There's a hidden reason why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a white jumpsuit to her congressional swearing-in ceremony

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a white jumpsuit while being sworn in on Thursday.

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez donned a white jumpsuit on Thursday to be sworn in as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
• The color white has been tied to women's political empowerment since the suffrage movement.
• Female politicians including Shirley Chisholm, Geraldine Ferraro, and Hillary Clinton have all notably worn white during key political events.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's decision to wear a white jumpsuit to the opening session of the 116th Congress may have a hidden meaning.

On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez donned a white jumpsuit to be sworn in as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

The connection between the color white and women's political empowerment has its roots in the suffrage movement.

In 1908, according to History.com, the Women's Social and Political Union picked three colors to represent the movement for women's suffrage: white for purity, purple for dignity, and green for hope. Women dressed in white became a symbol for the suffrage movement as they rallied and protested for the right to vote.

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Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton smiles as she listens to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speak during the third U.S. presidential debate.

Since then, white clothing has reemerged as a symbol again and again as women have broken through the glass ceiling on many fronts in politics.

Shirley Chisholm wore white when she became the first African-American woman elected to Congress, as well as during her 1972 presidential campaign. When Geraldine Ferraro delivered her acceptance speech as the first female vice-president candidate for a major ticket in 1984, she also wore white.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton donned a white pantsuit (a sartorial choice highly associated with the candidate) for the third presidential debate. Many Clinton supporters encouraged voters to #wearwhitetovote leading up to the 2016 presidential election. And, first lady Melania Trump wore an all-white pantsuit to the State of the Union address, which observers connected both to the suffragettes and to Clinton.

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