自1970年代使用移动电视摄像机以来，出席共和、民主两党全国代表大会的代表们越来越注重穿着打扮以吸引媒体的关注。

在美国政党代表大会上，如果不出现稀奇古怪的帽子就不成其为政党代表大会。

自1970年代使用移动电视摄像机以来，出席共和、民主两党全国代表大会的代表们越来越注重穿着打扮以吸引媒体的关注。千变万化的帽子在把提名总统候选人这一严肃时刻变成一场真正的庆典方面发挥了作用。

来自收藏这些政治纪念品的史密森尼学会（Smithsonian Institution）的威廉·伯德（William L. Bird）说，并非所有代表都戴上这些有创意的帽子，但对那些戴上这种帽子的人来说，“这好比是自由和诚实表达的最后堡垒，只要不太过份”。

伯德说，戴着帽子的人常常坐在会议大厅走道的边上，他们选择的座位使新闻记者和摄像机非常容易接近他们。

上面左图，一位出席2008年共和党全国代表大会的代表戴着装饰着羽毛的帽子，穿着饰以流苏边的外衣。右图，一位出席2008年民主党全国代表大会的代表穿戴着十分显眼的装饰着国旗和政治徽章的衣帽。

Since the use of mobile television cameras in the 1970s, delegates to the Republican and Democratic national conventions have increasingly dressed up to attract media attention.

It just wouldn’t be an American political convention without outlandish hats.

Since the use of mobile television cameras in the 1970s, delegates to the Republican and Democratic national conventions have increasingly dressed up to attract media attention. The hats help turn the serious business of nominating a presidential candidate into a true celebration.

Not everyone wears these creations, but for those who do, “it’s the last bastion of free and honest, if not over the top, expression,” says William L. Bird of the Smithsonian Institution, which has a collection of political memorabilia.

“A lot of times the people with the hats are sitting on the end of the aisles” in the convention hall, Bird said. “They position themselves so they’re very accessible to reporters and the cameras.”

Above left, a delegate to the 2008 Republican convention wears a hat decorated with feathers and a fringed jacket. On the right, at the 2008 Democratic convention, a delegate shows off her shirt and hat decorated with flags and political buttons.