The Politics of Pearls: Jill Biden Keeps the Trend Going Strong in Her Pearl-Strung Face Mask

Clearly, Dr. Jill Biden had the ultimate outfit for the "Chucks and Pearls" trend on Inauguration Day. On March 17, the first lady visited the Christa McAuliffe School in Concord, NH, wearing a Veronica Beard jacket with a trio of pearl accessories, including a double-strand necklace (which complemented her "mama" chain), pearl stud earrings, and a Lele Sadoughi pearl face mask, which features a row of hand-strung pearls along the elastic ear straps. One can never have too many pearls, right? The face mask comes in a set of three and retails for $49. (FYI, Lele Sadoughi has been among brands supporting those on the front lines of COVID-19 by donating headbands and button hooks to healthcare providers for ultimate medical-mask comfort.)

If you recall, thousands of women came together to show support for Vice President Kamala Harris during the inauguration by rocking her signature pearl style, which dates back to her sorority days. Kamala consistently wears pearls as an ode to Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of the oldest historically Black sororities in the country, led by founders called the "Twenty Pearls." Because of Kamala, we've come to recognize pearls as a symbol of elegance and resilience and also of celebrating womanhood. So Jill's choice to wear a trio of pearl accessories right smack in the middle of Women's History Month was likely no accident.

Knowing all this, we had a feeling you'd want to join in on shopping for pearls and add a similar face mask to your rotation so you can sport something meaningful every time you put on your face shield and play a part in protecting others. Scroll to see where you can scoop up Jill's exact mask or shop similar styles and chains with pearls. There are even some cloth masks here with more noticeable embellishments, if you'd rather not keep it so subtle.