UNIFORMITY

By Lily Mirfin (she/her)

26

Love them or hate them, uniforms have been a part of most of our lives. Whether it’s required by a school, workplace, or social group, the grand portion of us have had to conform to a dressing standard at some point. Eventually, we all develop our own sense of style, and for many of us, a personal uniform emerges.

There are, however, some groups that take this a bit far. You know, Gloriavale far. In fact, this style of dressing has started to leak out into shops and streets across the world. I don’t quite mean the Gloriavale extreme of wearing the exact same thing every day. Instead, I mean very modest silhouettes. So why is it that suddenly young women are dressing as if they belong to a Midsommerstyle cult? As an occasional member of this group, I’m here to explain why.

I would say that being told that you’re dressed like a cult member is a universal experience. But sadly, I think I’m part of a minority in this case. Cults and clothing (iconic duo) are two of my favourite interests. You might think that there’s no apparent connection between the two, but you would be wrong. Dressing in a style similar to a cult member was identified as an emerging trend in 2019, directly before the COVID-19 pandemic. This clothing style even found its way onto TikTok, with people comparing it to the costumes seen in The Handmaid’s Tale. But although I see the style as a little bit more flower child than handmaid, I can still see where they’re coming from. This way of dressing has mostly been inspired by Scandi street style, particularly from the label Ganni.

This style seems to be a sign of the times, according to some anyway. In the current era, where women’s bodies still lack personal ownership, *cough, Texas, cough* wearing modest clothing can be a kind of buffer.

Now we can’t pinpoint this as the exact reason for this trend emerging, but we can’t deny that the vibe does kind of match the Gloriavale aesthetic a little more than I’m comfortable with. But we need to make the important distinction between women being pressured to wear something and women deciding to dress in a certain way. This style is also highly practical. With fast fashion being a driver of climate change, sustainable and practical clothing is something we could all use more of.

Our clothing is our own personal uniform. For some of us, it’s varied, and for others, it tends to be similar items worn over and over. It’s so easy to recognise how our society shapes our own personal uniform. Sure, I don’t see everyone adopting these flowy dresses. But this new trend is certainly a fascinating one. Looking at how we dress as a wider reflection of how those around us view us is fascinating. Take this concept and consider this; are you really the one who decided to wear what you put on this morning? Or was it chosen for you?