but what shall I wear?

I find it impossible to ignore fashion when blogging. I tried for a very long time to keep my posts to a more media based focus and eventually talked myself in to allowing myself to post about designers and looks I adore. I think that because fashion is the most prevalent thing in our society- Everyone wears clothes, it makes complete sense the amount of fashion blogs. What I enjoy most about fashion Blogs is the participation allowed by the public- uploading personal outfits. I am almost sure that designers- surf blogs of everyday girls to inspire their next couture collection.

slutty skirts.

The deliberation over women’s dress: provocative or empowering. It is a timeless debate. No matter what the case, what a woman wears is representative of her as an individual and as part her culture. In the case of `national culture’ for Tanzanians consumption of `Western’ fashion becomes part of this issue. Operation Vijana deals with just the consumption of objects signs and images originating from Western mass culture industries. The mini skirt in particular being a very controversial topic. The mini skirt raises politics of urban space and constructions of gender and the city. The mobility of the mini skirt allows for women to work easier whilst representing the city. It represented opportunity and threatened men by raising the bargaining position of women in the town

The sexualisation of the miniskirt is essential when discussing the men’s issues with the dress. Young men felt they were especially at loss in the issue of politics concerning Operation Vijana. They felt they were at a strong economic disadvantage to the `sugar’ daddies that the young women had relationships with because of the girl’s access. A woman her looking sexy will always be associated with prostitution, and will be assumed to gaining access to men and there money through sex. Is it valid to associate exposing skin with gaining power and to go as far as immediately linking it to prostitution? I am personally a believer of `returning the gaze’. I believe a woman looking sexy and gaining power and confidence as a result of this gaze is perfectly acceptable. I believe there are boundaries within each individual’s morals of what one will wear or how much to expose, as long as one is happy with what they gain through such means. Returning the gaze is a powerful tool that does nothing but help the advancement of any marginalized group.

femininity and dress.

Reading female masculinities in the 1920s can not be looked at without discussing Radclyffe Hall. Hall was a lesbian and famous for her relationships and writings. The Well of Loneliness was her best known novel that features the life of Stephen Gordon a masculine lesbian who resembles Hall in many ways. In regards to the article, Hall’s appearance was a constant source of comment throughout her whole life. Her “sexual cross dressing” evoked a lot of controversy as far as dress and the implied meanings of that dress.Is it possible to dress completely masculine, and keep short hair, short nails etc. without being labelled a lesbian? In the 1920s the article states, boyishness as fashion meant passing neither as a boy nor as a lesbian and that we have to be careful in reading “masculine” as lesbian. There was a constant need to label one another during that time. Women who smoked and drank ‘like men’ called each other bi-sexual or sexless names such as, Bobbie, Jackie, Jo. Hall was exciting and brave to women and the Modern Girl was tempted to experiment herself.Hall created a style in affect by making her lesbianism more visible. Sexual ambiguity was broken down and the link between clothing and sexual identity was firmly established. A point of interest to me is the visual similarity found in Hall and Coco Chanel. Below is Radclyffe Hall, an established lesbian. Beside her, Coco Chanel, a straight woman. Both these women are fashion icons, one for masculine style the other for masculine design, yet very hard to differentiate which one is the lesbian.Sources: Doan, Laura. “Passing Fashions: Reading Female Masculinities in the 1920s.” Feminist Studies. (1998): 663-700.Wilson, Elizabeth. “A Note on Glamour.” Fashion Theory. 11.1. (2007): 95-108.11.

dance magic dance.

helena: "if I tell you something weird will you think I am crazy?"

valentine: "yes, I'd expect so" -mirrormask. 

If you know me, you still may not know this... I am utterly obsessed with all things fantasy and young girls in revolt. The combination of the two. Young heroines and their temptations of men and the unknown. The following is a comparison piece I wrote on MirrorMask, The Labyrinth and The Company of Wolves. If you have not heard of these films then I highly suggest if you have any childlike interest in stories of fantasy and adolescence to check them out. read more below:

young girls journey into adolescence...

photo credit: paper_wings(butterfly)flickr