MONDAY MUGSHOT #15

Something that annoys me is the pigeon holing of Feminists.  It seems to me that a lot of people are confused by the concept of Feminism and struggle to visualise anything but a man hating, sensible shoe wearing, make up free lesbian ("who's only a lesbian because she's so ugly that no man wants her") when they hear the word.  In this day and age, that genuinely ridiculous.  Just because a woman wears high heels, or likes to wear mascara, that does not make her a bimbo.

I'd say, in all honesty, that most fashion conscious women nowadays dress for other women and themselves (in that order - because it's just not the same when you compliment your own shoes.) - fewer and fewer are dressing "for men".  This (generational) change was evident in a ridiculous conversation I had yesterday with my mum about wedges - a footwear style that she utterly despises.  "They're not attractive" she said.  "They're not sexy.  They won't attract a man.  Why would you wear something so uncomfortable unless it was to attract a man?".  I nearly blew a fuse.

Some things I should probably mention are that a.) while she likes to look groomed and put together, my mother has not the slightest interest in fashion, b.) she comes from a generation of young women who were still expected to wear skirts to work and c.) she hates personal comments, whether they be insulting or complimentary.  So my explanations of "women dressing for themselves", let alone "dressing for other women" ("I get a bit of a glow if another girl compliments something I'm wearing." "But WHY?" "BECAUSE I'M DEEPLY SYCOPHANTIC MOTHER.") fell on perplexed ears.  We gave up after I attempted to explain how exciting buying shoes can be and she looked at me like I'd hit every branch on the stupid tree before plunging into the Lake of Bimbo.

Yes, fashion is shallow.  Yes, there are far, far more important things going on in the world.  But there's nothing wrong with a woman liking high heels and make up.  In the same way, there's nothing wrong with a woman with no interest in those things.  Feminism is about equality and being in control of your own life, being able to choose what you as a woman want - from votes, to clothes, to jobs, to baby making - and not being judged for it.  Clothes are just a part of that and people can argue as much as they want about it, but I think that fashion can actually, sometimes, be quite indicative of how far feminism has come.