A Letter to My Body

This month's theme for the Feminist Fashion Bloggers network is youth and aging. Check out the round up of posts here. This post is also part of the 2011 Love Your Body Day Blog Carnival. 

For this month's FFB post and in honor of Love Your Body Day, I wrote a letter to my body. Though I certainly harbored many more body image issues as a teen, I would be lying if I said that as a young adult all of these insecurities have been magically resolved. As it turns out, feminists, regardless of our age, are not immune to our society's body fascism. We are still socialized and immersed in this culture, and though we often consciously resist the forces that encourages us to strive for a narrow image of feminine perfection, remaining body positive is a struggle. It occurred to me that for all of the time I spend on my appearance through my love of fashion and cosmetics, I still often neglect my body. I get so consumed with the trappings and accessories and products that I use to decorate my body that I forget to appreciate my body for what it is. This is a first step in getting back in touch with my body in order to cultivate a positive self-image and loving relationship with my self. 

Dear Body,

You must think I'm a bit of a hypocrite, huh? Feminism this, love your body that, blah blah blah. Is that what I sound like? I know we haven't exactly been on speaking terms for a while, but I want to make amends. Besides...we are kinda stuck with each other for a while. Remember when I was little? I wasn't afraid of you then, wasn't ashamed of you. What happened? I grew up. I grew up, and suddenly thousands of fingers were poking and prodding me, thousands of eyes judging me. I lost you in a whirlwind of airbrushed images, diet pills, waif-like models,  infantalizing pictures of women, cruel classmates, calorie counting, trickster mirrors. And since then, I haven't always been so nice to you. I've ignored you, yet I've paid excruciating attention to your flaws. I've pushed and pulled, cut and carved you, tried to make you something you're not. I've starved you, beat you, cursed you, abandoned you. At times, I have been outright disgusted by you. Over the years, however, I have grown tired of hating you. It has sapped me of too much time, too much money, too much emotional, physical, and spiritual effort. Will and force were not enough to change you, so I figured I might as well invest my energies into learning to live with you. There is something I've been meaning to say to you for a long time. I'm sorry. I am so sorry. You have tolerated all the abuse I have put you through: the loathing, the neglect, the unrealistic expectations, the drastic measures to change you. Despite it all, you still serve me well. Because of you, I have powerful legs that carry me through the day, a heart that keep me living and loving, a brain that is eager to learn, and an ass that looks damn fine in a pair of jeans. I am still discovering your power of your limbs, the beauty of your curves. So why don't we give it another shot? What do you say...can we be friends again?

Sincerely,

Krystal 

We live in a cultural climate that actively discourages women from loving their bodies. Beauty, fashion, and plastic surgery industries create (in part) and cash in on our insecurities. Moreover, systemic inequalities are naturalized and normalized when those who are oppressed become complicit participants in the very institutions and ideologies that subjugate them. Thus, loving yourself is an intensely political act. Loving yourself is an important form of activism and resistance. I encourage everyone to say 'thanks' to your body today in whatever way is meaningful for you, whether that is writing a letter or reconciliation to your body, taking a bubble bath, doing some yoga, indulging in some ice cream, or whatever else.

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Posted in Body Image , Feminism , FFB

FFB: My Partner and I Tackle Personal Style, Identity, and Feminism

Fellow Feminist Fashion Bloggers and I are tackling dating and relationships this month (check out the roundup of this month's themed posts here). I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to invite my partner, Alex, to contribute to the ongoing discussions about feminism, identity, and fashion that we have been having here in blogland. Together, we created a questionnaire addressing these topics and answer those questions from our own unique perspectives below.

Alex and I have been together for nearly three years, and during that time our identities have shifted in major, important ways. In discussing our relationship, we are opening up a part of our live in this post that usually remains separate from blogland. As such, we are a bit more vulnerable and sensitive so I ask that you be respectful and thoughtful in your responses. I do not tolerate homophobia or transphobia in any aspect of my life, online or otherwise.

 Alex tackles fashion, feminism, and identity...

