The Weaponisation of Fashion against Women

Fashion has been a powerful form of communication for centuries, that translates across cultures, languages, and time. It has a strong cultural significance that is constant, but used incorrectly, can become unforgiving. Like many industries, fashion is heavily affected by the patriarchy and plagued with misogyny, becoming a tool to oppress women when facing violence or trying to enter male-dominated fields. Recognising these forms of oppression is vital for gender liberation for men, women, and people who have queer identities as fashion and femininity aren’t things to weaponize.

TW: Sexual Assault and Violence

For many years there has been a narrative around sexual assault and violence, where the first questions victims are asked is the phrase,

“What were you wearing?”

A women’s traumatic experience is reduced to the clothes she puts on her body and not the person who violated her, blaming the victim for the crimes committed against them. In the past, it was sometimes seen as a justification, as if the amount of clothes on a body correlates with consent of any kind. An art exhibition was created as a visual representation of the poem, “What Was I Wearing?” by Dr. Mary Simmerling, highlighting what students at a university were wearing when they were assaulted. The outfits ranged from the ‘expected’ tight dress to army gear to children’s dresses. Accompanied by the survivors’ stories, this exhibit fights the stereotype that clothes relate to why someone is assaulted, as the only one to blame is the offender themselves.

More submissions from the exhibit can be seen at: https://www.boredpanda.com/what-were-you-wearing-sexual-assault-art-exhibition/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Another example includes the weaponization of hyper-femininity and how clothes are used to determine a women’s intelligence. We’ve all seen that meme of a tall blonde woman, dressed in all pink magically transforming into a brunette with a ponytail and a cardigan all because she picked up a book. This image encapsulates the biases held by many people within our society about how a women’s clothes dictates their value and intelligence, even going as far to criticise colours like pink, reducing it to weakness and inferiority. These associations negatively impact women’s self-expression and identity, not only in everyday life but also when entering male-dominated fields. This negative impact also extends to men who may face negative comments for wearing pink or ‘womanly’ clothing despite clothing having no gender. Movies like Legally Blonde and the Y2K aesthetic have helped to reduce and shift negative associations with femininity, as well as queer figureheads who have deconstructed gender and the biases the binary system holds. Michelle Obama is an example of a woman in power who doesn’t let parameters of what people ‘expect’ a first lady to wear to dictate how she dresses.

Despite the conflict and hate women have faced for what they want to put on their bodies, as the times change more women are feeling freedom in their femininity, or lack of it, as they learn to break from societal expectations and express themselves. Short skirts and crop tops are used to feel positive within themselves FOR themselves and people are starting to understand that sexual violence can happen anywhere, anytime, and has nothing to do with the clothes on your back. Self-worth and intelligence are never determined by your clothes or what you choose to wear.

Fashion should be an art form used for self-expression and as Alok once said, “Living is the event. You don’t have to wait for the party, you don’t have to wait for Fashion Week, you get to have fun now and that now can be forever.”

Thank you for reading,

Tio A <3