"Dress shabbily and they remember the dress;
dress impeccably and they remember the woman"
-- Coco Chanel
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With International Women's Day falling at the beginning of this month (on Tuesday 8 March), this week's Friend Friday topic is somehow fitting: feminism. It is also one which has sparked much debate, particularly since the proliferation of fashion blogs. Indeed within the fashion blogging community itself there has been discussion and, some might say, "soul searching" over how these two seemingly opposing notions can be reconciled. The Feministified blog, with others, has begun her own Feminist Fashion Bloggers network, a network which brings together bloggers who identify as feminists whilst also proclaiming their love of fashion.
For me, my own feminist experience begins with my studies and my other "passion"; politics. It might seem like a simplistic position to start from, but hear me out:
By May 6th this year (2011), the people of Wales will have had the opportunity to vote three times in less than as many months, on two separate occasions (a referendum last week on more law making powers for the National Assembly, and in May in the four-yearly elections to the National Assembly and a further UK-wide referendum on electoral reform for Westminster elections). Many won't vote. As a woman (and, I suppose by dint, a feminist), this saddens me. As a politics graduate and a keen history student, I am keenly aware of the struggles by several generations of my fair sex to win our right to be allowed to vote. Indeed, even today, in the twenty-first century, in some countries the right to vote in free and fair elections is a right women and men can only dream of – to give up our right therefore seems rude and foolish, at best, and ignorant, at worst. Indeed, this week I read a hugely compelling account of the struggle women face to achieve equality all around the world.
But my interest in politics and the history of the right to vote does not mean that I don't care about how I dress or my appearance, it does not mean that I don't put on make-up or put on a pretty dress or a pair of high heels. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Feminism is defined as: "the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men".
Does caring about how you look/dress mean that you can't also care about how much you are paid or your right to vote?
Feminism has always been about the right to choice: so why then must we choose between feminism or fashion? Surely, we can choose both?
The idea that a woman can be both fashionable and a feminist seems to run in complete contradiction to the frivolous nature of fashion and those who choose to exist in its world. But maybe herein lies the problem: for years, we, women, have allowed others - men and other women too - to belittle fashion and any sort of an interest in looking good as frivolous and have allowed ourselves to be branded air-heads. But when have these people who so belittle us stopped to think about their own hobbies or interests or passions; doesn't it seem rather glutonous and greedy to sit over a five course meal and consume as many bottles of wine and discuss the tone or character of said wine? We need to eat and drink to live, it might be argued; but to eat and drink to such quantities when a simple meal accompanied by a glass of water would suffice? Afterall, no one wanders around the office naked. Do they?!
I think it is high time that we reclaimed the right to be frivolous with fashion and a feisty feminist to boot.
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1. Do you think there is an incapability between feminism and a love for fashion?
Clearly not. I think that, unfairly, a stereotype has been formed by - mainly men - of women who are interested in fashion. I think it is fuelled by a lack of interest on their part and a lack of understanding. This, in turn, has led some women to believe that in order to achieve equality with men we must also adopt this attitude. But that is where the problem, for me, lies. I don't think that women should have to discard their interests in favour of male pursuits and hobbies in order to be treated equally, instead we should be able to retain our "female" interests* and yet still be treated equally in terms of pay, politics, jobs, etc.
2. There is more to each of us than a love for fashion, how do you incorporate every aspect of yourself into your blog?
I'm not sure that I do, really. Fashion, until I started writing this blog, played very little of a role in my life - except for a rather worrying shopping addiction. I studied politics at university for seven years (no, I'm not a slow learner! I did a masters after my bachelors degree) and I now work in a political environment. But I prefer to keep this separate from my blog, whether or not this is a good thing, I'm unsure of; what do you think?
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3. With the fashion industry still being a male-dominated profession, how do you think it would differ if women played a larger role?
In a recent post on For Those About To Shop in which Laura identified her Feminist Style Icon - Diane Von Furstenberg - quote the designer:
"Christian Lacroix once told me that women designers make clothes and men designers make costumes. I think that’s true."
This is probably the crux of the issue; if women played a larger role in the design houses there would likely be less of an emphasis on controversial collections that seek to break taboos and more considered collections that reflect the lives of the women who will ultimately wear the clothes on show.
4. How is your self-image and the way you carry yourself informed by your beliefs?
I work - and live - in a fairly conservative environment and I like to use fashion and clothes to show a slightly less serious side to me.
5. Do you think clothing/makeup/hair helps communicate the truth about yourself or are those things superfluous add-ons?
As much as we might protest otherwise, or hope it not to be the case, first impressions do play an important part in our opinions of people. Of course, these can change, but it isn't always the norm. Therefore, I think clothing/hair/make-up plays a hugely important part in communicating the truth about yourself.
Remember to check out the other contributions to this week's discussion over at ModlyChic. And if you would like to be a part of the Friend Friday Group, you can find all of the details here.
*NB: I do realise that there a lot of men who are also interested in fashion and women who are interested in more traditionally "male" hobbies
Sources: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/fashion/article2462104.ece
http://www.feministified.com/2011/02/feminism-and-fashion.html
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/fashion/trends/article138351.ece#page-3
http://news.illinois.edu/news/04/1214fashion.html
http://www.oranges-and-apples.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/mar/06/feminism-global-challenge-one-voice?INTCMP=SRCH
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