How I would describe my personal style: Urban…indie style

My fashion icons: Jay-z and Adam Lazzara.

My favorite places to shop: Thrift stores and (when I can afford it)… Urban Outfitters

No outfit is complete without….. a Fitted cap and a new tattoo

My favorite article of clothing/accessory: T-shirts and fitteds

I wish _________________ would come back in style: 90’s style…jean jackets and the "I don’t give a hell" attitude with fashion

Fashion guilty pleasure: soft tee’s and fitteds

Lesson about style I learned from my partner: Color and pattern matching. I think I may be color or pattern blind. Why can’t I wear a plaid button shirt with camo shorts?

Most embarrassing fashion moment/phase: Pleather…it’s cheap, and the I just woke up look that I finally grew out of.

One article of clothing/accessory that my partner would love to throw out: Usually my shoes….I would wear a pair of shoes, especially flip flops or moccasins, until there would be nothing left.

What I love most about my body: Sometimes as a pre-op trans-masculine person I have a lot of things I would love to change about my body but there are some things that I am SO thankful for. ..for example….my shoulders and my stocky legs and my big blue eyes.

Favorite thing about my partner and his/her sense of style: Krystal has an amazing sense of style in general. She is great at styling her make-up with her outfit and finding a great deal on clothes!

What I want my personal style to convey to others: Masculinity. Again as a pre-op trans-masculine person I encounter the issue of “passing” often. I want to pass and in some situations feels like it is necessary. I like clothes that are not tight fitting due to natural curves and I think “man-acceries” are key: necklaces….hats …etc

How I use fashion to express my identity: It’s important that my fashion expresses my gender identity at this point in my life. Due to financial and health issues I am not currently able to take testosterone or have the resources to help others see me for who I am. So it is important that my fashion expresses who I am for those who may not read me for who I am.

How my personal style has changed/evolved since I have been with my partner: I have grown up a lot with Krystal. My style has changed on its own but with Krystal’s help, I have gone from young and wild bedhead to more sophisticated and put together.

Fashion and feminism are connected because….     Fashion and feminism are connected because gender identity and sex are STILL being confused. My gender identity is closely related to my fashion expression. I wear what makes me comfortable in my own body and most importantly I like to convey in my fashion expression that men CAN BE feminists. Almost any store that sells men’s clothing has a section with t-shirts that are degrading to women. I choose not to wear the t-shirts that have two women kissing because I know who is actually buying them....and it is not lesbians.   

 Krystal tackles fashion, feminism, and identity...

How I would describe my personal style: Part 80’s Biker Chick, part Boho, and part professional nerd.

My fashion icons: Lad Gaga, Kathleen Hanna, my mom!

My favorite places to shop: Second hand shops, local boutiques, and mainstream places like Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal, H&M when I buy something new.

No outfit is complete without….. mascara and lipstick!

My favorite article of clothing/accessory: I’ve recently gotten really into off the shoulder, loose fitting crop tops (worn over a cami- no belly buttons invited to this party!).

I wish _________________ would come back in style: Oh, so many things! Fanny packs, big messy hair, and white denim. Don't judge me.

Fashion guilty pleasure: Leopard print forever!

Lesson about style I learned from my partner: Alex has a much more spontaneous, carefree personality than I do and his style definitely reflects this. He has taught me not to over think what I wear, and that ultimately I need to be comfortable with myself regardless of what others may think of my style choices.

Most embarrassing fashion moment/phase: On the first day of eighth grade I wore neon pink snake skin pants with a black crochet sweater, platform shoes, and more accessories than one should ever think about wearing at one time. I also crimped my hair and attempted a “sunset” eye shadow look with bright pink and gold that day. I thought I looked fabulous at the time, but I cringe now!

One article of clothing/accessory that my partner would love to throw out: Probably a jacket I bought when I traveled to Scotland in high school. It is a camouflage bomber jack with (brace yourselves) a giant pink and purple embroidered quail on the back encrusted in sequins. It is pretty hideous, but I still love it!

What I love most about my body: I think I have a great ass!

