🎩 The Independence Day Reception: the place where glamour and outrage collide like two drunk strangers on a night bus

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If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that at the President’s Independence Day Reception, no one ever critiques government operations, social issues, or political decisions. No — what gets critiqued are the dresses.

It’s our national pastime. Some love them, some hate them — and everyone is convinced they’re right.

👗 The “Vulva” Dress – Finland’s own “Mona Lisa” (which everyone interprets wrong)

And oh dear, this year the nation was once again given something to chew on: the infamous “Holy Pussy" Dress. A designer piece originally intended for a completely different context, but which ended up on the chair of Seta at the Castle.

For some, it was a bold piece of art. For others, a threat to the national soul.

Me? It was… a dress. Just a dress.

The biggest issue was really the name: “Holy Pussy”.Had it been called “Embrace of the Northern Wind,” no one would’ve batted an eye.

🍒 Then comes Erika Vikman, and her neckline screams HELLO, FINLAND!

Vikman’s outfit, on the other hand, would have fit in a bordello so perfectly that even the Moulin Rouge would’ve asked for styling tips.Her breasts were pointing forward like two diplomats who skipped security checks.

And as a feminist, I still firmly believe women should dress exactly as they please — but for an event as formal as the Independence Day Reception, that neckline was more of a tactical missile than a fashion choice.

But that’s how it goes:Some are delighted, some are shocked.And the rest head to Google to check whether any of this is “normal.”

🔫 Then onto the stage walks Timo Vornanen — the man, the legend, the Joensuu cowboy who waved around a gun

But if anything truly made my jaw drop, it wasn’t any dress.It was former police officer and current Member of Parliament Timo Vornanen, who arrived as if nothing whatsoever had happened.

A man who was recently convicted (though the verdict may not yet be final) of:

• assault

• illegal threats

• careless handling of a firearm

• firearm offences

…because he decided, drunk, to fire a gun in the middle of a street in Helsinki as if it were El Paso in 1881.

And yet he receives an invitation to the Independence Day Reception.An event where, as a member of the government, he is there to represent the people.

Well, one thing is clear: he does not represent me, period.

But apparently Finnish politics follows the same rule as in the United States:men can wade through scandals, convictions, and sheer stupidity — and still stroll into a gala like a dog let loose from the yard.

🥂 Final Thoughts: The Independence Day Reception is like a national therapy session

We all get to unload:• irritation• admiration• moral heartburn• and of course — dress-hatred.

Critiquing outfits is to Finns what cheese is to the French:a national right, an annual pleasure, and a guaranteed source of arguments.

Next year the whole spectacle will start again — new dresses, new dramas, new scandals.And perhaps a new cowboy without a gun.

🎄 And if you’re tired of dresses, boobs, or guns…

…thank goodness we have tufting.

If the glitter of the Castle or drunken politicians doesn’t warm your heart, then come warm up at our Christmas-themed tufting workshop!

👉 There’s still space in the last course of the year on December 13th.Come enjoy the atmosphere, even if the weather doesn’t feel like winter.Or stop by Korttelijoulu to admire tufted delights — I promise, none of them come with provocative names, excessive cleavage, or any firearms whatsoever.