Fashion is...
I filled out an application recently that asked this question: "What person(s) do you get fashion inspiration from?"
I actually had a difficult time putting down the answers.
I'm not the most fashion-conscious person out there. I mean, I know what I look alright in and I know what colours I want to avoid like they're carrying a plague, but I don't tend to keep up with the trends religiously like some folks I've known in my lifetime. In the end, I managed to put down a few answers. Those were: (in approximately this order) Tess Munster, Audrey Kitching, Claire Mueller (harbormaster), William Gibson, Adele, tokyofashion.com, and Kato (@Steampunkato).
For everyone wondering why I put William Gibson on there? Take a moment and think about the way he describes the world(s) in his books. There's such a vast array of people and therefore the idea of 'what is beautiful' is also vast. Most recently, in Zero History, there's mention of the whole "secret brand" thing that seems to be cropping up a little more frequently these days. One should also bear in mind the way he's described prosthetics and body modifications in books like Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive. Those descriptions have me fascinated. It's part of the reason that I've been so interested in cyberpunk (and by extension, steampunk and dieselpunk) things for a long time--since before I actually heard the term.
The question got me thinking about a lot of things though. Not just fashion, but social perception. What is considered beautiful. What is considered sexy. How media and fashion seem to favor thinner girls as opposed to larger girls. Knowing why fashion does it makes me sigh. A big reason as to why supermodels are thinner than thin? Because it's less expensive for the designers. Fabric costs money, and the less they have to use, the more money they save to be spent elsewhere. Go ahead and let that settle in for a moment. I'll wait.
Social perception states that I should be completely ashamed of my body type and force myself through insane amounts of exercise and surgery to rectify my 'image issue' so I can fit into the media-enforced idea of how we need to see ourselves. Social perception can stuff it. While I have been ordered to lose some weight for the sake of my health, I'm fully aware that my body type isn't really going to change. Even if I drop from being a size 20 to a size 16, I will still be the same 5'3" and have the same hourglass-ish curves. Media fuels the idea that my figure is somehow wrong. I think not.
Won't lie; I have plenty of moments of looking at myself in the mirror and not being sure that I can live with what I see. That is the influence of media-fueled social perception. It takes me a moment to overcome the response of needing to be ashamed that I'm not a size 6. I've got more important things to worry about, like finding and keeping a job and making sure I can pay my bills. More important things to focus on. More realistic things.
So I can't really pinpoint more of my fashion inspiration. I lean toward staying comfortable. I know I can wear sheath dresses quite well (and my mom expresses envy that I can do so; it's become a joke between me and her). I can't wear high-heels and only rarely express annoyance at that fact because I have plenty of nice shoes that are comfortable and can be worn with arch supports. I don't mind wearing flowers in my hair, nor do I mind clipping in feathers (a million thanks to Rose for the two she sent me; they're excellent). I either blend into the crowd or I stick out like a scarlet macaw in a sea of ravens. But I can't really name more people that I actually take cues from in terms of what I wear day to day.
So while I garner inspiration and ideas from a good number of people and things around me, I don't always act on it. If anything, I focus on staying confident in my day to day life. My fashion sense is born of practicality and mixed with my artistic nature. I will not apologize for my body type. I will not apologize for being an anachronist-punk at times. If anything, I'm helping my other half's daughters learn that they can create their own fashion ideas and have no fear.
Fashion sense is knowing what I want to wear, how I want to wear it, and when I want to wear it. Media-fueled social perception can get bent. I'm a woman, I'm curvy, I'm of much substance, and I will wear my ripped denim shorts with a black tanktop and my black Steve Madden boots when I frakking please.
I actually had a difficult time putting down the answers.
I'm not the most fashion-conscious person out there. I mean, I know what I look alright in and I know what colours I want to avoid like they're carrying a plague, but I don't tend to keep up with the trends religiously like some folks I've known in my lifetime. In the end, I managed to put down a few answers. Those were: (in approximately this order) Tess Munster, Audrey Kitching, Claire Mueller (harbormaster), William Gibson, Adele, tokyofashion.com, and Kato (@Steampunkato).
For everyone wondering why I put William Gibson on there? Take a moment and think about the way he describes the world(s) in his books. There's such a vast array of people and therefore the idea of 'what is beautiful' is also vast. Most recently, in Zero History, there's mention of the whole "secret brand" thing that seems to be cropping up a little more frequently these days. One should also bear in mind the way he's described prosthetics and body modifications in books like Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive. Those descriptions have me fascinated. It's part of the reason that I've been so interested in cyberpunk (and by extension, steampunk and dieselpunk) things for a long time--since before I actually heard the term.
The question got me thinking about a lot of things though. Not just fashion, but social perception. What is considered beautiful. What is considered sexy. How media and fashion seem to favor thinner girls as opposed to larger girls. Knowing why fashion does it makes me sigh. A big reason as to why supermodels are thinner than thin? Because it's less expensive for the designers. Fabric costs money, and the less they have to use, the more money they save to be spent elsewhere. Go ahead and let that settle in for a moment. I'll wait.
Social perception states that I should be completely ashamed of my body type and force myself through insane amounts of exercise and surgery to rectify my 'image issue' so I can fit into the media-enforced idea of how we need to see ourselves. Social perception can stuff it. While I have been ordered to lose some weight for the sake of my health, I'm fully aware that my body type isn't really going to change. Even if I drop from being a size 20 to a size 16, I will still be the same 5'3" and have the same hourglass-ish curves. Media fuels the idea that my figure is somehow wrong. I think not.
Won't lie; I have plenty of moments of looking at myself in the mirror and not being sure that I can live with what I see. That is the influence of media-fueled social perception. It takes me a moment to overcome the response of needing to be ashamed that I'm not a size 6. I've got more important things to worry about, like finding and keeping a job and making sure I can pay my bills. More important things to focus on. More realistic things.
So I can't really pinpoint more of my fashion inspiration. I lean toward staying comfortable. I know I can wear sheath dresses quite well (and my mom expresses envy that I can do so; it's become a joke between me and her). I can't wear high-heels and only rarely express annoyance at that fact because I have plenty of nice shoes that are comfortable and can be worn with arch supports. I don't mind wearing flowers in my hair, nor do I mind clipping in feathers (a million thanks to Rose for the two she sent me; they're excellent). I either blend into the crowd or I stick out like a scarlet macaw in a sea of ravens. But I can't really name more people that I actually take cues from in terms of what I wear day to day.
So while I garner inspiration and ideas from a good number of people and things around me, I don't always act on it. If anything, I focus on staying confident in my day to day life. My fashion sense is born of practicality and mixed with my artistic nature. I will not apologize for my body type. I will not apologize for being an anachronist-punk at times. If anything, I'm helping my other half's daughters learn that they can create their own fashion ideas and have no fear.
Fashion sense is knowing what I want to wear, how I want to wear it, and when I want to wear it. Media-fueled social perception can get bent. I'm a woman, I'm curvy, I'm of much substance, and I will wear my ripped denim shorts with a black tanktop and my black Steve Madden boots when I frakking please.