Who'd have believed it? I'm back again! Can you guess that I have been off work today?!
Hypocrisy, that's what I'm coming to terms with...the hypocrisy of self. Now most people develop an awareness of this contradiction at an early age, but I have always been a little slow.
So where do I start?
I am a feminist; in principle, ideals, opinions and views. Idealistically, I am a real ball-breaker. I realise this makes me somewhat unfashionable in today's world, but I have never really, truly followed fashion and here is where the underlying hypocrisy begins...because I covert satin. Well satin, lace, bengaline, cotton, mixed fibres, bones and ribbons and all manner of pretty, impractical apparel.
Confessional time: I am a retro clothes addict.
This may seem like a minor confession and I can justify and qualify my clothes of choice.
I could claim that, like Gloria Steinem, I have inverted and subverted the perceived cultural assumptions around gender and stereotypes.
Possibly there is just a little of that. While people are commenting on my bizarre choice of a 1940s military suit for a meeting with the Dean, they aren't commenting on the size of my tits.
I could claim that, as I find the hegemony of feminism within the Capitalist system repugnant, I am making a political, visual stand against the consumption and corruption of feminism into a controlled, sexualised fashion trend and therefore pre-dating the 1960s and the corruption of my ideals which the era heralded.
Possibly there is also more than a little truth in that...I do find the whole, 'ah, we'll give you the pill, just roll naked in mud and we'll film you, roll it out for men sitting on settees and call it liberation'...actually there is a lot of truth in that.
There is also the very real, and uncomfortable fact that, yes I am 'traditionally shaped' and modern styled clothes do not fit boobs in. Well they do if you want to:
a) wear a kaftan
b) wear tops stretched so tight that you look like Katie Price
c) accessorise with Ugg boots
I really do not want to do any of the above and so wear retro clothes, because they are made for boobs, a waist and hips i.e. the female form - and I have boobs, a waist and hips. I like to be comfortable and when modern clothes slide down to my hips and bag around the bottom, and pull across the chest and hang off my shoulders, I am not comfortable. For years I hid in jeans, because jeans used to be made to fit a female body...and if they were too big, well a good Sam Brown belt did the trick. But not any more, now they are shaped for pencils, or sea cucumbers, I am unsure which. (Unless you buy a good pair of Freddies of Pinewood jeans that is!)
So, is this a great hypocrisy, to be a feminist and admit to being female? Can we really hold feminist principles while secretly (and not so secretly) coveting What Katie Did lingerie?
And I suppose that is my point, I have, for years claimed many intellectualised and theorised reasons for my wardrobe choice, while never admitting to myself that I actually also wear these clothes because I like pretty things.
This new epiphany, this moment of realisation has been something I have been in denial about for too long...I am a retro clothes and retro lingerie wearing feminist! And that's an okay thing to be...see growing and accepting.
Hence, and acceptance of, the link below:
http://www.whatkatiedid.com/
Hypocrisy, that's what I'm coming to terms with...the hypocrisy of self. Now most people develop an awareness of this contradiction at an early age, but I have always been a little slow.
So where do I start?
I am a feminist; in principle, ideals, opinions and views. Idealistically, I am a real ball-breaker. I realise this makes me somewhat unfashionable in today's world, but I have never really, truly followed fashion and here is where the underlying hypocrisy begins...because I covert satin. Well satin, lace, bengaline, cotton, mixed fibres, bones and ribbons and all manner of pretty, impractical apparel.
Confessional time: I am a retro clothes addict.
This may seem like a minor confession and I can justify and qualify my clothes of choice.
I could claim that, like Gloria Steinem, I have inverted and subverted the perceived cultural assumptions around gender and stereotypes.
Possibly there is just a little of that. While people are commenting on my bizarre choice of a 1940s military suit for a meeting with the Dean, they aren't commenting on the size of my tits.
I could claim that, as I find the hegemony of feminism within the Capitalist system repugnant, I am making a political, visual stand against the consumption and corruption of feminism into a controlled, sexualised fashion trend and therefore pre-dating the 1960s and the corruption of my ideals which the era heralded.
Possibly there is also more than a little truth in that...I do find the whole, 'ah, we'll give you the pill, just roll naked in mud and we'll film you, roll it out for men sitting on settees and call it liberation'...actually there is a lot of truth in that.
There is also the very real, and uncomfortable fact that, yes I am 'traditionally shaped' and modern styled clothes do not fit boobs in. Well they do if you want to:
a) wear a kaftan
b) wear tops stretched so tight that you look like Katie Price
c) accessorise with Ugg boots
I really do not want to do any of the above and so wear retro clothes, because they are made for boobs, a waist and hips i.e. the female form - and I have boobs, a waist and hips. I like to be comfortable and when modern clothes slide down to my hips and bag around the bottom, and pull across the chest and hang off my shoulders, I am not comfortable. For years I hid in jeans, because jeans used to be made to fit a female body...and if they were too big, well a good Sam Brown belt did the trick. But not any more, now they are shaped for pencils, or sea cucumbers, I am unsure which. (Unless you buy a good pair of Freddies of Pinewood jeans that is!)
So, is this a great hypocrisy, to be a feminist and admit to being female? Can we really hold feminist principles while secretly (and not so secretly) coveting What Katie Did lingerie?
And I suppose that is my point, I have, for years claimed many intellectualised and theorised reasons for my wardrobe choice, while never admitting to myself that I actually also wear these clothes because I like pretty things.
This new epiphany, this moment of realisation has been something I have been in denial about for too long...I am a retro clothes and retro lingerie wearing feminist! And that's an okay thing to be...see growing and accepting.
Hence, and acceptance of, the link below:
http://www.whatkatiedid.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment