When I first came to Illinois State University, I had no idea how to get involved. I knew that I wanted to make a difference in any little way that I could, and I knew that I loved writing. During our annual Festival ISU, where all of our registered student organizations have their tables set up on the quad, I found Sequin Magazine, an RSO dedicated to fashion.
They happened to be looking for writers, which was right up my alley as a creative writing major. I joined Sequin Magazine and never looked back. I also did so much more than write. I decided to dip my toes into the modeling world and have modeled for our magazine multiple times. I also joined the board and became Associate Editor of Sequin Magazine.
With this journey of self-expression and creativity, I also learned so much more about the fashion world through my peers. Fashion is so much more than just dressing up in pretty clothes. It carries so much meaning and political messaging.
For all my frequent readers, you guys know how much I love to talk about the current political state of our country and this article is no exception. Fashion, much like all of our actions today, IS political.
Throughout history, fashion has been used as a form of resistance as well as expression. It has always had meaning. During the ancient and medieval times, clothing was used to signify a person’s class and social status. It let the world know what your place in the caste system of society was. Clothing then evolved during revolutions such as the French and American Revolutions to signify allegiance with a certain side. During the 1920’s, clothes played a huge part in the Women’s Suffrage Movement. White clothing was used to signify purity and morality which defied the notion of activists being masculine or sexually deviant. Shorter hemlines became more popular and “The Little Black Dress” was popularized by none other than Coco Chanel. However, during the 1920’s, the women’s suffrage movement was primarily geared toward white women. Black women adopted their own clothing as a form of resistance. They had to defy racial stereotypes as well. Black women’s fashion consisted of vibrant styles and beadwork. Black jazz musicians and dancers introduced the aesthetics that inspired flappers.
During the Great Depression, fashion signified who was rich and who was poor. While the wealthy wore extravagant clothes, the poor had to get creative and repurpose fabric. Women began to wear uniforms and coveralls, signifying a change in traditional gender norms. Women entered the workforce during World War II and began wearing what was recognized as men’s clothing, such as pants and suits.
The 1950’s demonstrated a shift back to traditional social norms. The rise of the housewife brought back patriarchal looks and feminine silhouettes. Women were expected to embrace modesty. Tea dresses became popularized as well as high heels.
These are just a few examples of how fashion was used as a political tool in history. All of this is to say, in recent years, with the rise of a conservative government, we are also seeing a rise in conservative fashion and in turn, a rise in conservative ideals and messaging. During 2024 to 2025, the rise of the Trad Wife aesthetic on TikTok gained traction. Due to creators like Nara Smith, the ideals of the 1950’s, such as women serving their husbands, became popularized in the mainstream media once again. The knee length dresses of the 1950’s became popular again, as well as high necklines and the milkmaid dress. While some may argue that this was an attempt to reclaim fashion and empowered femininity, I believe that conservative politicians and conservative viewpoints brought this fashion back into the mainstream. This type of fashion during a time of such political unrest tells us one thing: comply. It signals compliance within an authoritarian and fascist regime. The messaging is clear: be subservient, be domestic, don’t be daring, don’t act out, don’t resist.
Wearing this fashion doesn’t necessarily communicate one’s political ideals. But it does signify how the political climate affects our culture.
To counter the rising conservatism in our country, fashion as a form of protest and resistance has also begun to rise. I have seen a rise in trends that support sustainability, such as thrifting and conscious consumption. People have started wearing pops of color and funky patterns and just embracing overall weirdness. Being weird is my favorite form of resistance and it has begun to bleed into the fashion world. Designers like Marc Jacobs are embracing mismatched styles, free expression, and imperfection. This is incredibly important when we are living in an era of AI and fascism. AI supports the idea that things have to be perfect and artificial. Bright pops of color, funky patterns, mismatched styles and creativity in the fashion world resist the artificial. It embraces creativity and therefore embraces resistance. Resistance thrives on creativity. Fashion is just one medium to demonstrate that. Bold patterns and bright colors are used to defy authoritarian regimes, not only in fashion but in art too.
This Springs issue of Sequin Magazine is called Patterns on Patterns, and it inspired me to write this article. It is a fun work of self-expression and creative freedom that I believe demonstrates an act of resistance within the United States right now. I encourage you to all go read it on Sequin’s website on April 17th!
So, when you’re getting dressed for class or just to go out, remember that how you dress is in fact political. Embracing your own personal style is political. My advice to you is to foster your creativity and dress a little weird to upset some fascists.