748 JOURNAL OF LAW AND POLICY
Anthony’s appearance evolved throughout the trial: from
oversized^112 and pastel-colored shirts^113 to preppy sweaters and
long hair.^114 Anthony’s defense team crafted a story about her
of murdering her two-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony, but the jury
acquitted her of first-degree murder. Michael Winter, Casey Anthony
Acquitted of Murder, USA TODAY (July 5, 2011),
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/07/casey-
anthony-jury-reaches-verdict/1. In the infamous case of the Menendez
brothers, the defendants used a similar preppy look. The brothers were
convicted of violently murdering their parents. Throughout their trial, the
brothers donned preppy sweaters. Although the jurors acknowledged that the
defendants’ appearance was not admissible evidence, they still “discussed the
fact that the defendants wore sweaters as opposed to suits to court.”
THORNTON, supra note 83, at 111; see also Dominick Dunne, The Menendez
Murder Trial, VANITY FAIR (Oct. 1993), http://www.vanityfair.com/
magazine/archive/1993/10/dunne199310 (reporting that the Menendez
brothers’ “Armani-type clothes [were] replaced in the courtroom by sensible
shirts, slacks, and sweaters, brought freshly washed and ironed each morning
for them to change into from the L.A. County Jail uniforms they [were]
wearing when they arrive[d] at court”).
(^112) Casey’s Appearance Could Be Changed to Influence Jury, (Apr. 7,
2008, 6:00 PM), http://www.wftv.com/news/news/caseys-appearance-could-
be-changed-to-influence-ju/nK99f/ (describing Anthony’s clothes as “baggy
and disheveled” and noting that she transformed her image to fit a “librarian
look” and donned clothing that matched her defense team’s attire); SMITH &
MALANDRO, supra note 2, § 1.19, at 36 (“To create a victimized look or a
look of helplessness, the individual should wear oversized clothing.... ”).
One explanation for matching attire might be the proximity between Anthony
and one of her female attorneys. If there is a stark difference in dress
between attorney and client, any images will be perceived as “more
extreme.” Id. at 35.
(^113) Compare Lillian Glass, Jose Baez and Casey Anthony’s Body
Language Show Delight in Jurors’ Negative Reactions Towards Nancy Grace,
Casey’s Courtroom Tension Builds on Day 6, DR. LILLIAN GLASS BODY
LANGUAGE BLOG, (May 15, 2011), http://drlillianglassbodylanguageblog.
wordpress.com/2011/05/15/jose-baez-and-casey-anthonys-body-language-show
-delight-in-jurors-negative-reactions-towards-nancy-grace-caseys-courtroom-
tension-builds-on-day-6/ (depicting Casey Anthony’s use of pastel-colored and
ruffled clothing at trial), with SMITH & MALANDRO, supra note 2, § 1.19, at
36 (“To create a submissive look for a woman, pastels and ruffles should be
worn.”).
(^114) See Jessica Hopper & Ashleigh Banfield, Casey Anthony Trial:
Defense Team Claims Caylee Anthony Drowned in Family Pool, ABC NEWS,
(May 24, 2011), http://abcnews.go.com/US/casey_anthony_trial/casey-