Favorite thing about my partner and his/her sense of style: My favorite thing about Alex in general is his compassionate, loving heart and his youthful, fun loving spirit. In terms of style, Alex has no problem borrowing from different genres and styles to construct his own sense of fashion. He has no loyalties to a particular “look” or brand, and just wears what works for him.

What I want my personal style to convey to others: It depends on the setting. When I am in a professional environment, I want people to take me seriously as a scholar so I want to present myself as being polished and classic, but I still want my individuality to show through. In general, I like to present as a high femme with a rough edge that is slightly outside of the fashion mainstream.

How I use fashion to express my identity: When I first came out as queer it was really important to me that other people actually see me as queer. Being closeted means you are literally invisible, so the freshly out 14 year-old me donned all of the cultural symbols of queerness I could think of (rainbows, pixie haircut, puka shell choker….eeek!). Also, when I came out I didn’t have any role models (in real life or in the media) of queer women who were also very feminine so I thought I had to ditch that part of myself to be accepted in the queer community. As I grew older and came into my identities more, it became less important that the way I stylize my body explicitly communicate my sexual identity to others and for the most part people read me as being a heterosexual woman. Now, I embrace my high femme identity and find it empowering to be both queer and femme, and like to express that in my fashion choices.

How my personal style has changed/evolved since I have been with my partner: I was femme when Alex and I met, but I was not overly concerned with makeup unless there was a special event. Since then, my makeup stash/obsession has evolved from a small cosmetics bag to a full vanity! I have also come more into my own as a femme woman and my closet reflects that as well.

Fashion and feminism are connected because…absolutely everything in this world is political. How clothing is made, fashion advertisements, and our fashion choices are all totally bound up with issues of gender and sexuality, as well as race, class, and so forth. Sometimes we like to think that our participation in the fashion industry is somehow disconnected from our society’s “bigger issues,” or dismiss fashion as being trivial and superficial. However, as the Feminist Fashion Bloggers have been exploring for a while, every aspect of the fashion industry and our participation in it is intimately connected with the social, cultural, and political dimensions of our world. 

I hope your liked our consideration of feminism, fashion, and identity. We certainly had a great time coming up with the questionnaire and answering the questions! 

What do you want your fashion choices to say about your identity? 

Is your style influenced at all by your significant other?

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Posted in Feminism , FFB , Queer

FFB: Beautiful Dirty Rich....Class Privilege & Beauty

 *Don't forget to enter my 100 Followers Giveaway!*

This month, the FFB's (Feminist Fashion Bloggers) monthly topic of discussion is social class as it pertains to feminism and the fashion/beauty industry. I think most of us in FFB agreed that this was a challenging but important topic. The roundup for everyone's posts can be found here.

Disclaimer: It was hard for me to narrow down my focus, so be warned- this post is a lot of verbose pondering about the general intersections of class and beauty. I don't think what I'm about to say in this post is anything revolutionary, but I think we often forget about the politics of class privilege while in the throes of our cosmetics lust.

First off, let's establish that beauty is a social construction. By that I mean that what we perceive as beautiful is not just a matter of personal preference and opinion; it is also incredibly influenced by our cultural climate. And because culture changes over time, so do constructions of beauty- yet we often forget that skinny, tan, and made-up has not always been the epitome of conventional femininity. A huge part of our contemporary cultural climate (at least in the West) is capitalism. Capitalism, which is an economic system that encouraged competition in the market, sounds really great in theory: companies compete with one another, and only the ones that are embraced by consumers survive. However, one consequence of capitalism is that this often leads to monopolization, wherein one company dominates the market and smaller companies flounder. We can see this in the beauty industry- think of how many indy cosmetics and fragrance businesses that you know of that have closed down or struggled to stay open! Also, when one or few company dominates the market (I am looking at you, Estée Lauder), they have an overwhelming influence on public perception of what is beautiful and desirable. And, being a business, it should be no surprise that they want to make money, and lots of it. I talked about this a bit in my post about the cultivation of need; companies, particularly the ones that dominate the market, are really good at seducing consumers with their marketing. Of course we beauty fiends also demand quality products and companies often respond to consumer demands. But we also love luxe packaging, limited edition goodies, and high-end name brands. We fall for gimmicks, novelty, and unfulfillable promises. And we shell out a ton of cash in the process.

