FASHION AND FEMINISM FIGURE 1. (Patrick D. McCormick, 2006)
Fashion Culture & Society - AD5603 Exploring the role of fashion with regards to how women are perceievd in the public eye Freya Davidson
CONTENTS ABSTRACT. PAGE 5 INTRODUCTION. 6-10 DISCUSSION WITH THE SPOTLIGHT. 11-19 FEMINISM IN THE SPOTLIGHT. 20-23 CONCLUSION. 24-26 REFERENCES. 27-28 IMAGE REFERENCES. PAGE 29
Fashion and Feminism Exploring the role of fashion with regards to how women are perceieved in the public eye.
Gender inequality is a topic of discussion of which has existed for centuries, Yet, this issue still remains present in today’s society. Why? because there is a lack of desire to create change or educate those of us who obliviously ‘brush it under the carpet’. To commence the introduction of my investigation into fashion and feminism, I will explore the role of fashion with regards to how women are perceived in the present day, particularly zooming in on the pressure of which women face, to meet certain standards in everyday life. With regards to the preposterous expectations placed on women, I intend to look into various aspects including body image, rules and standards, the ongoing issues surrounding violence against women and girls etc. With reference to the points made above, I aim to explore the role fashion plays further within. For example, when looking at rules and standards, we can see that women often avoid wearing revealing clothing such as skirts or mini tops merely due to the fact that we have had it ingrained in us that ‘in school you must not wear short skirts because it will encourage men to behave inappropriately’.
Introduction.
To begin with, Feminism is defined as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.” Throughout the history of feminism, women have used fashion as a tool to both highlight gender inequality and define for themselves what it means to be a woman. As a result, fashion has become heavily influenced by this movement.
showing skin
sexual assault National Women’s Equality Day “girly”
exaggerated femininity.
breaking away from centuries of ideals FIGURE 2. (ALI WEBB, 2020)
STANDARDS
FEAR
BLAME
Furthering the discussion of the pressures placed on women, I researched and delved deeper within, looking into magazine articles of which place great importance on this topic. From looking at these articles, I became intrigued by the words/terms that are used when discussing the expectations and standards of women, on account of the idea that certain words/terms such as equality, showing skin, ‘girly’, exaggerated femininity should not exist due to the fact that it is degrading the women of today’s society. My reasoning for paying particular attention to the language used when discussing the topic of women and how the language instantly changes to critical thinking of how women choose to live their lives. For example, showing skin still remains to be looked down upon as it is deemed inappropriate, despite the fact that it is acceptable for a man to walk around with no shirt on or have no fear of being attacked. This topic bounces back to the idea of male dominance yet again, in how men are supposed to be the stereotypically strong individuals whereas women remain as the individuals whom have now reached the point to where they fear men.
ACCEPTANCE
“Don’t be too fat. Don’t be too thin. Eat up. Slim down. Stop eating so much. Don’t eat too fast. Order a salad. Don’t eat carbs. You need to lose weight. Go on a diet. God, you look like a skeleton. Why don’t you just eat? You look sick. Eat a burger. Men like women with some meat on their bones. Be light. Be little. Be petite. Be feminine.” “You’ll make a good wife someday. Take his last name. You hyphenated your name? Crazy feminist. Give him children. You don’t want children? You will someday. You’ll change your mind.”
DOMINANCE
The list of the unimaginable pressures placed on women’s shoulders today is endless. Yes, the gender inequality gap has always remained evident within society, but it seems to be that the societal pressure on women in the present day has either changed its course or exacerbated. When it comes to bodies and appearances, women are sexualised. A lot of people refer to them as an object and treat them like one. Social media makes the negative effect on women even bigger as there are too many opinions on what a woman’s body should look like, and they are often controversial, which makes females think, that the only important thing about them is their appearance and without a “perfect body” they aren’t worth much. Because of that many women and young girls overwork themselves during work out sessions and go on dangerous diets, damaging both their physical and mental health.
