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Students use everyday style to make a political statement Annie Poole staff writer
Fashion is inherently political, but the fashion world, now more than ever, has placed an emphasis on using clothing to make bold statements about pertinent issues. The fashion industry is stereotypically associated with women, and politics is stereotypically associated with men. The ingrained sexist roots and these stereotypes cause a mental block. People struggle to comprehend these two seemingly opposite industries merging. “Fashion is another version of art and not only on a sexist level but on a societal level we just don’t give a lot of value to art. I think that fashion is predominately female dominated and so there is an instinct to just sort of push it aside,” said a co-president of the
Gender Equality Club, Brinkley Holshouser. Holshouser is often seen wearing her equality t-shirt. Fashion reflects the times. In every era, historical, political, and cultural events determine silhouettes, fabric, and how people present themselves. “A lot of influence [in current fashion] comes from the drag scene and outcasts,” said Holshouser. The recent trend of androgynous fashion stems from drag culture and the blurring of gender stereotypes that has been given a wider platform by Rupaul Charles, America’s most famous drag queen. His movement has always preached self-love, but recently has focused its purpose on politics after President Trump became the leader of the United States. The most obvious political influence in fashion to-
day is the recent presidential election and President Trump’s administration. These events have sparked a new cultural revolution. After Hillary Clinton became the first female nominee of a major U.S. political party, double standards in American politics became ever more pronounced. “There is always an emphasis on what the women are wearing and what they are trying to portray,” said Holshouser, commenting on the unhelpful critiques a woman constantly endures. Clinton’s style choices and what pantsuit she chose to wear dominated the news coverage, but her words took a backseat to her appearance. The press jumped on Hillary for anything, while often joking about the length of Trump’s tie as he continued to say demeaning and distorting words. After the election, there
was an increase in political slogans on items of clothing and fashion designers making political statements in their collections. Many designers displayed their political views in runway shows post-election. At the Spring 2017 Fashion Show, Dior debuted a “We Are All Feminists” t-shirt. The movement has continued through their latest show, with the design of a t-shirt that said, “Why have there been no great women artists?” Dior continues to challenge sexist stereotypes through their design elements. Missoni’s March 2017 fashion show incorporated pink “pussy” hats for everyone to wear while watching the show, and the models wore the hats for the finale. These hats, made popular by the Women’s March, represent the rights of all women and minorities, and have be-
come a powerful feminist symbol. Popular items around school include slogan tees with words like “Girl Revolution” and “Resist” embroidered on the t-shirts, and apparel that supports organizations such as the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. Many students wear pins and rainbow ribbons to show solidarity with marginalized groups. “There are a lot of groups that don’t have a voice, like the gay community and people of color. I know that as a white woman I don’t have the right to speak for those groups, but placing myself in a place that shows I support them, is really helpful in terms of visibility.” said Holshouser. Political fashion promotes self-expression and easily enables students to become involved in politics. “It makes me feel em-
powered and allows me to be involved with political figures that I support,” said sophomore Ava Wampold, who often wears a Joe Biden t-shirt. Holshouser, who was wearing a shirt advocating for equality, echoed Wampold. “The t-shirt that I’m wearing now makes me feel comfortable in who I am and it makes me feel stronger walking through the halls of the high school.” There are also larger fashion solidarity movements such as wearing red for International Women’s day to represent revolutionary love and sacrifice that women celebrate. Political fashion’s existence has always shaped popular culture. It is not going away anytime soon. As the famous feminist theorist Gloria Steinem says, “the personal is political.”
Live Music Lab: An interview with the MIHS Jazz Choir
The Jazz Choir is the second guest on the new segment called the Live Music Lab, a segment featuring student musicians in conjunction with KMIH the Bridge. Find the Jazz Choir’s performance on our website: mihsislander.org HOW DID YOU ALL START SINGING?
AVA KNIGHT: I heard Mariah Carey on American idol and I thought, “Ooh dang!” My mom said she was classically trained, so I started classical training. And 5 years later I’m here. HARI CHITTURI: [My mom] introduced me to the world of musical film. One of my favorite movies became “Singing in the Rain” because of that, and I just wanted to start singing because Gene Kelly is one of my heroes. FLETCHER DOREN: I grew up in this environment where music was something that was so highly respected, and almost treated as a way of life and a philosophy. I grew up with massive respect for all the classics – Michael Jackson, James Brown, people like that. I want to carry on
WHY DO YOU LIKE SINGING JAZZ AS OPPOSED TO OTHER STYLES?
MELISSA HAIST: I joined choir when I was in 5th grade. When I moved here there were a lot more opportunities available for me. I had already been into singing for a long time. I saw choir was available, and I thought, why not join it?
MELISSA HAIST: I like singing jazz because it’s different from other styles of music. It has a lot of syncopated rhythm.
HANNAH SIDNEY: Evie recommended that I try out for jazz choir, and I knew they wanted more people. I thought it was cool because it was another place to share my voice.
EVIE CLARKE: I like singing jazz because you can’t be wrong. You can sing a really bad note, it’s still right. You get the rhythm horribly off, but it’s still right.
FLETCHER DOREN: I remember in 5th grade [Mr. Cox] showed up and did “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder.
HARI CHITTURI: I like jazz because unlike a lot of other styles of music, each jazz piece has it’s own personality.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF JAZZ CHOIR?
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH JAZZ CHOIR?
NATALIA VALVANO: It’s a family here. And the music is always fun to work together on.
AVA KNIGHT: I just moved here 3 months ago and I was in the choir back in Texas. So I came here and the counselor thought I should join jazz choir. Then I auditioned and I got in.
TOM COX (Choir Director): This is a fairly exceptional group this year – in a lot of ways. Not just from a music standpoint. Everyone really likes and respects each other.
the message and the way of life that these people came up with. Singing is my way to do that.