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Final Thoughts

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To sum it all up...

This is my last post for this blog. Body Uncomfortable has come to an end and I will gladly soak off my nail tips, wear my good old skinny jeans all weekend and probably eat a cheeseburger. A number of strange things happened during the course of this blog. Firstly , the tone of the blog took on a more ‘feminist’ appeal than I had expected. Secondly, by pushing myself out of my comfort zone in terms of fashion, I grew quite fond of my black ankle boot heels and a couple of the printed dresses. Both of which, I had not expected. I also found that I really do enjoy my food, but that, I had anticipated.

The word feminist has become a bit of a cultural misnomer. It has become something associated with ‘man hating’  and killing patriarchy. It has taken on a sort of hostile nature, which I am sure was not the original intention. I believe in equality. For men and women, in terms of race and in terms of sexual preferences. By no means do I dislike men, I can safely say that I will never burn my bra or form any angry girl bands, but I do believe that there are no binary gender roles. And maybe society is slowly starting to catch on to this. How could there be ? We are a product of such unique and diverse experiences, how could the choices be limited to just two rigid categories?

But those are just my thoughts and beliefs and a couple of exquisitely random anecdotes. Like Socrates said, ‘All I know, is that I know nothing’. We’re all just trying to live our lives and be as happy as we can be with what we’re equipped with. I will try to be less of a wallflower, I will try to absorb every moment and experience things as they are, rather than worrying about a million other factors and I will try to allow social judgement dictate less of my existence. Thanks for bearing with me.

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Food Diary days 6 -10

I will appreciate my food everyday from this day on. Pretty tired of consuming oats every morning and keeping track of every meal.

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Some beautiful illustrations showing great women through history

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Full Spectrum

I found this pearl of wisdom in an article by a woman named Varyanne Sikh, on a site for OSISA, The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, written in 2014. It covers the subject of fashion and feminism, which I think is an important topic. If one considers oneself a feminist but also enjoys the concept of fashion, is one not aligning ones beliefs correctly since fashion has been the source of objectification of women since the dawn of time. Etc. Etc.

But this article is honestly almost comic in it’s descriptions of the perceptions of women with regards to their fashion choices. It describes women who wear mini-skirts and high heels to work as having a reputation of giving sexual favours to achieve their success, as well as mothers who make ‘provocative’ clothing choices as being ostracised. See below:

“Role identity – the core of our identities – lies in the categorisation of the self as an occupant of a particular social position and adopting the meanings and expectations that are associated with the given role and its performance (Stets & Burke, 2000). Although different people may have different meanings and different expectations for the same role identity, we can explore some of the more universally accepted role meanings and expectations for women. Women play roles such as mothers, wives, students and professionals. Role identities are only ever expressed in relation to the society or to other identities. There are fashion choices that are considered appropriate and inappropriate for mothers in the society – respectability and modesty are generally guiding principles for fashion among mothers and wives but there is leniency towards younger women who are allowed to make bolder and more provocative fashion choices for which they are not judged. Such younger women are simply called eccentric personalities. A mother who makes a young girl’s fashion choices is frowned upon in society, gossiped about and ostracised in some cases.

Occupational attributes are also affected by what women choose to wear. These attributes include honesty, professionalism, efficiency, reliability, intelligence and competency (Kwon, 1994). In work places, successful women who wear mini-skirts and high heels generally have a negative reputation and the notion is usually that they gave sexual favours to achieve their success. On the other hand, women at work who wear clothes that are considered decent are associated with positive values and attributes, such as being hard working, focused, honest and trustworthy. With knowledge of social norms and the culture of the society they live in, women’s role identities tend to lean more toward the socially acceptable values even if they are in conflict with their social or personal identities.”

So it has been interesting to investigate the many opinions and stances that exist with regards to feminism and role classification in society. There is a full spectrum of thoughts and beliefs out there.

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Sew what.

One of the reasons that I chose to go in this certain direction for ‘body uncomfortable’ is that I started out with studying fashion after school. I lasted 6 months into the degree before switching to something else. Looking back, it wasn’t a good choice for me in the first place and I had started it purely because I wanted to design. I hated every minute of it. I didn’t fit in with the other girls who were perfectly manicured from head to toe everyday and were well acquainted with a sewing machine. I loved my drawing classes and despised my clothing construction classes which resulted in a rather unfortunate incident surrounding a corset that we had to make. I ended up having to sit right next to the lecturer, sewing machine in toe, so that she could help me to structure some semblance of a garment from the shreds of my first attempt. Mainly, I felt like I was in some 1950’s home economics class and everything felt empty and superficial. So naturally I changed my course to interior design - a degree that delves much much farther below the surface.Wink wink. But the gist of my relation to ultra feminine style is that maybe I equate it with my unenjoyable experience at fashion school, and the type of female that I didn't want to be. Which in itself is a form of stereotyping, and I think that maybe these past nine days have worked in reversing the effects of that feeling.

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I came across this project while doing research for this blog and I thought that it was a pretty inspirational and interesting campaign, aimed at amplifying the success of many ordinary women who may have otherwise been overlooked by society, as well as doing a great job of tackling and questioning gender roles and norms.

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Walk the Line - Tiffany Tuttle Picks Her Androgynous Style Icons

Androgyny

Theres a rise in androgynous fashion at the moment. Tailored pants for girls, brogues, oxfords and blazers, the boyfriend jeans, the white shirt and the tuxedo jacket. There is even a gender neutral department in Selfridges, London.

Finally the tomboyish look is on the rise and comfort and elegance can exist harmoniously.

