I like to shop. I like to dress up. I'm also a feminist. I always thought the two couldn't go together, in part because of the fashion industry's exploitation and objectification of women.
I'm interested in the idea that people, especially women, can use clothing to express themselves.
Maybe clothing, and other forms of visible self-expression, can actually be empowering.
I'm interested in learning more about the cultural significance of clothing in different countries as well as our own, and also the issue of how clothing is produced in today's world. I'm also interested in how women can use their representation of self to reclaim and celebrate their bodies, in a world that pressures them to believe they are imperfect.
A cool website I found is called Feminist Fashion Bloggers. It gives links to other blogs where the authors talk about issues such as body policing, what it means to dress "feminist," and how they have learned to love their bodies.
I think as long as you are shopping and dressing up for yourself (and not for society's standards of beauty, or someone else) then you can claim that you are a feminist :)
ReplyDeletePlus, there are so many kinds of feminists, I am sure there are feminists that like beauty. :)
What a fascinating subject - certainly not one I expected to learn about when I began teaching Women and Computers.
ReplyDeleteIn your detailed research paper you mentioned the Academic Chic blog at http://www.academichic.com/ which is a fascinating combination of Judith Butler and "waist-defining belts". As you wrote "choosing to express oneself is a form of performativity, especially when dealing with issues of masculine or feminine."
Great pics at Academic Chic where the professors dress in far more interesting outfits than yours truly who takes a simply functional approach.
This actually was going to be my thesis topic. I believe that what can make fashion feminist is the understanding of how clothing is oppressive. There is nothing a feminist can wear that doesn't oppress her in some way, the act of forcing a feminist to dress against society's standards is as oppressive as blindly conforming. I find that it can be empowering to conform to society's ideals of fashion and then use that to push your own agenda or just as a tongue in cheek form of activism. If you want to read something on this topic there is the book "Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism" by Linda M. Scott.
ReplyDeleteI think this is great! And its a fantastic idea. I think blogging about this will show that women do have the right to dress themselves however they want-- without being judged for it. :) Nice work.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the link about feminist fashion bloggers, and thought it was an interesting concept to be able to display your feminism through fashion. Very cool topic!
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