FIGURE 3. (ROBERT OLSSON PHOTOGRAPHY)
FIGURE 4. (A Denim Story: Inspirations from Bellbottoms to Boyfriends, Rizzoli)
To further the topic of discussion within fashion and feminism, I will further discuss and zoom in on the pressures faced by women in the public eye, looking at influential figures in the entertainment industry and examining the negative aspects of their careers, my reason being for this is due to the fact that female public figures are often placed on a pedestal regardless of how good their intentions may be.
FIGURE 6
This publicity pressure, which often falls specifically to female artists, is a notable obstacle. “Everyone is a shiny new toy for, like, two years. The female artists have reinvented themselves 20 times more than the male artists. They have to or else you’re out of a job. Constantly having to reinvent, constantly finding new facets of yourself that people find to be shiny.” These are pressures and objectifications that male stars such as Drake or Justin Bieber don’t face to the same extent – there’s no ticking clock reminding them to switch up their look every album cycle (save for maybe a new hairstyle) for fear of audiences losing interest. Ed Sheeran has been putting out hits for 10 years and we’ve rarely, if ever, seen him perform in anything other than a t-shirt, hoodie or flannel. This objectification, the idea that women’s bodies are made up of parts to be scrutinized, leads to a viscous cycle of comparisons against our culture’s standards of beauty, which are often “young, thin, white, blonde,” Gillen says. The cycle pushes women’s images and bodies to the forefront of conversation, whether or not they’ve invited it. Consider Lizzo, who has spoken out against comments suggesting her weight is synonymous with being unhealthy. Not only has research disproven this, but when the singer started sharing healthy lifestyle videos on TikTok, it still wasn’t enough to shut down critics. Khloe Kardashian opened up about how years of comments calling her the “fat” and “ugly” sister in her family led to her hyper-sensitivity about how she represents her image to the world.
FIGURE 5. (FASHION IN PICTURES, 2012)
FIGURE 4. (A Denim Story: Inspirations from Bellbottoms to Boyfriends, Rizzoli)
DISCUSSION WITH
THE
SPOTLIGHT
“It’s All About What Makes You Feel Good” When a woman decides to change her appearance, it suddenly becomes a revelation, however, when a woman in the public eye is to change up her appearance or behaviour, it becomes the most topical discussion globally and that is not always a good thing. Fans, followers, and haters of star Billie Eilish are used to seeing her dress in baggy clothes that conceal her body. It’s been a sticking point throughout her albeit short career: celebrated for her body positivity but demonized when she wears anything remotely revealing. In fact, back in October, photos of her wearing a snug-fitting vest caused outrage, similar to that one time she was dragged for wearing a tank top during her 2019 tour. “Don’t make me not a role model because you’re turned on by me,” she said, also citing her body as the reason she was “depressed” when she was a kid.
The representation of female celebrities has reached a new level. Nevertheless, Billie Eilish could potentially be paving the way for a more educated and aware society. Eilish is making a point of how one should be able to dress as they choose based on how she has chosen to disregard the ‘baggy’ stereotype of herself and instead dress to express her feminine self. ‘She was a minor who wanted to cover up before. She didn’t want to be judged and sexualized as a child.’ ‘She isn’t a puppet and never has been and she doesn’t exist in any box…A 19-year-old wearing tight clothes isn’t a scandal unless you hate women.’
FIGURE 7. (Billie Eilish on the June 2021 cover of British Vogue. CRAIG MCDEAN)
FIGURE 7
Of course, Billie’s cover is meant to subvert the sexualisation that comes with showing skin. ‘Suddenly you’re a hypocrite if you want to show your skin, and you’re easy and you’re a slut and you’re a whore. If I am, then I’m proud,’ she explains. ‘Let’s turn it around and be empowered in that. Showing your body and showing your skin – or not – should not take any respect away from you.’ She talks about understanding the controversy of corsets, all the while admitting she chose it because she hates her stomach. In the past, she’s talked about wearing baggy clothes so nobody can judge what her body looks like, but admits in this interview that style of clothing left her feeling ‘undesired’. It’s clear, reading her words, that she’s a lot more evolved than many of us were at her age when it comes to navigating sexism and body-shaming. But it’s also clear that she’s just a teenage girl, figuring it all out. Billie wants to make a point, sure, but she’s also just a 19-year-old trying to negotiate desire, femininity, and womanhood on a hugely public stage. Knowing the incredibly protective family she has around her, perhaps for now that’s all it needs to be.
