I've been really contemplating lately how fashion interacts with feminism. If women are seen more objectively, and more often judged on their bodies than men are, then what role do clothes play in how women present themselves? Part of me wants to say just screw it - who is allowed to give a damn about what I wear. But in reality, clothes are a very important part of how you present yourself to the world. Greta Christina, in
her blog, writes that:
"It is the height of irony that women are valued for our looks, encouraged to make ourselves beautiful and ornamental... and are then derided as shallow and vain for doing so."
It's a sad truth that appearance, not intellect, is what women are judged on. That said, I think fashion can be incredibly empowering for women. Maybe it's a learned behavior, but when I wear an outfit where I present myself as a professional member of society and still expressing my inner style, I feel like I can take on the world. Here are a few quick reads that address feminism and fashion...
I definitely don't have an answer - I think something like this really depends on each individual woman and why she wears what she wears. Like Gloria Steinham says - "Is she doing it because she wants to? Is she body-proud? Is she sexuality proud? Because then, I say, great. Is she doing it because she feels she has to? That she won't be popular otherwise? Then, that's wrong."
What does this have to do with Kate Middleton, you ask? I've come to respect her fashion sense immensely. As a representation of her family, government, and country, she dresses so well - classy, conservative, but still feminine and stylish. I think she balances her feminine power with her professional power.
Reiss
photo by Anthony Devlin
LK Bennett
photo from De Montfort University Twitter Feed
Orla Kiely
Dulwich Facebook Picture Gallery
Am I right or am I right?
