The Power and Potential of Symbolic Dressing

I watched Trump's State of the Union Address this year with a few of my close girl friends. We are a group of unapologetic feminists who regularly talk about politics and the strong women politicians we idolize. So when we watched the female members of our current congress assemble in front of Trump, wearing all white to represent the suffragette movement, we of course were all for it.

Watching these strong, kick ass Congresswomen–the most diverse and largest cohort of women in Congress to date–unite to recognize kick ass women from eras past felt unbelievably empowering in the moment.

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This year's State of the Union is obviously not the first time women, in particular, have come together to make a political statement through a collective fashion choice. In recent years, actresses and congresswomen alike have worn black in solidarity with the #MeToo movement, and the pink pussy hats that appeared in the first Women's March in 2017 are still seen as a symbolic middle finger to Trump and the pervasive culture of sexual harassment.

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Symbolic dressing is hardly a new trend. Our congresswomen were of course referring to the original symbolic fashion choices made by the suffragettes, who famously wore all-white. However, one might argue that recent uses of fashion as a political statement coincide with a general uptick in progressive political movements in response to the Trump presidency.

In such a divisive climate, it can be easy to criticize symbolic fashion choices as a cop-out; as an action that fails to advance actual change. This, taken alongside criticisms of fashion labels and corporations slapping activist messaging on their clothes to turn a profit, can render symbolic or political fashion statements unpopular or ineffective choices in progressive activist circles.

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Personally though, I am all for this kind of symbolic dressing. Even if our Congresswomen’s’ decisions to wear white to the State of the Union didn't actually create concrete change, their action stirred up emotions for my friends and I, gave us a sense of empowerment and unity, and reminded us of the unique and important place of strong women in the fight against Trump.

Symbolic fashion choices generate dialogue. The media did not ignore the Congresswomen’s’ decisions to wear white. It was talked and Tweeted about constantly following the address. They reminded us that the fight for women's equality is not over, and that alone is of incredible historical significance.

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Feminist Memoirs to Read this Winter

Sometimes it can be easy to forget that reading is not just the act of last-minute cramming 400 pages of Hobbes or Marx. This winter break, find some time in your schedule to read books that will inspire you, make you laugh, teach you about life and politics in the present day (and not 300 years ago), and most importantly, give you something to be happy about! For me, this takes shape through memoirs written by some of my favorite feminists. Here are my suggestions:

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Michelle Obama's Becoming

Obviously. Becoming is one of the best books I have ever read. Michelle Obama's memoir follows her life from childhood in the South Side all the way through her life post-White House. Each sentence is filled with meaning and is beautifully composed, providing insight on growth and transformation, the state of American politics and community, race in Chicago, and what it means to be a woman. I cannot recommend this book more.

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Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Simultaneously hilarious and so relatable, reading Mindy Kaling's memoir feels like you're talking to your best friend or wise-but-funny sister. With chapters ranging from unfortunate anecdotes in middle school to discussions on developing her career, I re-read this book whenever I want to laugh, lift my mood, and remind myself that everything will be ok–given that Mindy was a self-proclaimed "terrible intern," endured countless, relatable, embarrassing moments, and still ended up as a successful writer and actor. All things considered, I feel like I can have hope for my future!

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Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle reads more like a novel, with incredibly beautiful, detailed descriptions of Jeannette moving through childhood and into adulthood. Growing up, she and her siblings learned to take care of themselves as they moved from state to state with their free-spirited, often unemployed parents. Jeanette goes on to receive an elite education and work as a journalist, while her parents remain homeless. A story filled with trauma, but also many moments of beauty, nostalgia, and resilience.

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Angela Davis' An Autobiography

A funny and wise account of Davis' life, experiences and the important people that influenced her future as a political activist. In her autobiography, Davis shares an important account of race and politics in 1972, which stills feels necessary and relevant to read in today’s turbulent times.

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Get reading! Whether you want to feel politically charged, inspired to overcome personal obstacles, or just want to laugh and relate with a badass woman, these are all great options to distract you from your post-finals lull.

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What We can Learn From Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist

In her novel Bad Feminist, author Roxane Gay breaks down the many complicated, nuanced and honest sides of feminism, as well as her own experiences and life lessons on what being a feminist has meant to her. She takes on many voices— vulnerable, assertive, powerful, etc and through them, she delivers fresh, insightful ideas on gender, sexuality, race and more. One of my favorite chapters Gay writes on is titled "How we All Lose," which comments on sexual violence, an especially relevant and crucial topic we must talk about.

