IMAGE: DIOR FA Dior's promises:
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Why does fashion capitalize on Feminism?
Carson Gartner, 19, she/her/hers
F
eminism has become a trend. Regardless of whether you call yourself a Feminist or align yourself with the ideology, that statement is a difficult one to challenge. Where does the line between social amelioration and corruption lie?
Simple t-shirts with big, bold text declaring solidarity with the Feminist movement such as the ones shown above have permeated not only the fashion industry, but thousands of closets the world around. Visit any high street apparel website – Topshop, H&M, Forever 21 – and you’d more than likely find at least one cheaper knock-off of the more expensive blatantly ‘Feminist Fashion’ (though, can you really ‘knock off’ a plain
t-shirt with a few simple, common words printed on the front? That’s another discussion entirely) peddled by high fashion houses like Dior. Ambiguous manufacturing practices aside, what are the consequences of this recent popularization of ‘Feminist Fashion,’ and exactly how “Feminist” is this apparel? Fashion is an industry rooted in trend. Sometimes designers create new trends,