FIGURE 7
Navigating the industry at the young age of 20 has challenged but also pushed Billie Eilish to this point, it has inspired her to speak out due to the emotional trauma she endured in high school. Within this topic of discussion, I believe that Billie could change the face of the industry and use her platform to bring light to the difficulties women in the public eye face. Eilish is a classic example of how women in the public eye are scrutinized and hated upon as a result of independent choices they make regarding their own life, “I can’t win. I cannot win.”
“People tried to say that I didn’t have a runway body”
“It was a body that I loved. I knew how hard I worked to have those muscles, to be curved in those places – I kind of miss it now. At the time, people were hard on me and tried to say that I didn’t have a runway body.”
FIGURE 8. (GIGI HADID PHOTOGRAPHED BY JAMIE HAWKESWORTH)
When an individual in the public eye receives hate or scrutiny for how they choose to live their life, it involves various aspects of that person’s life including lifestyle choices, behaviours, body image etc. And it is to an extreme level. In spite of this, we are starting to see more and more women in the spotlight opening up about the negative aspects of their careers and one of the most tangible issues of which is discussed is body image. Critical views of one’s own body has always been associated with social media. Why? Because the human mind is wired to negativity, we find ourselves scrolling for hours on end on social media subconsciously looking for someone we can compare ourself to. human nature or not, we are recognizing that comparison is the thief of joy. “The pandemic has really shown us how powerful and useful social media can be when used right.” With reference to this discussion, it is important to also take note of why we, as the general public place unnecessary pressure on social media influencers and celebrities that we follow, to look a certain way or to refrain from posting pictures of their supermodel bodies in bikinis on Instagram, just so that we don’t have to place that pressure on ourselves to look like them. It’s a vicious cycle.
FIGURE 8
Female social media influencers in particular are often subjected to unnecessary judgement regarding their body image and weight transformation more than men are, this is because of the history of the female dress and how women’s clothes have always been particularly revealing. ‘Historically, a woman’s body was her best survival tool in a world primarily dominated by men.’ expectations about a woman’s size and physical characteristics were dictated “by male desire and marriageability.” Historically, bodies closer in appearance to ideal bodies gave some women power. For example, in Victorian England, women used corsets and crinolines to physically mould their bodies into ideal hourglass shapes, enabling some women to accrue social power and successfully attract a husband, wearing a corset was necessary in order to be beautiful. The prolonged history of women’s fashion and the gender gap has today, developed body image issues for the women of the present day society. Women in the modelling industry in particular receive adequate scrutiny as it stands for either being a pound too heavy or being too curvy or muscular, resulting in women feeling as though they are not good enough or that they don’t meet the ‘idea of perfection.’ FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
From the outside, at least, it would seem that Gigi Hadid is living the dream. But, like most twenty-something millennials, Gigi admits to being wracked with the sort of anxiety that most millennials feel, faced with the pressure to make resounding success of life. However, unlike us mere mortals, who can brush off gossip about a new romance or a change in weight among friends and family, Gigi’s are publicised, profited from and talked about on social media and in publications across the world. With media scrutiny over her weight, it’s surprising Gigi hasn’t broken under the pressure. ‘My Mum [model Yolanda Foster] always said to develop how I thought about myself before I went into an industry where the whole world was going to judge me. You have to come back to yourself and be proud of yourself without anyone else’s approval,’
“I never listened to anyone else’s diet or workout routine growing up and that’s important to just do what’s good for you.” GIGI HADID
Feminism in the spotlight Harry Styles is making a statement that people should be able to wear whatever they wish, without having to fear what others think of them or having to state and show their sexual orientation through clothing. Harry teaches us that life is too short for criticizing a person’s choices and personal information without even knowing them, just by their fashion sense, and we thank him for that.