Another consequence of capitalism is that it creates social classes based on income, occupation, and status. Because of market competition, we can't all be winners. There is a lot more that goes into the creation and maintenance of class division (such as access to education and health care; historical and contemporary inequalities based on race, gender, sexuality, ability and so forth; and other factors), but let's be real: we do not have economic equality in the US or elsewhere, and we can't just chalk it up to tired misconceptions of the impoverish as lazy, stupid, and unmotivated. Privilege, in this case, is not simply earned. Often times, you are either born with social privilege or your'e not based on if your race/class/gender/sexual orientation/ability/nationality/etc is socially prized or not. And most people who are born into a certain social class can not transcend it for the reasons mentioned above. So if we have economic inequality, then it should go without saying that there are whole classes of people that simply can't afford to be consumers of the beauty industry, at least not to the obsessive level most of us reading this are. This also means, then, that these people do not have access to the products, services, and lifestyle that we acknowledge as socially beautiful and desirable and that transform us into socially accepted "beautiful" and "desirable" people. This isn't to say, of course, that people in lower economic classes can't and aren't attractive; it means if you weren't born embodying what our culture regards as perfection, then you are going to have to achieve it in other ways, and those ways cost money more often than not. Money that not all people have. In short, beauty, as a social construction, is marked and defined in part by class privilege.

Beautiful Dirty Rich- Lady Gaga knows that money and beauty in our culture often go to gether

Growing up in a lower working class household, my parents struggled financially in really big ways. We used food stamps and accepted the charity of friends and neighbors; we drove a junker of a car and emptied out the change jar to fill it up with gas on more than a few occasions; gas and electric were turned off. I did not come from a lazy, unmotivated, or stupid family- this was just our situation, determined by factors like physical disability and poor education that were outside of my parents' control. Needless to say, there wasn't any spare cash for MAC goodies at the time. Now, as a young adult, graduate student, and budding professional academic, I am better off than my upbringing by a long shot. I recognize how incredibly privileged I am over some other people, and it's not particularly fair (inequality isn't fair...that's why it's called ineuqality). And yet, I am still on an incredibly tight budget. Honestly, I too often live above my means. I have a little extra money to play with these days, but it may be smarter to invest it elsewhere sometimes. Why the personal tell all? Because privilege and inequality are a part of my life and your life, too. Privilege is often invisible to those who possess it, but we all belong to a social class whether we feel like it impacts us or not. And all of these things are huge factors when it comes to our relationship to the beauty industry.

I first saw the poster for the 2003 Love Your Body Day while I was an undergraduate. In some ways, I have major issues with it. Although the beauty industry emphasizes appearance and is not often very body-positive, participating in it does not inherently mean that we are not loving ourselves and our bodies in the process. And while nurturing our mental and emotional selves is indeed important, I wouldn't say that being involved in the fashion and beauty industries always distracts from that or is a less valid pursuit. But despite my gripes, I do like this poster in that it highlights just how much women spend (and are told they need to spend) in order to present themselves in a way that others deem beautiful. We often recognize that those who have extra money to hop on a plane to Europe, eat at fancy restaurants, and get weekly massages as socially and economically privileged. Yet, we sometimes forget about how privilege impacts our relationship to beauty because our purchases in the beauty industry are often framed as pure necessities, not luxuries. And that's because beauty, as a social construction, is totally wrapped up in capitalism, marketing, and the politics of class.

I challenge you to tally up how much you spend in a week or a month or in a year to make yourself beautiful- all the lotions and potions, fragrances, cosmetics, miracle skin care treatments, hair styling tools, gym memberships, workout DVDs and exercise equipment, visits to the tanning salon, hair stylist, nail salon, waxing services, cosmetic plastic surgery, fashionable clothing, shoes and accessories...the list goes on and on. How much does it cost for you to pursue beauty? For myself, I guess that I easily spend a couple thousand of dollars a year on the things I listed above. If you didn't spend as much, would you still think you are as pretty as you are now? Would others still think you were as desirable?

