We don't always put on nice clothes for you. Sometimes we just dress up to see our reflection as we walk past store windows.
Sincerely,
Sandra Ware
Well, here we are again, but let's be honestly- we never never really left the room. (So to speak)
The Dear Men movement is going to be like a tiny snowball that just rolled off an avalanche, as it picks up momentum, it will be a force to be reckoned with. (Or just a giant thing that people are scared of hitting them; I'm kind of going for either result.)
ANYWAY onto the topic of the day...um, let's see,
Appearance:
The way someone or something looks.
Example:
"Not all girls have a feminine appearance so back off."
If you have been keeping up with the times then you might of noticed that something amazing has been happening, no-this has nothing to do with the fact that we might be getting a middle finger emoji within the next year, it has to do with the fact that people are started to just ignore the comments of haters and just wear whatever the hell they want. (To a reasonable extent of course) In particular, more and more young women are starting to embrace the fact that they don't need to cake up their faces in make-up batter to look presentable to the rest of the world, they don't need to pick clothes from the most girly section of the store and they especially don't need to fix their hair to the point they look like they have their own personal celebrity hairstylist that follows them everywhere- BUT they could do all of those things if they wanted to! Freedom of expression, please get acquainted with it.
Here's whats not so cool though, there are still individuals out there who feel as though a person's gender should also dictate what they should and should not wear.
To those few people stranded on the lonely island of judgement, this is a little poem made in your honor:
Roses can be red, violets are sort of blue,
I don't give a damn what you think-
I'll look however I want to
*drops mic, then comes back to pick it up because it was a really expensive mic*
AND in addition to judgement by peers, lets not forget societal judgement as a whole.
Look, I get that you can't wear a bikini to school- Educational institutions want to train students on professionalism and in the real world; even if your resume is perfect, you might not get that job because no one really wears crop tops in a corporate office. BUT, there is a big, ginormous, humongous, gargantuan problem with the dress code within most school systems- especially around the summer time.
It is hotter then the climate of Satan's bedroom and you expect everyone to wear clothing that touches their knees? But wait, that isn't all. You also can't show your shoulders because, OMG shoulders might as well be your private parts and no one should go around flashing their exposed shoulders around the school because that that apparently looks, how do you say...trashy? Why not shoulders? Well, that could lead to someone witnessing your bra-strap and that might make someone jump to the conclusion that you are wearing a bra, and with a bra comes boobs (sometimes) and boobs are forbidden from school even though we have to bring them with us everyday. We can't just leave them at home, nor should we have to. Oh, cleavage- that's what everyone is so scared of. And it must also be terrifying to see a little bit of skin from our rear-ends that indicates we posses this anatomy called a butt. You must be hyperventilating with each sentence you gaze at but imagine how it feels to be called out for these minor clothing incidents as if you are the one at fault and the people who keep gawking at you aren't.
Look at it this way...
The list of things a girl can't do at school with her clothes is about as big as the bible versus the boys list which is no more longer than a sheet a paper.
These visuals might also help.
"Thou shall not wear tight fitted jeans"
"Thou shall not bear nude shoulders within such a prestigious institution"
"Thou shall not even think about wearing V-necks for they will burn the eyes of your male classmates."
"Thou shall not complain about young men making sexual slurs at thee because thee should not of been eluding her body to the public anyway."
It is hotter then the climate of Satan's bedroom and you expect everyone to wear clothing that touches their knees? But wait, that isn't all. You also can't show your shoulders because, OMG shoulders might as well be your private parts and no one should go around flashing their exposed shoulders around the school because that that apparently looks, how do you say...trashy? Why not shoulders? Well, that could lead to someone witnessing your bra-strap and that might make someone jump to the conclusion that you are wearing a bra, and with a bra comes boobs (sometimes) and boobs are forbidden from school even though we have to bring them with us everyday. We can't just leave them at home, nor should we have to. Oh, cleavage- that's what everyone is so scared of. And it must also be terrifying to see a little bit of skin from our rear-ends that indicates we posses this anatomy called a butt. You must be hyperventilating with each sentence you gaze at but imagine how it feels to be called out for these minor clothing incidents as if you are the one at fault and the people who keep gawking at you aren't.
Look at it this way...
The list of things a girl can't do at school with her clothes is about as big as the bible versus the boys list which is no more longer than a sheet a paper.
These visuals might also help.
"Thou shall not wear tight fitted jeans"
"Thou shall not bear nude shoulders within such a prestigious institution"
"Thou shall not even think about wearing V-necks for they will burn the eyes of your male classmates."
"Thou shall not complain about young men making sexual slurs at thee because thee should not of been eluding her body to the public anyway."
No hats, or hoods.
Try not to wear anything with profanity on it.
No bandannas or chains please.
Please stop sagging.
Tank tops are fine.
Just to add more flames to the fire while we're cooking, here are some additional fun representations of targeted judgement on appearance.
What else is there really to say about it? if you don't like what I'm wearing- don't look at me. If you do, well...don't be creepy about it.
And also, don't think that someone's appearance tells you everything about them. Clothes can be our best defense against the sensitive layers we have underneath us. If you want to know the whole story, read through the pages- don't just look at the cover.
YESSSS girl preach!!!! Totally agree!!! Never understood how guys find shoulders attractive but I guess they really must??? We should be allowed to wear what we want and not have to worry about guys sexualizing us. Like LEAVE US ALONE!! Sorry I was born a girl.....
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. I hate when teacher's make me feel like I'm a slut because my shoulders are out. I also like the fact that you talked about slut blaming.
ReplyDeleteExactly, it seems like it's easier to blame the person who is being attacked rather than the attacker. They don't want to even attempt to deal with getting on boys for being pervs so they take the easier way out and get on girls for having exposed shoulders. The justice system seems to work in a similar way
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Deletei totally agree with you on everything that you have said here, it is incredibly unfair the disparity between male and female dress code and our percieved "roles" in society, and it is really stupid that nobody cares about men wearing tank tops and showing their shoulders, but get really worked up about women showing their shoulders.
ReplyDeletei totally agree with you but i think that overall your post is kind of everywhere, i think that it would be more effective if you stayed on a singular topic per post. overall it was great!!!
Thanks for the feedback, I do tend to ramble a lot! At first I meant for it to be organized but than again, maybe going on a tangent is my thing. I'm glad you appreciated the point though because it's something that causes unnecessary aggravation every year in schools all across this country and it sends a terrible message to people in how we emphasize more on what you where than your own intellect.
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DeleteYES GIRL!!! SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!! If you're really focusing on your studies you wouldn't be distracted by my shoulders. It also makes me super uncomfortable when male teachers comment on my outfit... why are you looking at me like that?
ReplyDeletePreach! I absolutely agree with you. I feel like this issue is something that is greatly debated and I just feel that it makes sense for people to just wear whatever they want within reason. If guys get distracted that is their own fault for being perverts who are so easily turned on by the smallest amount of a girls skin that is seen
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