....but that's not the F-word in Focus here. I'm talking about the 'Feminist' word.
Like I have said here and here and started from here and will end here... I am a feminist. I have no choice. I was born that way.
I saw this question via other blogs and my initial reaction to this was "WTF?!". After I stopped laughing, it was more a "wtFkindofquestionisthis?" "How do you express your feminism in the way you dress?"
By dressing however the hell I please.
Look... I understand the question and the well-meaning intent behind it. By no means am I having a 'go' at anyone so if the original blogger is reading this please understand that it is the fact that the question itself has to be posed, that is the problem and not the fact that it was asked. Got that? Good because I'm lost now!
Don't start me on the double standards and the glass ceilings and the subjugation and the judgement, etc that women have had to put up with throughout time, the battle we continue to fight for the right to just be... but for me -in my opinion- this question is as regressive and limiting as a self-proclaimed Feminist calling another woman a bimbo because she's wearing a mini skirt and heels.
It doesn't matter if I am walking down a shopping mall wearing a bikini... I am a Feminist. FULLSTOP.
By now, in this century, after everything our sisters have gone through, for clothing to be a moral judgement meter... this is a self-defeating thought. What I am wearing is not going to change how I feel about the rights I deserve.
If anything, really... I should be able to stand naked and expect and be afforded the same rights, more so because then I would be stripped of all artifice and cocooning and supposedly be at my most vulnerable... which is when I would most need the full protection of all the rights I endorse, right???
I say "supposedly" because I see a naked woman as being strong. The power of a naked woman is perhaps the STRONGEST power a human being has . Hence the tabboo. This is for a different post topic but for me, everything boils down to sex. EVERYTHING is about the most fundamental thing we know. Sex. Without it life doesn't exist.
...a naked woman isn't about sex. A naked woman is about life.
In a world run by weak males (not the strong beautiful ones), making a naked woman taboo is keeping her quiet and faceless.
One thing... that's why I very rarely if ever, have a post without images of me. If I have a message or think I have something 'deep' to say or share... then I will say it with all of me. Including images of me. I'm not not going to post images of myself to convey the gravitas of whatever I have to say. What the hell? That's like saying I'm only to be taken seriously when I'm faceless. Think about it.
...I'm 'lucky' though. As regular readers well know, I very rarely describe what I'm wearing and rarer then hens teeth describe the actual label of what I'm wearing. The images on my blog are of the way I express ME. All of me. The layers of Me. My blog has never just been about the layers I wear.
Clothes do not maketh the Feminist. Awareness does. Attitude does. Self-belief does. Respect for the Sisterhood Women and their myriad incarnations does. Being compassionate about the fact that Feminism is still a 'new' concept for some cultures, that it is in fact still a luxury for certain demographics. Being able to share that it isn't a luxury, it's a neccessity, does. Knowing that Man is your complementing equal and vice versa, does.
I do not need to be wearing a suit or whatever the hell The Almanac On How To Be A Serious Feminist dictates as being the uniform to validate my principles.
How do I express my feminism through the way I dress? By wearing it on my sleeve.
By the way... while we are here... let me tell you one thing that I believe is destroying the Feminist Principles... this judging of other women by the clothes they wear.
Don't get me wrong... I do judge other women by the clothes they wear but NEVER their 'womanity'... just their originality. Hey. Didnt say I wasn't a bitch. J . Joking. Sort of. There's an Australian young hipster "look what trendy and edgy clones we are" uniform that kind of gets my goat...
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Veshoevius and Vintage Vixen also have something to say about this.
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20 comments:
A little nit picking just for the fun of it: fat is often the enemy and fructose is only the enemy if you have an issue with it - so it's your enemy but not mine. I am coeliac so gluten is my enemy - but not the enemy of someone who is not coeliac.
And as for the rest of your post - AMEN AND OUT! - this is exactly 100% the way I feel about feminism and the reason I have not done a feminism post - you have spoken so perfectly on my behalf. THANK YOU Dusk for expressing what I could not. A million times thank you.
I cannot wait to meet you.
Sarah xxx
And, as always, you look amazing. You know, for a feminist fruit-hater.
Right on, sister! When reading these posts I noticed a big difference between the American women's interpretation of feminist dressing and the rest of the worlds'. Whilst we dress to please ourselves and glory in our womanhood and strength, the Americans tended, as a whole, to be more reserved and carefully considered.