The chapter, "How We All Lose," interested me for its thorough analysis of several other texts and novels that attempt to highlight the meaning and future of feminism but neglect to address the issue at heart. In one part, Gay speaks on the subject of sexual violence in response to Hanna Rosin’s novel The End of Men. Rosin writes that “women today are far less likely to get murdered, raped, assaulted, or robbed than at any time in recent history” and a “2010 White House report on women and girls laid out the latest statistics straightforwardly, to the great irritation of many feminists.” To this, Gay comments that it is “hard to accept at face value that feminists would be irritated that there’s a decline in violence against women,” and notes the number of abuse and sexual violence cases that go unreported. Gay also writes that “Rosin is not wrong that life has improved in measurable ways for women, but she is wrong in suggesting that better is good enough. Better is not good enough… I cannot think of clearer evidence of how alive and well the patriarchy remains."

Especially today, it is important to consider Gay’s responses. With recent events concerning sexual abuse allegations against influential, powerful figures like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey and movements like #metoo, sparked by online protests, Gay’s argument against that of Rosin’s is significant in actually addressing sexual violence. With some news outlets finally detailing the abuse females in the entertainment and STEM industries face, it is important we leverage this information to show the change that needs to be done— to restore justice against higher ups like Weinstein and Spacey and shift the narrative about what women can or can’t do. 

It is important for men and women to understand the issue of sexual violence; to understand how its salience negatively affects our culture and society; to understand how by just ignoring this issue we feed into its toxicity and continuity. 

The Fashion World Weighs In

From the catwalks to the streets, a common sentiment was propagated by leaders of the fashion world regarding our nation's current social and political climate. From pro-immigrant and women's rights slogans emblazoned across the t-shirts that closed Prabal Gurung's NYFW presentation to Missoni's take on the pussy hat movement, the fashion world has become a rallying force against the dialogues of hate and non-acceptance that have proliferated in our public conscious as of late.

#PGTshirtseries: Dedicated to the women who inspire us. Our Fall 2017 T-Shirts are now available on prabalgurung.com at the link in our bio. For every t-shirt purchased, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and our foundation, Shikshya Foundation Nepal. Shop now at the link in our bio. 📸by @kailasmichael Creative Direction by @davidyassky #pgworld #femininitywithabite #pgmuse #pgnyfw

2,925 Likes, 27 Comments - Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) on Instagram: "#PGTshirtseries: Dedicated to the women who inspire us. Our Fall 2017 T-Shirts are now available..."

#PGTshirtseries: Dedicated to the women who inspire us. Our Fall 2017 T-Shirts are now available on prabalgurung.com at the link in our bio. For every t-shirt purchased, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and our foundation, Shikshya Foundation Nepal. Shop now at the link in our bio. 📸by @kailasmichael Creative Direction by @davidyassky #pgworld #femininitywithabite #pgmuse #pgnyfw #sarasampaio #tee

5,468 Likes, 25 Comments - Prabal Gurung (@prabalgurung) on Instagram: "#PGTshirtseries: Dedicated to the women who inspire us. Our Fall 2017 T-Shirts are now available..."

These efforts are more than just an opportunity to capitalize upon catchy slogans and trends, however. Creative and sartorial modes of political demonstration, rebellion and discontent have become a crucial component of our country and our world's political and social discourse. More creative directors, designers, editors and influencers in the fashion industry should take it upon themselves to stand for issues of universal import.

Proceeds from Public School's "Make American New York" hats will benefit the ACLU; image via

A street style statement at NYFW earlier this month; image via

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Feminist Fashion

Women need to stand with women. And what better way is there to show your support than through what you wear? Here, MODA Blog shares some of our favorite feminist-themed tees.

Reformation

For part of their "The Action Tees" collection, Reformation will donate $30 to Planned Parenthood with the purchase of this shirt. Buy here!

Otherwild

25% of these T-shirt proceeds will also go to Planned Parenthood. "Otherwild believes in an inclusive, expanded and fluid notion of gender expression, identities and feminisms. We support liberation, embrace our trans sisters, and call for the end of patriarchal ideology, domination, oppression and violence. We believe that 'The Future is Female' is the past, the present and the future, and is language that resonates." Buy here.

WildFang

Show off your wild side! 10% of profits from this product goes to PP & ACLU. Buy here.

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The High Fashion Food Chain: Gender Inequality in the Design World

High fashion labels have always catered to powerful, independent women. It comes as a surprise, therefore, that in an industry so dependent on a female consumer base, men head most major high fashion and couture labels. Karl Lagerfeld, for instance, has held the reigns at Chanel for over thirty years and Dior and Louis Vuitton have never had a woman as creative director.

