Nancy Mace Seems To Be Taking Fashion Tips From Kristi Noem With These 'Cosplay' Outfits

Either Halloween came early, or we've got another "ICE Barbie" on our hands with Nancy Mace. The South Carolina congresswoman has a long history of cheeky ensembles meant to make her blend in with the working class, but all they've managed to do is turn her into a laughing stock.

The trend initially began in April 2025, when the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem — who's completely transformed from farm life to Fox News — took to X with a video where she was sandwiched between two ICE members. She was in full makeup and hair extensions, wearing tactical gear, and holding a rifle pointed at the man next to her, and that's only a fraction of Kristi Noem's biggest makeup mistakes. Understandably, many found this puzzling (not to mention extremely dangerous). One X user expressed, "Cosplaying again? Honestly, who takes you seriously?" Even Andy Cohen remarked, "Please be careful with that gun." However, given the context of her history with working-class uniforms, Kristi Noem's strange history of inappropriate "cosplay" outfits begins to make sense, and it might even be where Nancy Mace got her inspiration from.

nancyrmace

Many of Nancy Mace's most inappropriate outfits also resemble Noem's "cosplay" looks, like in June 2025, when she visited a South Carolina automation company and ditched the regular construction site necessities for a pink hard hat and vest instead. "Infrastructure isn't just a talking point. It's cables, crews, and companies like Nexans getting the job done right here in Goose Creek, South Carolina. And yes, I'll take a pink hard hat over diamonds and pearls any day," she wrote on Instagram. The look strikingly resembled a video uploaded by Kristi Noem when she was still Governor of South Dakota in April 2024, encouraging more people to become construction workers while dressed as one, because why not?

Many were put off by both Kristi Noem and Nancy Mace's unusual love of costumes, but just as Noem received a healthy heaping of backlash after the initial "ICE Barbie" video, Nancy Mace would have the same fate. In January 2025, the United States representative posted a video on X documenting an ICE raid that she was involved in, writing, "We're not just talking about deporting illegal aliens — we're out here seeing it in action for ourselves — firsthand."

In the clip, Mace is in a bulletproof vest, going off about "people who came here illegally," who were reportedly drawing guns, climbing into the ceiling, and selling illegal substances. She does this all while rocking a pink shimmery eyeshadow, wispy fake lashes, and a full face of makeup. However, Mace's look is a bit more toned down compared to Noem's due to the lack of a firearm. Consider it a combination of Noem's original "ICE Barbie" video, mixed with the time she donned a border patrol outfit on "The Ingraham Angle," in January 2025. One X user wrote under Mace's clip, "These ride along Malibu Barbie vids are really kinda silly." Another joked, "Awwww! Are you playing dress ups like Krisi Noem?"

Unlike Noem, though, eventually Mace got fed up with the quips. "Anderson Cooper cosplay getup isn't working. Just be you," a user wrote on the platform, referring to Cooper's position as a broadcast journalist and correspondent for CNN, where he often has to travel internationally to cover current, often dangerous events. Mace then issued her response, replying, "This was a very dangerous individual and we were all required to wear the vest. Long barrel rifles were drawn, and if something were to happen, they'd want [to] make sure everyone around is safe. I want to thank ICE for keeping me safe as I watched on!"