Astrid Sloan is a standout character in Ryan Murphy's The Politician, played by Bohemian Rhapsody star Lucy Boynton. Astrid's eclectic wardrobe and signature blonde bob play a key element in this new, Wes Anderson-esque, series's visual identity. Heralded as Gen Z's Carrie Bradshaw by critics, her looks range from polished twinsets to a more carefree style. A perfect reflection of her character's growth: from a bored and unhappy high schooler in a tightly wound upper-crust Santa Barbara home to her experimental, progressive, and rebellious state of being in New York. While there were changes from Season 1 to Season 2, at her core, Astrid had a clear baseline for her sartorial style, which is what interests us at The Psychology of Fashion. Our focus is on helping people determine their style based on the Big 5 Personality Test - also known as the acronym OCEAN (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism). Using the Big 5 as a format, here’s an analysis of Astrid's wardrobe and character arch to see how they parlay into her psychological makeup. *Spoilers ahead!*
Power lunch in a feathery GANNI mini-dress during Season 2. Photo: instylemag.com.au
OPENNESS: Moderate-High
This trait is defined by a person’s receptivity to new ideas and experiences, and disdain for convention, which Astrid has a notable aptitude for. When she found out her high school sweetheart was interested another guy, she was open to trying out a threesome to make him happy. Ultimately, this doesn’t work for her (because she didn’t do it for herself at the time), but she later successfully tries out the throuple life again in New York with Payton and his girlfriend, Alice. Throughout the two seasons, we come to know Astrid as a progressive and empowered character that lets go off things that she knows she doesn’t want (whether that be president of her high school or motherhood). Wardrobe-wise, this trait plays out in some of her more eccentric and creative styles, like her cheetah-print coat and puffed-sleeve GANNI dress.
Astrid hitting the campaign trail in a tweed mini-dress and her signature black bow-tie.
CONSCIENTIOUSNESS: Moderate-Low
People who score high on conscientiousness are typically orderly and risk-averse, whereas people who score lower on conscientiousness are more likely to be laid-back and uninhibited. In clothing, this plays out in preferences, like wanting to wear a crisp twinset over an oversized artsy number. Astrid falls onto the moderate-low scale for this trait, as she's more of a spontaneous character, who we watched pick up her life in S.B. and start anew with Ricardo in N.Y.C - at the cost of everyone else's sanity. Her outfits are influenced by her affluent upbringing, as she's often seen wearing tweed sets and buttoned-up collars complete with bow-ties. However, she tends to always subvert these classically modest looks with over-the-knee boots and mini skirts.
Sporting a matching set for a round of tennis at the country club. Photo: cosmopolitan.com
EXTROVERSION: Moderate
Astrid is one of those characters whose outfits seem to do the emoting for her, which makes her the perfect moderate scorer for this trait. Her withdrawn persona lends itself to her fierce competitiveness, and what she is striving for is often parlayed into her outfit choices. Hiding out in the city? Hot pink, "I <3 N.Y." shirt. Campaigning for class president? Tweed set. Outrunning a stalker? Sunglasses and a cheetah-print coat. Astrid's eye-catching expressive style is indicative of someone who scores higher on extroversion, but, paired with her self-contained nature – she always flees when group discussions get real – illustrates a more profound balance between how much energy she gets from being around others and how much gets from herself.
Dressed in a Cheetah print coat for her final confrontation with Hadassah. Photo: refinery29.com
AGREEABLENESS: Moderate-Low
Highly agreeable people are more likely to keep the peace at all costs, whereas people who score lower on this trait are more prone to speak their mind, even if it means creating friction. Astrid is the latter, as evidenced by her capacity to think for herself and handle confrontation, such as when she ran against Payton for class president, or some of her heated exchanges with Alice. She's the character that is most likely to stick up for herself, whether during a verbal exchange over brunch or lobbing a tennis ball at an antagonizer's head on the courts. Astrid often stands out with her showy wardrobe choices, which is typically paired with an attitude that ranges from "back up" to "bored of you." She doesn’t feel restricted in what she can say or do, which is why we get so many iconic looks from her. Whether that be her cheetah-print coat paired with oversized eyewear while outrunning Hadassah, her Tory Burch performance cashmere TENNIS sweater on the courts, or the endless amount of Gucci looks we see her going out in. She’s a character that not only what she wants - she knows how to flaunt it.
Astrid in a Louis Vuitton leather biker jacket during Season 2.
NEUROTICISM: Moderate-High
Early in the show, we see Astrid trying to uphold ideas about herself that have been placed onto her by her parents. She talks about the pressure she feels to be perfect and pretty for others to her boyfriend (and high-school heartthrob) River before he passes away. His suicide, the pressure she feels from people around her, plus the unraveling of her parent's marriage propel her into accepting who she is: a stoic, voguish, DGAF gal who actually hates her life in S.B. This ignites a rebellious streak in her that is played out in her pulling a Gone Girl to New York and gives her the wherewithal to be a saboteur when she needs to be. We often see her use clothing as armor, which is typical of someone who scores higher on the neuroticism scale. There are endless examples of fashion-as-armor, particularly in Season 2, where we note her penchant for leather overcoats and, most notably, her Louis Vuitton monogrammed biker jacket.
In an interview with Refinery 29, The Politician's costume designer, Claire Parkinson, stated that Astrid's early relationship to clothing is underscored by it being "[t]he one thing that Astrid can control," when her life in Santa Barbra starts to fall apart. That's what makes this character's ties to fashion so powerful throughout the show. This connection is possibly a solution to the deterioration of authenticity that we see the characters on The Politician grapple with. And, if you haven't already, then you should definitely watch the series to see the enviable looks for yourself. Overall, it's laugh-aloud funny and provides an exciting new angle for us to unpack the internal tension between a person's wellbeing and the pursuit of their goals. Hopefully, the next season comes out soon, so we can see how the characters' wardrobes evolve as their plans change and their self-knowledge becomes more pronounced.
Take the test below to find out your own Big 5 scores.
We use the ‘Driver’s License’ singer’s sartorial style to infer where she would score on the Big Five Personality test.