloomfield, New Jersey, arrived at Bloomfield Middle School to vote on Election Day dressed in a scarlet robe and white bonnet reminiscent of the costume from Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

The outfit, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, has become a symbol for women’s rights, particularly around issues such as access to abortion.

Explaining her decision to wear the costume, McGrogan said, “What this outfit means to me is my way of fighting back.” She expressed concern that GOP candidate Donald Trump’s policies could threaten those rights. She also cited her unique family background, adding, “I have a mixed family. I have a wife. I have a trans daughter. Everything (Trump’s supporters) are against, I’m like checking all those lists,” McGrogan said, as reported by New York Post.

Emotionally, she noted, “I’m emotional because this isn’t a movie, it’s not a series, it’s not a show. This is actually reality.” Grabbing her robe, McGrogan added, “I could wake up tomorrow and it might not be a costume. This might be reality.”

The New Jersey resident cast her vote for Kamala Harris, expressing hope that the Democratic nominee could offer the support and protection she feels is at risk. In New Jersey, which has 14 electoral votes, President Biden won the 2020 election by a significant margin, securing 57.34% of the vote.