Today, I would like to drop a little bit of knowledge into mental spheres. I don't use my angry Black woman voice for my health, if I thought you all understood I would not be writing this. Women are not limited to talking about or wearing solely women’s clothing. Gay men are not the only men who dress up nicely on a regular basis. Non-gay men do not always dress like slobs. Every style falls into a stereotype, which one are you conforming to? This is a set of interviews, this is a loaded topic, and this is a review. Let's scale the tip of the iceberg and explore this overview of how individuals are steered to think. Think of this as a “Clothing and Society: State of the Union”.
After class last week, I drew up some questions about the role of clothing in stereotypes, conformity, and rebellion. I met with several different people of various minority identities and picked their brains so that I could present to you the various different ways there are to think about, write about, be about fashion.
Nice clothes are not just for queers.
“I like to wear colorful clothing and that is associated with homosexual men. People have come up to me and asked if I am gay. However, I dress this way to be perceived as business like.
It’s about conditioning.
“I’ve always been stylish. My family has always been stylish. Dad would dress up just to go to the store. Stereotypically, I’m supposed to be a thug… with baggy jeans, tall tees, but I don’t like that. The way I grew up has directed me to appear in a way different from society projects [for heterosexual Black men].”
Dress (and express yourself otherwise) as you would like to be perceived.
“I want to dress nicely because I have a higher standard. Button ups, slacks, the way that I dress is not a reflection of homosexuality, it’s a reflection of how I want to move up in society.”
Put on their shoes.
“When I dress androgynously I feel like people judge me more now because I have shorter hair, but at the same time, it is more acceptable or me to dress this way than it is for a man do defy the gender norms [through dress]. It’s all about personal style. I love guy’s shoes, the leather dress shoes.”
I’m a – insert identity + preconceived notions about said identity here -
“I do dress feminine, but I do like to mix it up sometimes. I think that people see me as ‘the quirky Asian’. Like on TV, Gilmore girls for example, you have the quirky Asian.”
Why does it matter?
If you identify as a heterosexual male and you are currently wearing gross old sweat pants, a grey hoodie, sporting an awful hairdo or cap, you are conforming to a stereotype too, and there are negative connotations attached to the way you present yourself. Is it a bad thing to be gay? Is it a bad thing to be Black? Is it a bad thing to be female? If not, why do people get so bent out of shape, wary, or confused when individuals choose to break the stereotypes of their various identities and express themselves in the way they feel most comfortable?
2 comments:
Your review raises some important issues. Everyone should dress in a way that they feel comfortable in, rather than describing their style as a certain stereotype. I think everyone is aware of this issue, but its just hard for everyone to come out of this conformity.
Interesting review in a fashion blog...good job!
This is a great review topic for your blog. Although it is not about fashion on a budget I still think this is a great topic to be in any fashion blog. It is a very realistic topic, one that most people do not recognize the truth of. I liked how you added opinions of others as it seems well supported with other opinions and not just yours alone.
Post a Comment