So why are there so few women at the helm of major high fashion brands? While the likes of Diane von Furstenberg or Miuccia Prada have firmly established their place in the upper echelons of the fashion world through the continued successes of their own brands, statistically speaking, older, established labels have been less inclined to support qualified and talented female designers. Male colleagues are chosen in their place, under the assumption that they can contribute something fresh and new to the brand that female designers are incapable of bringing to the table.

Karl Lagerfeld, creative director at Chanel, Fendi and his own namesake brand Karl Lagerfeld; image via

Many of the most lauded young and emerging designers are predominantly male as well, such as Public School designers Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow, who were recently installed as DKNY’s new creative design team. A visible tension has emerged between “those who feel they are discriminated against and those who feel somewhat favored by a perception, largely unexamined, that men are better designers than women, and gay men are the best designers of all” (New York Times).

Despite the fact that these successful male fashion designers have an acute understanding of the female form, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that “when the majority of these products are designed by teams of men, how can they properly meet the needs of women?” (Morrama). For a long time, consumers and members of the fashion industry have adhered to the belief that woman want men to tell them what to wear, and it appears as if this mentality has contributed to gender inequality and disparities in the high fashion and design workforce. Designer Tom Ford famously attributed the success of male designers over their female counterparts to their objectivity; “we don’t come with the baggage of hating certain parts of our bodies” (DailyLife). Bill Blass designer, Michael Volbracht’s ignorant claim “women are confused about who they want to be. I believe that male designers have the fantasy level that women do not” also comes to mind (New York Times).

Carolina Herrera, creative director; image via

The notion that women are inherently trapped by their own conceptions of themselves and that these insecurities inhibit their capacity to be creative is clearly flawed. One only has to reference the ethereal, inventive and imaginative designs of Iris van Herpen, Simone Rocha or Ulyana Sergeenko for inspiration. Clearly, the problem of systemic inequality in the fashion industry stems not from a lack of creativity and confidence on the behalf of female designers, but from a lack of visibility, the notion that women are threatened by the successes of other women and the misconception that women involved in the fashion industry are vapid and materialistic (Forbes).

Unsurprisingly, the need for role models to motivate young, female designers to enter the field is at an all time high. The burden thus falls on industry leaders in the fields of fashion journalism, design and marketing as well as consumers to seek out and foster the potential of talented young women in the industry and encourage gender equality in the workforce.

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New Age Feminists

Social media and the internet have undoubtedly played huge roles in elevating the feminist platform, and it's no coincidence that fashion's darlings: a conglomerate of muses and "it girls," have also proven to be prominent spokeswomen in the larger debate about equality and representation with respect to gender and race. While we frequently reference Beyoncé and her power ballads, Emma Watson's empowering HeforShe campaign, or Lena Dunham's quirky, self-deprecating sense of humor as modern day feminist icons, an emerging wave of young women have been spearheading feminist discussions on various fronts.

Take, for example, Tavi Gevinson the founder of Rookie Mag, an independently run magazine and blog that serves as a forum for feminist issues, the arts and fashion. Gevinson also spends time as an editor, writer, actress and singer and was most recently the star of the Broadway show This Is Our Youth. She has also been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 as well as named one of "The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014" by Time magazine. Since her early start in the fashion world at the age of eleven, Gevinson has been a powerful mouthpiece for political movements as well. She was a vocal supporter of the Obama 2012 campaign and organized a get-well-soon card drive for Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist, after she was attacked in 2012. Through the various ways in which she candidly documents her life and experiences through Rookie and Instagram, Gevinson has helped to redefine what it means to be a young woman growing up in the 21st century through her critical, humorous and eccentric take on modern culture.

Tavi Gevinson, 19, image via; @tavitulle

From making a name for herself as one of the few African-American stars on Disney Channel to becoming a budding songstress, a CoverGirl spokesperson and the inspiration behind the latest Barbie doll, Zendaya has gracefully assumed her place at the forefront of issues that address beauty standards and body image. Her open critique on the use of Photoshop to alter editorial and online images, one even her own, daring fashion choices (her look for the 87th Academy Awards drew some controversy) and her frequent and honest communications with fans through Instagram and Twitter ably position Zendaya as one of the defining voices of her generation.

