When fashion is feminist

The last post talked about Vogue India’s latest cover, which has Anushka Sharma wearing a t-shirt that says ‘We should all be feminists’. Feminist fashion has been lapped up in recent times by other movie stars as well. A case in point being Alia Bhatt, who was recently spotted wearing an upper that said ‘F for Feminist’. Deepika Padukone was also recently seen wearing a top that said ‘The Force is Female’. 

The fact that the feminism is now openly and proudly put on display by high fashion, shows how trending the theme has become. But the fashion industry, has actually in its own way, been quite feminist for a very long time now. Consider the highly popular, if now outdated TV series, Sex and the City. Its glamorous, frothy, eye-candy. But if you look carefully, it could be more. Carrie Bradshaw, the main lead, is a fashionista who does her own thing. Her fashion choices can be unpredictable, bold, wild and downright unpalatable. But they are her. Of course the fact that she is constantly caught up in the world of brands, even at the cost of having financial stability when it comes to the crunch; runs after a man who treats her with disregard and emotional unavailability and not to mention, has little personality, hardly reflect a woman who knows how to do what’s best for her. In fact, for haters of the series, she is the ultimate air head. But the point here is this, she is still showing ferocious independence in her fashion choices (as well as her sexual ones, which is another topic) which is not always easy to put on display.

In other words, she is a fashion trailblazer. And who is to say that, that is any less than trailblazing in other areas of life – like work. If the key to feminism is female independence from rigid regulations imposed by being subservient to rules that no longer work for women, then, from clothes to food to social choices to work, are all part of the mix.

But even without the inevitable Carrie Bradshaw reference point, the fact remains, that the fashion industry has been quite experimental historically. And thanks to it, women’s fashion, at least, has revolutionised overtime. From the Indian experience alone, think about the choices available for women’s work wear even 10 years ago (and lets not even get to 15 years ago), and see the difference now. From the sheer number of brands available, to the practical suitability, there has been a sea change.

Long dupattas have made way for omnipresent and manageable stoles, churidars have been replaced by far easier, if not more chic, palazzo pants, buttoned cotton shirts for women that would often start creating uncomfortable eyelid gaps to a wide variety of wrinkle free work place tops; there has been a vast change already. Of course there are trends to the contrary too. Like, sarees have made a big come back and they are not simple to handle for most women. High heels remain a fashion ideal despite the soreness they can cause to the feet. But the fact of the matter is, that a more suitable choice is always available if you would like to make it. And that’s the whole point of feminism – giving women choices – right?

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