The feminism in the clothes

                                                           (photo of beautiful card created by Rachel Fenton)

There has been a lot of discussion around the blogosphere about how feminists represent their views in the way they dress. Although no one invited me to participate, as I am not much of a fashion or feminist blogger (just a little bit of both, I guess), I am very interested in the topic and I did follow it closely, and I have been pondering over my own response.

I do enjoy what is considered feminine clothing, like dresses and skirts, lace, embroidery and flowery prints. However, I always wear loose, flowy clothes. If some article of clothing makes me feel self-conscious or requires too much of my attention (like too low pants or too deep cleavage), they are not for me. I value my freedom of movement. I value clothes that feel soft and comfortable and do not restrict my body or my spirit. This is my perspective on feminist clothing. If it is restrictive in any way, it has to go. I do not see clothes as only utilitarian, I do appreciate their aesthetic value, but I do not embrace their socially acceptable (punitive?) transformative value. I do not want to "celebrate my feminine shapes" by trying to look slimmer, taller, more hourglasslike. I would rather not wear stilettos and body-shaping undergarments (although I will not throw away the bra). If some piece of clothing hurts in any way, it is not worth it. Life is painful enough as it is, and there are many other things that are worth suffering for. Clothing is not among those things. In Romania there is a saying that you have to suffer for beauty. I disagree. It is not beauty, if it hurts. It is just a manufactured idea of beauty. We are natural beings. Beautiful enough.

I have also realized that I have been rejecting my attraction to pink, because, you know, it is such a "girly color." Which it is. I know there have been studies done on the subject, but I have also been following my daughter's tastes in clothing and colors and I can tell that is it not a learned behavior, it is innate. She just likes pink. And I think I like it too. I think I should not feel embarrassed about it anymore. It will be a feminist statement, like it's been for women's groups all over the world, like the Pink Gang in India and the Code Pink in the U.S.

A third aspect of clothing that means a lot to me is the fabric -- it has to be natural. My most favorite fabric is linen. I like the irregular look of it, the feel, the wrinkles. Everything about it. But if it is not linen, it has to be cotton, wool or silk. Polyester makes me sick. I cannot touch it, I don't want to see it, I cannot have it in my house. I know there are advantages of synthetic fibers, like ease of cleaning and durability, but they are not worth it. They feel horribly on your skin and they take a big toll on the environment. I think we should try to get closer to nature, to our nature, as much as we can, and this is a concern that women share, more than men. Not to mention that women, the most vulnerable of the world's poor, are more seriously affected by climate changes and environmental toxicity.

Many other bloggers have shared how their clothes represent their feminist views, and I enjoyed the elegance with which they tried to demonstrate that there is no feminist uniform and that we each interpret our clothes and political views differently. Our clothes speak our message, although in different ways, and the important thing is that a lot is being said.