The first woman was elected to the US Senate in 1932.
Sixty have served since, and a quarter of the current chamber is now female.
Women make up almost 30% of the House of Representatives.
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And from state legislatures to school boards, the stances and ideologies of women in elected office are varied.
Their hair has more reverence for tradition than the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Their hair has been frozen in aerosol since the Reagan administration.
Risk-taking is for high-stakes hearings and dramatic votes.
With hair, the consensus pick prevails.
And they like their hair conservative too.
Cevirme tends, for the most part, to the heads of Democratic women.
He has seen speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi for decades.
But stylists who shape the manes of women from both parties point to subtle partisan differences.
But I do feel theres a little bit of a difference.
Democrats are a little more practical, and Republicans are a little more sassy.
Look no further than the Republican National Convention, currently playing out in Milwaukee.
Usha Vance, wife to Republican vice presidential nominee J.D.
In politics, its important for a woman to look elegant and feminine, says Goetz.
Working with politicians, I realized theres a fine line, Goetz says.
Its no surprise to her that Beltway women stick with the tried-and-true formulas.
Still, shes done her part to push them toward slightly more sophisticated templates.
With Clinton, she worked overtime to refine a more gentle cut.
To satisfy her current roster of clients, she focuses on styles that women can maintain themselves.
If youre on TV, of course you have hair and makeup done, Goetz says.
She points out that the predominant looks on view at the see-and-be-seen Cafe Milano in Georgetown are relatively low-maintenance.
A crop a la Senator Elizabeth Warren is relatively wash and go.
The swoop that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has perfected is more practiced, but it can be learned.
Even so, in a crisis-driven city, service providers are as on call as comms staffers.
He books them every three weeks for color and every four or five weeks for a cut.
They dont want change, he says, laughing.
But change does come, even in staid Washington.
For the first Black president and his wife, the usual burdens of self-presentation were compounded.
Wright recalls frank conversations about whether Mrs. Obama could wear her hair in braids.
She was considering it, he says.
Now shes doing it, but she didnt do it while she was in the White House.
Her hair got plenty of attention, anyway.
Like so much in Washington, the cut had been a practical choice.
It just started to wither in her fringe area, he says.
And I was like, Lets cut bangs to get these dead ends off.
Then Trump won, and I was like, Oh, damn!
We should have done it.
Its evidence that Michelle Obama did make a difference.
Michelle gave her permission, and now shes giving other women permission as well, Wright says.
And that will continuefor Democratic women and Republicans.
Whoever wants to look professional, respectful, and elegant for the job, thats for me.