FIGURE 9. (Karagiannis, 2020)
FIGURE 9 Feminism does not mean that you have to be a woman to understand or to fight for equality, there has always been a dispute that men can’t possibly understand or be a feminist because they don’t understand what it’s like to be treated differently because of their gender, and that is true to a certain extent. However, some men side with feminism because they don’t want to be associated with toxic masculinity, take Harry Styles for example, A person having this much influence is crucial. That conveys the right message to the world, and in that case, Harry is making all the right moves. We all knew from the beginning that Harry Styles was in for significant social change. In the world of 2020, his personal style with influence from past decades as well as him incorporating personal touches of feminine elements such as painted nails, pearls, skirts, and collars, reflects how confident men should be expressing their fashion sense without having to be judged for not being “manly” enough, and not meeting the toxic gender standards that society pushes both men and women to follow.
FIGURE 9
‘I can’t claim that I know what it’s like, because I don’t. So I’m not trying to say, “I understand what it’s like.” I’m just trying to make people feel included and seen.’ As far as influence goes within the entertainment industry, Styles could potentially be seen as the best possible influence and the one most likely to create change within the realms of how women are perceived and treated. Furthermore, Harry Styles having a platform means that he can be the voice of a generation that is misunderstood and is unable to speak for themselves, he can speak on behalf of women. Through his personal choices, Styles is already starting to make a difference within the industry, similar to Billie Eilish, he has chosen to disregard the stereotype of how he should dress and replace it with what he feels comfortable in, whilst also supporting feminism.
FIGURE 4
CONCLUSION. To conclude, fashion in the present day has the ability to create change for wider social issues. For instance, on the topic of feminism, Maria Grazia Chiuri emblazoned her debut 2016 collection with feminist slogans, most notably Chimamanda Adichie’s ‘We Should All Be Feminists’. Of course, it’s not just designers themselves portraying political messages through clothing, so we’re taking International Women’s Day to reflect on how fashion has been side by side with the feminist movement, and how clothing helped fuel change.
Contemporary fashion is defined as conforming to modern or current ideas in style, fashion, design etc. However, it seems as though this idea of modern day fashion is not helping the present day issues that exist within the realms of women in the public eye, fashion today is serving its purpose of enabling a woman to feel feminine and comfortable in their own skin through the designs of clothes that highlight the natural shape of the body. However, this approach to fashion design is also provoking body image issues and preposterous standards of which one is expected to conform to, this refers to dress codes and rules of what one should wear. Nevertheless, fashion is not to blame for the way women in the spotlight are treated, it is more of a discussion of educating those who can’t comprehend that crop tops do not mean that a woman is looking for attention or that they can’t wear something because they don’t look good in it. My idea to explore women in the public eye is a result of the influence they can emit from using their voice and their platform to stand up to what is the true definition of feminism.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
