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As The Lumineers’ Automatic World Tour kicks off, the indie band has found its way into mainstream media with songs like “Ho Hey” and “Ophelia” gaining popularity on TikTok, as teenagers dance to music that captures the essence of young love and freedom. Controversy around the band’s fan base blew up as people began making fun of girls’ staple concert outfit: a white maxi skirt.
The idea of outfit inspiration is huge in the concert community, especially on social media. With a quick search, your feed will be flooded with uniforms to match each artist’s certain aesthetic, such as Tate McRae with leopard print, Taylor Swift with sparkles, and Sabrina Carpenter with babydoll dresses. It is not a unique experience for fans to dress a certain way for the artist of their choosing, so why is it a problem when young girls do it?
Micro-sexism can be found in every aspect of current media; once you notice its presence, it’s hard to ignore, but The Lumineers and the white skirt are only one example of it. The younger generation of girls is rushing to mature in fear of being judged.
I attended the Lumineers concert in mid-September as someone whose childhood home was filled with their melodies. I carefully crafted the perfect outfit, drove three hours from Boone to Raleigh, and sat in concert traffic for three more. Even exhausted from the draining journey, I felt nothing but genuine joy seeing the skirts flowing with the music, but could not shake the feeling of insecurity I felt for being “too basic” while wearing my skirt. Older women tended to lean more into the jean skirt or maxi dresses while young girls clung to their white skirts. Something so simple as making young girls feel ashamed of merely wearing a trending outfit to a concert is nothing but another way for society to put the gender down. No one bats an eye or goes out of their way to film and post videos of complete strangers when men wear jerseys to their favorite sporting events or khakis while golfing.
Such a small issue that is so easily overlooked can have such a big impact. Women’s clothing is a topic that is controversial at every event as they are expected to fit the man’s ideal. It is time to start letting women wear what makes them feel good. So next time you are stuck on a concert outfit, don’t be afraid to be a super fan.