There have been some questionable trends over the years (barbed-wire brows, anyone?). But the consumerism and social cues embedded in “style” impede a larger creativity. More simply, people dress for others rather than for themselves, and that’s a problem.
Physical presentation has long been utilized to establish power. Those who have it can access material and composition of higher quality than those who do not. We see this phenomenon in the contrast between aristocrats’ silks and peasants’ burlaps in Medieval Europe, between royals’ gold and commoners’ loincloths in Ancient Mesoamerica, and in other, similar contexts. Additionally, the fact that women have been steered toward restraint (corsets, foot binding, high heels) manifests their patriarchal undermining.
Things have obviously changed since any given moment in history, but their echoes linger. Higher-quality products still lend their owners social prestige, traditions of the majority are prized above the minority, and women’s fashion leans vastly more ornamental than the functionality of that made for men. To be employable—in many senses, to live—one must adhere to dictated traditions and morality.
In reality, aesthetic sensibilities have little to do with a person’s capabilities. It occurs to me that fields like design could be considered exceptions to this rule, but measuring creativity or professionalism via your (inevitably biased) perception of someone’s physical style lacks objectivity or depth. No one can entirely eliminate their tendencies toward judgment, unfortunately, but we can take steps to combat them. This goal is important both regarding an individual’s maturity but also for the potential it denotes. Connections and cooperation drive the world forward, and obstacles to this from reasonless superficiality do the opposite.
So, we should pay attention to ourselves rather than to others for this purpose. Style yourself as you like. It bears mentioning that, if you, in fact, want to dress traditionally, this path is just as valid as any other. Yet anyone should have the freedom to try whatever occurs to them, which can be accomplished by eliminating dress codes, relevant economic and geographical obstacles, and the aforementioned judgment. I don’t mean that any one person can do so on their own. Yet, we come closer to each remaining conscious of and working to subvert our superficial prejudices. Things won’t change overnight, but can only do so at all if we help the change along; the more participation in this path, the more holistic and beneficial the reform becomes.
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Of course, there is unfortunately a myriad of other triggers for prejudice. These require their own approaches and remedies, which I don’t have the space or ability to detail correctly here. What I do know for certain is that everyone has a right to express themselves, stylistically or otherwise, and should be allowed to do so. Find your personal style for the rest of 2018!
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