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THE HISTORY OF THE HIGH HEEL - ORIGINALLY MADE FOR MEN

So initially men wore the ubiquitous high heel, only to later be made intrinsic to the female wardrobe by Catherine de Medici. Thanks Catherine. I have a feeling that Catherine de Medici never had to balance the clutch in gridlock traffic, or negotiate an uneven concrete paving on the way to the printers. She probably never stood in a queue at home affairs or had to get anywhere particularly quickly. Although, that being said, she was seen as the most powerful women in the 16th century, and a massive patron of the arts. She probably took her heels off to run from those angry huguenots. Heels are linked to the concepts of power and status. All through history it is evident that heels signified some sort of hierarchal status and wealth.

Right up until the 19th century. That’s where it all went south and heels started to signify something slightly different. Men enjoyed the way that heels looked in photographs. This persisted all the way through the war years where all the pin-ups and porn stars wore heels. The paradox between the initial nobility that wore heels to express sophistication and power, and the pin-ups that wore them in order to be sexualized by men is interesting to me. What the heel represented was turned on its head, from elite and dominant to weak, controlled, powerless. A tool in the making of objectification.

I think that the idea behind high heels has levelled out today and the high has once again become an indicator of sophistication and class. I think the main issue to consider is to what degree do you want to forego comfort to create an impression. For some people the answer will be ‘whatever it takes’, others may value comfort more. I suppose it all depends on identity and preference.

Today I thought back to when I visited Rome. Almost every woman wore a stylish pair of heels. No matter their age, or mode of transportation. I was fascinated by the fact that many women wore heels to drive their Vespa’s or ride their bicycles. Such grace and elegance. It was like being in a Fellini film. I guess Catherine de Medici’s legacy reigns on.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xput-89ELJo)

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Outfits Day 7 and 8

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Outfit Day 6

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Ramp Vamp

This experience of body uncomfortable has triggered many thoughts and memories. I have received mixed reactions about my aversion to very feminine attire and my preference for clothing that emulates practicality and simplicity. I received a ‘weird girl’ comment today after explaining the fact that I was wearing heels and it was something that made me uncomfortable. Because ‘girl’ is supposed to be synonymous with ‘dress’, I suppose. Look at the international symbols for the restroom. Girl in dress. It’s the identifier.

My experiment with regards to body uncomfortable may seem a bit vapid. You may think ‘how hard is it to flounce around in a dress all day and slap on my make-up and a pair of heels ?’. But the crux of what I am really trying to say is why let something as material and subjective as clothing define your identity or your ability to be thought of as a women. Why am I any less of a girl because I prefer black skinny jeans and brogues ? I don’t know why we let these things dictate as much as they do.

An ex boyfriend of mine once remarked on my chipped nails. I had met him while on my lunch break after helping to merchandise a store and had spent the morning unpacking boxes and shifting furniture around. To him it seemed unacceptable that I had let the appearance of my nails go for the sake of doing some work, because to him a sophisticated girl would not allow this to occur. The same boyfriend dropped such a proliferation of hints about me wearing heels and ‘dressing up’ a little more that I chose a rather daringly high pair of heels for my graduation dinner. I paired the heels with a pencil skirt. I would like to say that I pulled off the look gracefully and that I exuded elegance and femininity. In reality, the garments were chosen more out of spite, a sort of ‘Well this is what you wanted, wasn’t it?’. All I will say is that the entrance to the function venue consisted of a somewhat slippery metal ramp with very little grip, and I made my entrance not unlike a newly born calf tottering its first few steps crossed with a pirate who had in fact, consumed all the rum. By the end of the night I had abandoned my shoes and gone au naturale in the foot department.

So I have come to understand that my identity does not require heavy make-up, it exists perfectly well without pencil skirts and lip stain, and generally the day feels a lot better with a bit of chocolate and maybe a glass of wine, regardless of the calories that these may contain.

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I thought this was a pretty appropriate poem to communicate the way that many women seem to feel about food. Dramatic, but some points are valid. Lily Myers - "Shrinking Women" (CUPSI 2013)

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This sums up the way I’ve felt all week. Up and Out - A surreal take on the age-old dilemma of what to wear

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Just a number

Today something struck me. It was more of a personal observation than something related to the external world. At the end of 2013, after two years in the working world after completing a degree, I made the decision to study for a second time. The world of interior and retail design wasn’t really something that I wanted to explore any further. I had accidentally found myself working in the art world, but I was pushing paper and selling the stories of many other artists to potential buyers when I realised that I would much rather create my own work in some small facet of the design world and tell those stories. But I had to learn from the beginning. From the real basics. And that meant three full years of full-time study, foregoing my (meagre) salary and the loss of my newly discovered independence. Which means that I am a 25 year old second year student. When I relay this information to people that I meet for the first time, they’re often quite surprised. “Why did you go and do that?” is the general reaction. And honestly, that same thought has crossed my mind once or twice in the last two years, when a friend gets a promotion or invests in some type of  sensible property. But I love what I do and what I am learning to do, and this makes it all worth it.

But what I realised is that somehow I associate heels and dresses and full-on make-up with the more corporate world, the world where I worked for a short time and while wearing these garments I start to become more aware of my age, and not only that, but the disparity between my age and that of the others that study with me. And this gives me a feeling of isolation almost, which I am sure exists and has been created purely within my mind. And it is becoming strangely apparent to me that I do not want to be 25. I would much rather pretend that I am just barely 21. It’s funny how group dynamics work, without even thinking about it I have begun to play the part of the student again. The concept of myself and my corresponding wardrobe from two years ago seems almost foreign to me. It seems it’s the ‘wallflower at the orgy’ scenario all over again.