Most of us, as beauty and fashion bloggers, are privileged when it comes to class (yes, I'm making a sweeping generalization here, to which there are indeed exceptions). The point here isn't to make anyone feel guilty. Guilt is a really debilitating state of mind. But ignorance and uncritical thinking are even more unproductive. Do I think we should boycott the beauty industry? Clearly not- I run a beauty blog after all! But I do think that we need to think more critically about our participation in the beauty and fashion industries. And I think we have an obligation to consider how the politics of privilege and oppression operate in our own lives as beauty bloggers and beauty junkies.

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Posted in Beautiful Brains , Feminism , FFB

FFB: I'm an Indian Princess...a look at the "going native" fashion trend

Recently, I joined a blogging network called the Feminist Fashion Bloggers. Every month, the group selects a topic related to feminist, fashion, and beauty to post about. After creeping on the FFB blog and listserv for a while, this is the first time I am participating. This month's topic was women in the media and popular culture.    

“Within commodity culture, ethnicity becomes spice, seasoning that can liven up the dull dish that is mainstream white culture,” (bell hooks, 21).

Last year, Kesha rocked a headdress and face paint during an American Idol performance. Last Halloween, my teenage cousin dressed up in a sexy Pocahontas costume. Last month, I found a makeup tutorial on a beauty blog for a “Native American” look, complete with darkened skin and braided pigtails. Last week, nearly every store I entered in the mall was overloaded with shirts and jewelry covered in feathers, tribal symbols, dream catchers, and chief’s head logos (just search "native," "tribal," or "Indian" into online stores like Forever 21 and PacSun for an abundance of examples). This morning, a search for "Native" on weheartit generated mostly images of waif-like White women in various stages of undress adorned with feathers and face paint.

While the “going tribal” fashion trend has been addressed on other blogs (like Racialicious, My Culture is not a Trend, and Jezebel), I wanted to add my thoughts to the conversation since the trend seems to have really caught on this season. Of course, there is a lot more to say on this topic than what I have covered here. Specifically, I am interested in thinking about representations of Native women in the media, particularly in fashion.  More broadly, I want to encourage us to be critical thinkers about and consumers of the beauty and fashion industry.  

First, I should be transparent about my position in relation to this topic. I am part Saponi, though most people read me as solely White. Though I did not grow up fully immersed in native culture (Saponi tribes are not recognized by the federal government and the last native speaker passed away several decades ago), I was raised by a mother who cherishes her native ancestry and is very spiritually connected to her cultural history. I am not telling you this because I think it somehow ups my credibility, but because I feel myself straddling a racial and cultural divide that makes this topic really complicated and difficult to discuss.  I want feather hair extensions and that cute tribal print tee as much as the next girl sometimes, but my cultural upbringing prompts me to question the politics of what is going on here. I should also note briefly that cultural appropriation in fashion is not exclusive to Native peoples (remember when everyone was getting Kanji tattoos? And putting chopsticks in their hair? And Gwen Stefani collected Asian women and had them follow her around?). But that is for another discussion. 

The commodification of Native womanhood, particularly by White women, is far from a new phenomenon. Paige Raibmon, in her essay “The Practice of Everyday Colonialism,” discusses how White women in the late nineteenth century created their own souvenirs while visiting Puget Sound, a place where Indigenous peoples migrated to work in the hop fields and participated in an Indian craft-based tourist market. Referred to as “Kodak girls,” touring White women shot photographs of Indigenous women, and in doing so, Raibmon argues, “literally framed their own privileged status in relation to the women on display. In opposition to the squaw drudge who was forced to labor, women behind the camera were united as consumers of leisure,” (44). In contemporary culture, this commodification of Indigenous peoples has expanded a great deal. For instance, we have the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves and countless other team mascots, a phenomenon unique to the Native American community in that no other racial, ethnic, or religious group is serving as the promotional logo for sports teams or athletic organizations. People of color, like Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima, are frequently the icons for our food products, and the “Indian princess” trope is a popular incarnation of this trend (think the Land O’ Lakes butter maiden and the Sue Bee Honey princess). Now, indigenous peoples’ spiritual and cultural symbols are appropriated in such a way that the “Indian Princess” is nothing but an edgy fashion statement.

