I have been thinking a lot about feminism and dressing vintage and have had some trouble writing it down. It either turned out too harsh or too fuzzy, but lucky me; Gemma at Retrochick ha now written this excellent post about it! She basically sums up what I wanted to say, so I hope you will forgive my lack of originality and just gives you a few quotes. Do read the whole of her post, though!
”I find this construction of identity as both feminine and feminist really interesting. I have come across people on my travels that for some reason think returning to an age when Women weren’t expected to worry their pretty little heads about complicated things like Politics would be a wonderful thing, but on the whole the “vintage” ladies I’ve met have been some of the most independent, forthright and modern girls I’ve ever come across.”
I have met those people too in certain contexts as well. Mostly male and men that have looked at me and assumed that the way I look also means that I would rather let The Man take charge of my life. Usually those conversation starts with “I love it that you dress like a woman.”
”We pick and chose our role models, not looking to return to a previous time in history, but take those bits from it that we feel appeal to us, suit our bodies and our lifestyles. We might want to lose a few pounds or tone up, but on the whole “vintage” women blame the clothes, not their bodies.”
I find clothe sizes a bit of a joke, really. I think we all would do ourselves a favour if we stopped thinking of each other as having a certain size. Depending on garment and material I can buy clothes in four different sizes? What is my true size? And it’s a bit of a joke when you need a larger size and you realize that the designer has no clue whatsoever how to make clothes for a woman who doesn’t look like a model.
”A feminist doesn’t have to look a certain way. Surely that’s the whole point of feminism./…/ I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to be beautiful, it’s wanting to be beautiful on someone elses terms that’s the problem.”
Yes, yes, yes. And yes again.
More related posts
The Style High Club.
Lost In the 50’s.
(Picture sources: http://www.stylishandtrendy.com/fashion/womens-fashion/why-old-women-still-prefer-stockings/
http://www.lafemmemagazine.com/new_page_35.htm)
