Flashing lights. Glossy magazines. Glamorous women strutting down a runway in eccentric clothing. These are the kinds of images associated with the world of fashion, but there is more to it than that. Fashion is also about hard work, creativity, talent, self-expression and passion. Many people overlook fashion, disregarding it as frivolous and feminine. But fashion impacts a large part of our lives. What we wear and how we choose to present ourselves is all a product of fashion. It is more than just clothes, it is an ever changing trend in how we present ourselves to the world. That kind of impact can be powerful. The fashion industry has had many negative influences on society. Every day women are told to be different, that they aren’t good enough; images of objectified, malnourished women are on every street, every magazine stand. This alone shows the major impact fashion culture can have on our society. But does the impact of fashion stop here? Can fashion be a product of good? Many people would view feminism and fashion as opposite ends of the spectrum; one side pursuing equality and freedom, the other pursuing fame and vanity. However, the two can go hand in hand.
Fashion is art. It is a form of self-expression through which many people find passion and enjoyment. Fashion is not just an art that we see, it’s an art that we all experience. Fashion gives first impressions, it can reflect who we are, what we love. It can be subtle or eccentric, soft or harsh, formal or relaxed. Fashion is a powerful medium and has been used for many years to make a political or social statement. During the women’s suffrage movement, women would wear green, white, and violet, standing for “Give Women Votes” to support the effort. When women first decided to wear pants or slacks, instead of only dresses, it was a huge milestone for feminism. Similarly, “power dressing” became popular in the 80’s when women would wear slacks and shoulder pads. This trend was meant to equalize the way women were viewed in professional settings by mirroring the male silhouette as sadly, men are often taken more seriously in the workplace.
Although media has also used fashion to enable myths like the beauty ideal, society has taken fashion back into their own hands many times. Fashion is more than what the media has made it. Models such as Tess Holiday and Ashley Graham have been using fashion to promote body positivity. Ruby Rose and Jaden Smith have used fashion to fight gender norms. When society fights against beauty norms put up by the fashion industry, fashion once again becomes a powerful and expressive art form.
It is important for a woman to be able to express herself however she wants; without her ability or intelligence or talent being judged by her clothing, and what society says her clothing says about her simply because she is a woman. Bell Hooks, a well-known feminist activist, discusses the many complications of beauty standards. She talks about how many First Wave and early feminists gladly threw off the binds of certain beauty standards like dresses and bras. These feminists had to live in a time when it was not acceptable for women to wear pants or even consider not wearing a bra. She also stresses that fashion is not irrelevant, simply that women should be allowed to choose how much they participate without judgment. The various stigmas that have been attached to women’s clothing have made it difficult for a woman to both be able to express herself in her own way and to not be judged based simply on her appearance.
Fashion is often dismissed as trivial because it is “feminine” which is often used as another word for “weak.” Even feminists have been guilty of dismissing a woman’s character based on her interests and how she dresses. The stigma that femininity is the same as weakness needs to be lifted. A woman can wear a pink dress and complete a task as sufficiently as any man in a suit could. For example, Hilary Clinton is too often ridiculed for her choice of clothing during her campaigns. Instead of focusing on her platform and abilities, people would comment on her outfits and ridicule her clothing choices as an argument against her campaign as if what she wears has anything to do with her abilities and politics. This constant judgment and dismissal of women based on reinforced gender roles and clothing choices must stop if we are to continue to move forward towards gender equality. Women and men should be able to wear what they want, express themselves however they want, and celebrate beauty and art however they want without judgment, ridicule, or hatred.