Lately, I have been getting really into fashion. And why not? It's fun and fancy and what wannabe city girl doesn't love that?! As with anything, as you learn and grow, you get better, and you start to get creative with it. Over time I have developed my own opinions toward fashion. Most of them are pretty positive, but some are serious concerns regarding the world of fashion and mainstream media influence on a persons body image. So, here ya go world!
A few thoughts on fashion, by yours truly.
Fashion is a woman's world.
Sorry guys. Not to say that men's fashion is nonexistent, cause it's not. However, you walk into pretty much any clothing store, and the women's section is double the size of the men. This makes me feel happy, cause, as a woman, I feel like the sky is the limit with fashion. I used to walk into H&M or Forever21 and get so intimidated cause there was just so much. Now, I walk in and could stay for hours, trying different patterns and testing fashion theories in the dressing room!
Having so many options doesn't need to be an overwhelming reality. It means that there are plenty of clothes that WILL look good on you, me and my mother. There are clothes for your body type, don't worry.
You're not ugly, but your clothes need resizing...
Ladies, why why-why do you START with shaming your bodies before you shame the clothes you're wearing? Girl, you are NOT ugly. To bash your body is to bash God's creation. To say you are made by mistake is to say God made a mistake, and I doubt you want to be the one to call God out on his design skills. You are not a mistake, and your body is not ugly. Here's where I believe we, as women, get it wrong. **Whispers** we wear the wrong size. Speaking from experience, I feel reeeaall ugly when I wear the wrong size clothes. Instead of realizing that my clothes are the problem, I go ahead and think my body is the problem. And why should I think otherwise, when every voice in this world shouts just that. This is where my concern comes in, but that's the next statement.
I also believe that women think they look ugly when they wear patterns that don't match or clothes that are not flattering. I see this a lot during the summer. I know I know, girl's want to show what they got in the sun, HOWEVER, there is something wrong when a girl with a DD chest wears a white, see-through crop top shirt that a flat chested girl is supposed to be wearing. Wear clothes that fit and flatter! If that means that you walk into store after store and have them measure and fit you, then that's what you should do. Learn about your body in order to better accommodate and flatter it. You will start to realize your own beauty.
Media got it all wrong.
Pretty much any supermodel can tell you that modeling is a hard business. Putting your body out there for the public to see and criticize is not for the faint of heart. I once watched a documentary on how girls train to become Victoria Secret models, and it broke my heart and opened my eyes. These girls feel a NEED to beat their bodies and eat only as much as a mouse to be recognized. When a designer, a company or a social media platform say to anyone that they need to change their BODIES to fit into the clothes, I tilt my head sideways and give em my "what the what are you talking about..." face. You know why?? Because there is absolutely no need to wreck the human heart to fit into a piece of fabric when you can simply change the fabric. Sowing machines exist for a reason. Why change the person when you can re-sow the clothes? It's not like the clothes got feelings, but that person sure does. We should be taking into more consideration the effects of criticizing someone's body, vs just fitting the clothes around the model.
Going along with my statement above, a person will always look great in clothes that fit and flatter them. Designers can do a little more work, it won't kill them, this is their job anyway.
So there is it. A couple of my first thoughts into fashion. In the future, I might have some words on patterns and color schemes, but for now, that one will just be tucked away.
Be kind to one another,
Victoria Ramsdell
