attire
I love watching fire dance around on a newly lit candle. The oblivious energy that bursts and sways around often reminds me of myself. More specifically, the part of myself that is accounted as human and most importantly female. It seems that no matter how radiantly I present myself, I am burning away slowly by the gaze of others.
The amount of labeling and catastrophic harm this patriarchal society has inflicted upon women for the sake of staying in control is still evidently present. Let’s take a look at the workforce as a clear example: “Women should wear business suits or skirt-and-blouse combinations. Women adhering to the business professional dress code can wear slacks, shirts and other formal combinations. Women dressing for a business professional dress code should try to be conservative.” (University of Maryland Eastern Shore) As many of you can tell already, my outfit today is strikingly similar to that requirement. Now, is the Lucy standing up here any less than the Lucy that was wearing a full on fisherman cargo vest because there was a need to layer on Monday? Would I be taken with less respect and novelty if I had stood up here wearing a hot pink balloon dress decorated by silky laces? I think my audience today wouldn’t do that to me, but the outer world would.
As this promptly introduces, women have been and will continue to be given instructions to adhere. The difference that I want to introduce today is that adhering to an instruction is actually a choice to make rather than an indefinite commitment. Taking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez back in 2021 for example, AOC attended one of fashion industry's most renowned events known as the MetGala. Her gown was covered by red letters which wrote “TAX THE RICH” all the way down to the rim. Making this bold political statement, many republicans were enraged by the radical decision. During the midst of this rage of hate, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez took to her social media and wrote out this statement: “I and my body have been so heavily and relentlessly policed from all corners politically since the moment I won my election” she continues, “we all had a conversation about Taxing the Rich in front of the very people who lobby against it, and punctured the 4th wall of excess and spectacle.” (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Instagram) What political statement this individual who identifies as a young woman of color should not be viewed with the deeply rooted prejudices that come with these identifications.
As a young woman of color myself, I have grown to realize that the only way to stop a conversation is to normalize it. At the end of the day, human beings as a collective all fear the concept of the unknown. Each label and bias society has developed is consistently tied to ignorance and general lack of engagement. I currently have a fashion platform on social media in which I document my daily style. Sometimes I will wear the most micro mini mini skirt possible with the biggest biker jacket and sometimes I will look like Adam Sandler but most importantly I want to bring familiarity in the diversity of femininity. Citing Greta Thunberg’s speech video, I encourage all the people who identify as women to choose nonconformity the same way so maybe one day our ideals, virtues and beliefs won’t be burning away just because we chose to wear braids with a hot pink collared shirt.
