In the last few weeks we've seen Ayesha Curry take some heat for her tweets regarding the current fashion trends. She pointed out how the trendy clothes that are currently in style advocate for showing lots of skin over a more modest look. After she put those words out into the Twittersphere, all hell broke loose. People accused her of slut shaming, and some even went as far to say that she needs to get off her high horse.
What's wrong with this situation is not what Ayesha Curry said; it's the people who seem to have a problem with it. If we have people who are getting offended by her saying that she believes in covering herself up, there's a bigger issue at hand than the tweets themselves. This is where feminism becomes a bit hazy. Don't get me wrong, I am feminist without a doubt, but I am also realistic.
She stated that she wants to keep the good parts covered for the one that matters. Some people took that as her fueling the "good girl is better than a slut" mentality and that you only dress for the attention of men. This is the most ridiculous thing that I've ever heard. The fact that this story even made national news is exactly why I worry for our generation. When you are in a relationship, it's natural to want to look good for the person you are with whether you are a man or a woman. It doesn't make you any less of a feminist if you want to take extra pride in your appearance and impress the person you're dating. There's nothing wrong with a married woman saying she only wants her husband to see her "goods" and not the world.
People want to point the finger at Ayesha, but in reality don't we all think the same thing? Can you honestly say you've been at a party and you didn't whisper to your friends when a girl was wearing a dress that showed just a little too much skin? Or the girl who's butt cheeks are hanging out of her shorts? The reality is that people are pissed that Ayesha Curry spoke the truth. It's not slut shaming and it doesn't mean I am not a feminist because I agree with her.
Appearance matters. No matter how people try and spin it, it's the truth. When I say this, I'm not talking about physical attractiveness. But rather, the way you present yourself to the world matters. When you step foot outside of your door whether you're going to class or going to the club, you are showing people part of your identity through your style of dress. As a woman, is it wrong to want to be perceived as classy and put together? When you're in your twenties especially, your career becomes a large part of your life. With that being said, you never know who you might meet when you're out whether this be personally or professionally. More often than not, networking occurs in informal settings. Do you think a potential employer will take you seriously wearing booty shorts and an extremely low cut top or wearing something more modest?
Let's just take a look at women in this generation as a whole. When you chose to wear revealing clothing you're clearly telling the world you want to be seen. Constantly feeling the need to be "seen" clearly shows insecurity. Taking this a step further, we live in a generation that thinks it's completely acceptable for 12 year-old girls to have 30,000+ followers on Instagram from posing half naked in their photos. Young girls are getting their self confidence from grown men telling them that they have nice bodies. We have girls thinking it's cool to post videos on social media of them twerking on camera. This is where the problem lies. We've become so accustomed to our sick perverted culture that when someone challenges our norms, we think that they are the crazy ones.
Shouldn't we instead be striving to have society and the world see girls as confident, innovative, intelligent human beings? Rather than just a filtered body on Instagram? I know I would rather be seen as a put together, modest woman who not only dresses appropriately but dresses confidently than someone who doesn't leave anything to the imagination. Because I would rather someone get to know my brains rather than simply judge me on the amount of body I am showing.
Ayesha, my hat goes off to you! It's nice seeing someone speak about valuing their body and leaving something to the imagination. I apologize for this generation of women who have been so brainwashed by pop culture that they think that what you said was offensive. People always say that women need to be sexier and if they do or wear certain things they'll be viewed as "popular" or "cool". Being the "good girl" is perceived as lame, uncool, boring, or even prude. I'll take being the "good girl" any day because the sexiest thing that I'll ever know is class and that is something that will never go out of style.