Zendaya Coleman, 19, image via; @zendaya

At only seventeen, Amandla Stenberg has already achieved widespread recognition as an actress and activist. Stenberg, who is openly bisexual and is an important leader in discussions concerning cultural appropriation, racial stereotypes and gender identity, shared the spotlight with Kylie Jenner when the reality TV show star posted a photo of herself wearing cornrows on Instagram, which Stenberg took as an opportunity to address issues of cultural appropriation on a national scale. Stenberg was recently interviewed by Solange Knowles as Teen Vogue's latest cover star, in which she discusses the struggles she faced growing up as a black girl who was frequently told she wouldn't be taken seriously or perceived as beautiful based off of her looks. Stenberg has also penned a comic book entitled Niobe: She Is Life, a coming of age tale starring Niobe, a half elf, half human warrior; "I think it's the first comic book that has a black female writer and a black female illustrator and a black female lead, so it's really exciting" (PEOPLE). 

Amandla Stenberg, 17, image via; @amandlastenberg

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Laxmi: Bringing Courage to the Fashion World

Boldly facing the world after a truly traumatic event, Laxmi Agarwal has taken the fashion world by storm, not only by becoming the face of Indian fashion apparel company Viva N Diva, but also a spokesperson against acid attacks. At the age of 15, Laxmi was attacked with acid by a 32-year-old man for denying his marriage proposal. "It felt cold first. Then I felt an intense burning. Then the liquid melted my skin," she remembers from the attack.

Since that day, she has flourished and has become an advocate against the unregulated sale of acids and for enforcing stricter consequences for perpetrators of acid attacks. Viva N Diva, who chose Laxmi as a model, said that choosing her was to change the outlook of people towards fashion and spreading a diverse sense of what is considered "beautiful" in a campaign named "Face of Courage".

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"The problem is not just in being a victim but also your victimisation by the society. We are treated as if we are good for nothing and as if our lives are a waste," she said.

The co-founder of Viva N Diva Rupesh Jhawar first got the idea after seeing a calendar featuring acid attack survivors. "For a moment I had seen beauty in a very different way and we wanted to capture it - remove any speck of being a victim from those eyes and give them a stage, an employment, a platform, a medium to flaunt it with style," he said about his decision.

Laxmi is also the director of Chhanv Foundation, which is a NGO dedicated to protecting acid attack suriviors in India. U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama awarded her the 2014 International Women of Courage Award for all her work. Laxmi Agarwal is a ray of hope signifying the changing scope of the fashion world's potential, and beacon of light inspiring acid attack victims to come forward and not lose their courage.

Watch the behind-the-scenes video from Laxmi's photoshoot. 

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Meet Awkward Black Girl's Issa Rae

Awkward. Black. Girl. Three words that resonate with not only me, but millions of other people including writer, producer, and hilarious personality Issa Rae, who created the hit webshow Awkward Black Girl. This series follows J, an African-American woman, and her "awkward" antics with her friends and co-workers, including best friend CeCe, arch-nemesis Nina, and love interests White Jay and Fred. The witty and charismatic voiceover of J that carries the series, as well as the relatable uncomfortable situations she gets herself into, garnered over 20 million views and over 180,000 subscribers on YouTube, becoming an instant hit.

Just my luck that the genius that is Issa Rae visited the University of Chicago to have a panel discussion with Jacqueline Stewart, a UChicago Professor of Cinema and Media Studies. Not only this, but I was also fortunate enough to get the chance to have a casual discussion over lunch with her and 30 other lucky students about her upbringing, inspirations, and future projects. Rae, born from an African-American mother and Senegalese father, grew up in Potomac, Maryland, where, "things aren't considered 'black,' like the swim team and street hockey and Passover dinners with Jewish best friends." After moving to Los Angeles in the sixth grade, she was enrolled in a predominantly black middle school in which she was “berated for ‘acting white'" and initially found it difficult to "fit into this ‘blackness’ I was supposed to be."

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She then attended Stanford University where she created music videos, wrote and directed plays, and created a mock reality series called Dorm Diaries for fun that soon began to spread not only throughout the Stanford campus, but throughout other campuses like Harvard University and Duke University. She worked with her good friend Tracy Oliver on Awkward Black Girl, which was created to question the stereotypes of Hollywood portrayals of black women, and starred as Nina in the series. Her other series, Ratchet Piece Theater, The "F" Word, Roomieloverfriends, and The Choir, focus on authentic relationships and portrays of black culture. In 2012, Rae made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Entertainment list, and Awkward Black Girl won the Shorty Award for Best Web Show. HBO is now working with Rae on her new television show Insecure, which Rae will be starring in and directing. This show follows the friendship of two modern-day black women, Issa (Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji), and all of their uncomfortable experiences and racy tribulations.

It was an honor to meet one of my role models and get an inside look into her perspective on issues that are prevalent to my life.

Rae's first book The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl is available in stores now, and there has been no release date for Insecure (but keep a lookout)!

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