It should go without saying that companies do not intend to insult or alienate consumers through the use of Native people or symbols on their products; after all, their goal is to make money, which is hard to do if you offend potential customers. However, this “going native” trend can only be successful in a cultural climate that harbors at best a great deal of ignorance and insensitivity regarding First Nations peoples, and at worst a deep sense of racist nostalgia. Why do we find this fashion trend aesthetically pleasing? What symbolic meanings have we attached to the “Indian Princess” fashion statement? The Indian princess is often used to represents youth, a connection with nature, and purity. As a Native woman, she is also assumed to be the keeper of tradition and the domestic sphere (think Land O’ Lakes on this one). The image of the Indian princess on food labels is effective because consumers association these characteristics of tradition, nature, and purity and the quality of their products. But the Indian princess has not always been portrayed as sweet and innocent. The Indian princess also exists in the American imagination as a sexually unfettered temptress that offers White colonialists both her land and her body (think sexy Pocahontas imagery here).  When we evoke the “Indian Princess” in our outfits, we are tapping into these symbolic associations to create a style that communicate these particular characteristics. Maybe we want to look natural, earthy, and sweet? Or exotic and sexy? Or perhaps both? What does it mean, what does it say to others when we wear a shirt with a headdress on it and tie feathers in our hair? This imagery is not neutral or meaningless. However, it has indeed been decontextualized by the mainstream fashion industry and media more generally in such a way that their cultural and historical importance is ignored.

A lot of people don’t have a problem with the commodification of Native womanhood, or see it as a form of cultural appreciation rather than cultural appropriation. In this case, however, imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery. The “going native” trend fails to honor Native peoples because it turns their identities into goods that can be bought and sold. It strips their symbols of their historical, cultural, and spiritual significance. It taps into a long colonialist history of entitlement and cultural erasure wherein the White dominate group feels that it is acceptable to decontextualize and steal from other peoples' cultures. News flash: Native people still exists. Depicting Native peoples in “traditional” wear and as from an era long lost to history, food labels such as Land O’ Lakes, athletic mascots, and fashion labels maintain the misconception that Native people no longer exist or are frozen in the past. They also contribute to a pan-Indian understanding of Indigenous identity where all tribal and cultural distinctiveness is lost and subsumed under the broad category of “Native.” Our consumption of these products serves to decontextualization Native people’s from their histories and identities and to distance mainstream American from the lived experiences of Native peoples.

As bell hooks states, “When race and ethnicity become commodified as resources for pleasure, the culture of specific groups, as well as the bodies of individuals, can be seen as constituting an alternative playground where members of dominating races, genders, sexual practices affirm their power-over in intimate relations with the Other,” (23). As such, the commodification of Native identity is but one mechanism that mainstream White culture utilizes to maintain current power relations with Indigenous peoples. The neglect of the lived, embodied experience of Native women in exchange for the construction and perpetuation of the subservient, sexualized Indian princess helps to maintains unequal power dynamics instituted in the era of colonialism. The use of Native women’s images in fashion and in other media and advertising outlets is only possible when mainstream White culture envisions itself as distant from Indigenous people.

Works Cited

hooks, bell. “Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance.” In Black Looks: Race and Representations by bell hooks. Boston: South End Press (1992): 21-39.

Raibmon, Paige. “The Practice of Everyday Colonialism: Indigenous Women at Work in   the Hop Fields and Tourist Industry of Puget Sound.” Labor Studies in Working- Class History of the Americas 3.3 (2006): 23-56.

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Posted in Beautiful Brains , Feminism , FFB