REFERENCES Cara Drake. (2018, April 30). A History Of Feminist Fashion. FashionDesignAcademy. Retrieved from https://www.fashiondesignacademy.co.uk/blog/a-history-of-feminist-fashion Grace McGettigan. (2020, February 24). WATCH: this must-see video shows just how much pressure women are under every day. IMAGE. Retrieved from https://www.image.ie/editorial/video-society-pressure-women-180918 The Societal Pressure For Modern Day Women. (n.d.). Sincerely Essie. Retrieved from https://sincerelyessie.co.uk/2020/09/06/modern-women-pressures/ LAURA SNAPES. (2021, May 2). “It’s All About What Makes You Feel Good”: Billie Eilish On New Music, Power Dynamics, And Her Internet-Breaking Transformation. VOGUE. Retrieved from https://www.vogue. co.uk/news/article/billie-eilish-vogue-interview Hannah Yasharoff. (2021, May 11). Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, and the pressure – and shaming – of celebrity women changing their image. USATODAYENTERTAINMENT. Retrieved from https://eu.usatoday. com/in-depth/entertainment/celebrities/2021/05/11/billie-eilish-taylor-swift-lizzo-female-starsface-pressure-shame/5020309001/ TARA C. MAHADEVAN. (2021, May 2). Billie Eilish on Body Image and Style Transformation: “My Thing is That I Can Do Whatever I Want”. COMPLEX. Retrieved from https://www.complex.com/music/billie-eilish-discusses-body-image-style-transformation GEORGIA ASPINALL. (2021, May 4). Can’t Decide How To Feel About Billie Eilish’s New Look? You’re Not Alone. GRAZIA. Retrieved from https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/billie-eilish-vogue-photos-lingerie-sexuality/ Jacob Stolworthy. (2020, April 12). Billie Eilish hits out at fans who criticise what she wears on Instagram: ‘I can’t win’. INDEPENDENT. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/billie-eilish-instagram-bodyshaming-bikini-photo-criticism-bad-guy-a9461331.html
Jack Sunnucks. (2020, February 19). Gigi Hadid: “People tried to say that I didn’t have a runway body”. i-D VICE. Retrieved from https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/qjdzkm/gigi-hadid-i-d-cover-story-jamie-hawkesworth-olivier-rizzo TISH WEINSTOCK. (2021, March 21). Why Can’t I Stop Comparing Myself To Other People On Instagram?. VOGUE. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/how-to-stop-instagram-comparisons Nealie Tan Ngo. (2019, October). What Historical Ideals of Women’s Shapes Teach Us About Women’s Self-Perception and Body Decisions Today. AMA Journal of Ethics. Retrieved from https:// journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/what-historical-ideals-womens-shapes-teach-us-about-womens-self-perception-and-body-decisions-today/2019-10 KATIE O’MALLEY. (2016, December 30). When ELLE Met Gigi Hadid: ‘At The End Of The Day, I’m Choosing What I’m Showing You’. ELLE. Retrieved from https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/culture/ longform/a33166/gigi-hadid-elle-interview-reebok/ Elena Karagiannis. (2021, May 1). Harry Styles Defeating Toxic Masculinity And Leaving His Stigma In The Fashion Industry. L’OFFICIEL. Retrieved from https://www.lofficiel.cy/people/harry-styles-defeating-toxic-masculinity-and-leaving-his-stigma-in-the-fashion-industry BONNIE MCLAREN. (2019, August 27). Harry Styles Labels Himself As A Feminist (In The Best Way Possible). Grazia. Retrieved from https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/harry-styles-rolling-stone-feminist/ SAM PENNINGTON. (2021, March 8). FEMINIST FASHION: HOW CLOTHES HELPED FUEL A MOVEMENT. YUGEN. Retrieved from https://www.weareyugen.com/blogs/stories/feminist-fashion contemporary fashion definition, contemporary fashion meaning. (n.d.). ReversoDictionary. Retrieved from https://mobile-dictionary.reverso.net/en/english-definition/contemporary+fashion
IMAGE REFERENCES FIGURE 1. (Patrick D. McCormick, 2006) https://www.deviantart.com/vuhwex/art/TV-Take-1-35582968 FIGURE 2. (ALI WEBB, 2020) https://www.crfashionbook.com/culture/a22736609/feminist-style-evolution-history/ FIGURE 3. (ROBERT OLSSON PHOTOGRAPHY) http://www.robertolssonphotography.com/the-im-tired-project/z4kd8mqaofkxr2tyi8q9prkckbzuw7 FIGURE 4. (A Denim Story: Inspirations from Bellbottoms to Boyfriends, Rizzoli). BOOK FIGURE 5. (FASHION IN PICTURES, 2012). BOOK FIGURE 6. https://similarpng.com/black-adhesive-isolated-scotch-sticky-tape-piece-on-transparent-background-png/ FIGURE 7. (Billie Eilish on the June 2021 cover of British Vogue. CRAIG MCDEAN) https://www. vogue.co.uk/news/article/billie-eilish-vogue-interview FIGURE 8. (GIGI HADID PHOTOGRAPHED BY JAMIE HAWKESWORTH) https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/ qjdzkm/gigi-hadid-i-d-cover-story-jamie-hawkesworth-olivier-rizzo FIGURE 9. (Karagiannis, 2020) https://www.lofficiel.cy/people/harry-styles-defeating-toxic-masculinity-and-leaving-his-stigma-in-the-fashion-industry
