UNique For Yourself
I first fell in love with winter capes in 2013, but ponchos I started wearing when I was in 8th grade. Wasn't a big hit at the time, my friend's older sister told me I looked like a grannie (lol). That wasn't the only time my fashion taste was critiqued. But here I am, years later and still not giving a damn. I wear what I want. We have the choice to pick and change our style as we want. It's breaking the rules rather than following them that's arguably been the more propelling force in finding personal style. Which brings me to my next post - being unique for yourself.
My whole life I've been told what I can and can't wear. I've been told my outfit is too tight, not modest enough, too dressy, not dressy enough. I grew up blocking people on social media after being told "Your dress is too short, change your profile photo". News flash - people are tired of being critiqued or even worse being told they can’t wear something. Style criticisms seriously need to go — because no one is ever too old, too young or too fat for fashion. It took daring pants-wearing women risking arrest in the pursuit of freedom to overturn a trouser ban, and this was in 2013. Seriously, the French government just overturned a 200-year-old ban in 2013 on women wearing trousers in Paris. Especially when you’re a woman, everyone has an opinion about how you look. It’s something we learn to endure. There are stories every week about young men and women standing up to arbitrary, sexist dress codes. Women being harassed for their empowering choice to cover their hair in a hijab. There’s an 87-year-old Instagram sensation Baddie Winkle, who chooses to outfit herself in a marijuana-emblazoned, rainbow-colored, midriff-exposing wardrobes. It may not be my style, but she is famous because it's her style and she doesn’t care. Winkle says [to her haters] "You dress the way you want to. I’ll dress the way I want to. We have different opinions, and isn't that nice?"
If clothes are what you wear, style is how you put it together, and fashion gives people a language to express themselves. In reality, I think we should feel empowered when we see others brave enough to express themselves through their appearance. But more than that, I think it's none of our business. Be unique, be yourself, and don’t let anyone define you.