Feminism has been a hot issue in American society since American society existed. From the Women's Suffrage Movement to the Feminist Movement of the 60's, we have been trying to establish and assert ourselves in America for decades. Per my observation of pop culture I've noticed a certain incline on the discussion of feminism, and women's empowerment with regard to fashion. At a recent performance for the Chime for Change Campaign, Beyonce and J. Lo received negative backlash from viewers for their stage costumes given that the event was hosted by a group aimed at empowering girls through education, health care, and justice.
This lead me to evaluate a few things. Number one, should these women's accomplishments as award winning singers, songwriters, producers, wives, mothers, business women, etc. really be overshadowed by their performance attire? Isn't that just a tad contradictory? Secondly, isn't a part of being an empowered woman owning and celebrating your appearance no matter what it is? Lastly, do we judge women too harshly for the way they dress when it comes to women's empowerment?
As the times change and women become more empowered, we begin to dress more risque' for our time period. We can look at the "Flappers'" of the 20's. These women were really asserting themselves as independent, modern women and many were judged harshly for wearing visible makeup, short hair cuts, drop waist dresses, and smoking in public. Move forward to the 60's and you can see a correlation between the social revolutions in varied arenas such as Civil Rights, the Feminist Movement, and the controversy of the Vietnam War and the shorter hem lines of skirts and the way that women became much more relaxed in their manner of dress.
There is such a fine line between self expression and being tasteless with regard to style of dress, especially because our definitions of those things are subjective. I absolutely love my hometown city of Atlanta, but I find myself judging women quite often for dressing in what I consider to be poor taste, but I think that in their opinion, they look acceptable. Additionally, I like to think of myself as accepting of people's style but I wonder if we are going too far sometimes with what we accept. I look at my mother and grandmother and the way that they dressed and carried themselves with such poise and class and I wonder when, why, and where that became a thing of the past, especially in the black community.
When it comes to fashion, does feminism and women's empowerment really have a place anymore given the subjective nature of what is deemed to be good and bad fashion, and the fact that we live in a much more open and diversified world? Or should we merely look at the way women dress today as a reflection of the times? Does it go against the women's empowerment movement to criticize or judge other women's attire?
I'm really beginning to question my outlook on the issue. What are your thoughts?
