Fashion and Feminism A Voice for Change

Theresa May, Nicola Sturgeon, Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton (almost).

There has never been such a dramatic change in power across the globe. In my opinion it has never been a more inspiring time to be female. Despite the shock of the US presidential election results, having the first woman run for the presidential election, and the UK having gained only the second female prime minister, this is not yet equality. Of course this is all great progress but it is not enough, more can be done. Now isn’t the time to be resting on our laurels. Yet, it is the complex and problematic relationship between fashion and feminism, that I, as a young woman and fashion enthusiast feel needs to be investigated. Despite these influential women and their achievements, which have aided women’s liberation, will fashion and feminism ever see eye to eye? Fashion aids women’s liberation by promoting and advertising the voices of women and their ideas. It gives women an outlet to express their opinions and political voices. Dame Vivienne Westwood, a British designer, uses fashion and the catwalk to voice her own views on issues within politics including restrictive gender norms, pay gap and Scottish independence. However, where the fashion world contradicts women’s liberation is with its constant feminist debate on the disproportionate and unrealistic, “Barbie-like” ideas of how the female body should be. In November 2016 British Vogue published their “Real Issue” which involved no professional models in its fashion editorial shoots. This idea intrigued me. Alexandra Shulman, then editor-in-chief, has, since the early 90s, expressed that fashion needs to be accessible to everyone. This is not entirely surprising. In 2009 Shulman wrote to major fashion houses complaining that the too-small sample sizes were forcing editorials to hire models with “jutting bones” and “no breasts or hips.” Initially I believed the “Real Issue” was a positive step for women, towards true diversity of women’s bodies, real bodies. But I realised I was making an assumption as to how Vogue would define “real”. Does this mean that models somehow aren’t real? As plus-size blogger Bethany Rutter acknowledged, “Any kind of special edition, or short-term tick box exercise ends up maybe being worse.” It feels like a token project that lets fashion magazines say “We did it, now leave us alone”. The issue still remains unchallenged. Did this issue contradict its “model free zone” with sponsored adverts featuring, yes you guessed it, models? The view that fashion magazines promote unrealistic body expectations for both boys and girls contradicts any benefit that fashion provides for women’s liberation.

However, in both politics and fashion we have seen a correlating change in power. Last year we saw Maria Grazia Chiuri appointed the new artistic director of Dior, shockingly the first woman to take this role in the iconic fashion house in 70 years of running it. Chiuri introduced a slogan t-shirt using the title of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk - “We should all be feminists”.

Maria Grazia Chiuri has made it explicitly clear that she intends to embrace the feminist symbolism of her appointment at Dior. Closer to home, London has seen women leading some of the most successful and forward thinking fashion labels in the world such as Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Anya Hindmarch to name a few. As well as these brilliant leaders, in 2015 women made up more than half the student body in two thirds of subject areas in UK universities. However, the press and media choose to point the finger at the education system - that it is “failing boys” rather than celebrating how women are succeeding at a higher rate and increasing their educational achievements. They choose not report that women are achieving more in school, emerging into highpowered political positions and there are increasingly more female leaders in fashion and art.

With an increasing rise in female leaders throughout fashion and art, we need to take it upon ourselves to promote a positive ideal for women. Fashion brands and magazines need to take it upon themselves to think of the ethical issues with ultra-thin, unattainable ideals because it is degrading, a waste of time and money and regressive. The fashion industry needs to promote women’s rights, to ensure safety from violence, access to education, family planning and to ensure equality in the workplace with pay and promotion prospects. Feminism is not about improving women’s self-esteem, it is about giving proper value to the work women do, whether it be at home or in the office. It is about restructuring our society to value women in all aspects. Recently there has been a change in the wind. The fashion industry has taken partial responsibility for this lack of progress and I believe together we can use fashion as a tool of empowerment. I have been dipping in and out of the idea that “fashion is un-feminist” for a while, however, in recent months I have seen beyond this and can now see clearly that it is more than just the clothes… but an identity and a voice. Jessica E (Upper Sixth)