By Lily Bastin ’23
If there’s one unforgettable symbol that came out of inauguration day, it is the one of a grumpy looking Vermont senator Bernie Sanders sitting in a chair wearing a pair of oversized sweater mittens, or “smittens,”as they have affectionately become known. Now you may be thinking, “what is the big deal with this photo, and why did it suddenly showing up everywhere on social media?” Within a mere twenty-four hours of the inauguration of President Joe Biden, thousands of Bernie memes started circulating the web as a meme. He has been placed into a plethora of scenes and situations, from historical photographs to episodes of TV shows. Although there are so many different versions of this photo-turned-meme online, here are some highlights.
Many are familiar with the original photo and the internet memes, but the history behind the smittens and their creation is a much less widely known story. The original pair was knitted by second grade teacher Jen Ellis from Essex Junction Vermont. She has always been passionate about both knitting and the environment, which led her to create Bernie’s iconic smittens, made from discarded wool sweaters and recycled plastic.
You may also be wondering how exactly Bernie Sanders came into possession of her hand crafted smittens. Ellis was always a longstanding admirer of Bernie and his education policies, especially since she is a teacher herself. Bernie’s daughter-in-law was also the director of Ellis’ daughter’s preschool, leading to a connection, albeit small, between Sanders and Ellis. After the presidential election in 2016, when Sanders lost, Ellis had the idea to keep both his hands and spirits warm with a pair of her knitted smittens. She had already made smittens as holiday gifts for all the teachers at her daughter’s preschool, so she decided to make an extra pair for Bernie. She tucked an endearing note into the smittens, which read “I really support you, and I like you, and I hope you run again.” Although she barely had any connection to him and thought that the idea was insane, she continued with her plan and gave them to Bernie.
Much to her surprise, Bernie loved the smittens so much that he wore them to many special occasions, including that of President Biden’s inauguration. In an interview about the viral smittens, Ellis stated, “I’m really honored he wore them today. The fact that he’s still wearing them is delightful and flattering, there were people at the inauguration wearing clothing from world-famous designers. Then there was Bernie, wearing my mittens.” Both Bernie’s and the world’s extremely positive reactions to the smittens that she designed herself has not only brightened Ellis’ year, but it has brightened and improved many other people’s lives as well.
Ellis decided to donate a pair of the famed smittens to Outright Vermont, an organization for LGBTQ+ youth. They then auctioned the mittens off, earning a total of $14,850. Ellis says that as a member of the LGBTQ+ community herself, she feels that the Outright organization has helped her realize who she is as a person, and she wants to do the same thing for other LGBTQ+ youth who may be struggling.
She has also donated a pair to the Passion 4 Paws organization, a Vermont-based dog rescue, which raised $3,800 in auction. The third and final pair was auctioned off by Ellis on eBay, giving the proceeds to her five-year-old daughter’s college fund. The winning bid on eBay amounted to an unbelievable $6,100. Ellis also made a partnership with Darn Tough Vermont, where she will make socks that are inspired by both Bernie’s smittens and some original designs that she has created as well. She says that all of the profits from the socks will be donated to food banks in Vermont. The final partnership she made was with the Vermont Teddy Bear company, where they plan to make even more Bernie-inspired smittens. Ellis is also raising money to donate to even more of Vermont’s charitable organizations.
Even Bernie Sanders himself has jumped on the smittens bandwagon, as he raised $2 million in the span of a day from merchandise with his famous inauguration day photo on it. Sanders donated the funds to Vermont’s meals on wheels program. Outside of charitable donations, Bernie’s smittens gave everyone something to laugh and talk about in the midst of the seriousness surrounding the pandemic that has darkened so many people’s lives. Ellis’ take away from all of this is that she hopes “others gain and remember more from this than just the meme and the mittens”. As much as we all would love a pair of authentic Bernie Sanders smittens, there is only one Jen Ellis to knit them, so we may need to wait a little longer to get our hands in a pair – unless you are willing to pay $6,100 of course.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/20/bernie-sanders-mittens-inauguration-parka-coat/