I say wear what the hell you want, we're only here once (as far as I know) and I'd prefer to be remembered as the feisty old girl who wore killer heels, fake fur and showed a lot of leg. xxx
PS Hope that intolerance is just a minor blip. x
Huge thanks for your tips. Totally love you, adore you for that.
I love your take on- How you express your feminism in the way you dress.
I like the feminist you.
Completely agree with you :) And I love how you show it in your clothes :)
www.style-fiesta.blogspot.com
Thanks for this!! The concept of feminism has currently been suffering from a lack of femininity, and I know I love to celebrate being a woman by dressing up every day!! And not to attract the male gaze, I am happily married and I don’t care if other men like my appearance or not. But when other stylish women pay me a compliment, it’s the best feeling in the world!! You are beautiful inside and out and I cherish you for that!!!
You go girl! I must say you do wear your feminism in an utterly gorgeous way!!! And I absolutely agree with you......to me, my feminism is in the way I wear my attitude, not the way I wear my jeans!
Thanks for this!! The concept of feminism has currently been suffering from a lack of femininity, and I know I love to celebrate being a woman by dressing up every day!! And not to attract the male gaze, I am happily married and I don’t care if other men like my appearance or not. But when other stylish women pay me a compliment, it’s the best feeling in the world!! You are beautiful inside and out and I cherish you for that!!!
PREACH! Kill them most unmercifully with words and then do what you do best, be that awesome hot momma who CAN rock a bikini in a mall or be as naked as a babe if you so choose.
Lord knows you have the figure for it :)
I really enjoyed this post, but I can understand why you don't post often on these kinds of topics. They are super controversial, and I think as the generations following come into the world, they have so much at their disposal that they tend to forget the importance of the woman's history & fight.
(I'm currently righting a paper about this, so I've got a lot to say) Anyway, continue to keep it real with all these other lasses out here. They should be sure to get the memo, & if they don't they just weren't worthy of getting it anyway!
I love, love this post. Each word resonates with me!! (not the fat vs sugar thing - both sugar and fat are my enemies:-)
I am who I am and I dont need to say or express or dress a certain way or do anything for anyone. I am not here to win any popularity contest, I am here to live my life the way I WANT it..I dont think about feminism just the way I don't think about breathing. we are all equal (although I do feel women are superior to men:-)
Nice tips, nice post.
Those sun-glasses are killer, especially the green shade, WOW!!
What a wonderful post in answer to this question! I agree with you wholeheartedly on everything you've said - and all so wonderfully put!
"What I am wearing is not going to change how I feel about the rights I deserve" and why should it?
And I am glad you mentioned the judging of other women by the clothes they wear thing as I sometimes think woman can be their sisters worst enemies.
And as for the "young hipster "look what trendy and edgy clones we are" uniform" you mention - they do that here too!
This is such a great post. I'll be scrolling through the rest of your blog now :)
Love you :)
Love you :)
I admire your cocky attitude and respect your opinion on feminism. I concur that we should never think less of a person because of how they dress: that's a personal choice and feminism must include that freedom.
You put it so well that all I can say is: Amen, my dear Leia.
Fantastic post.
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ahem. The set of posts on this issue were part of a discussion group where the question has been explored. No one's answers were meant to fire anyone up...though I suspect most of the women who participated would agree with you. I read ALL of those posts and not a single one attempted to dictate what a woman should wear. :)
Thank you. I thought that question was somewhat ridiculous. You look crazy beautiful in the second pic with those shades, shirts and crazy skirt.
Ah, it's great to read a passionate post by someone so unabashedly determined to wear whatever the hell they want. As Terri says, I think most of the group would agree with your take on this. I think you're right, too - it would be regressive if the question was demanding that people conform to a certain mode of dress because they are a feminist...but it wasn't. It was intended more as a means of exploration for those of us who still feel restricted by judgments on sexuality or choice of attire. Yes, it's wrong that they feel those restrictions, and yes, we should be able to stand naked without being judged. But the discussion is still pertinent for many - I think we are all aiming to be in the fabulously empowering place that you are...but it's taking some people a bit longer to get there!
Well, you had me at hello, I couldn`t agree more, and I love love love that you practise as you preach, I do the same, with spunk sass and without apologies. Thank you so much for sharing this!
xx Anika
http://byanika.com
@AnikaByAnika
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