Tee: J Crew
Scarf: J Crew
Skirt: Gap
Shoes: Crocs
Earrings: Turkey
The second time around the rotation, I got braver and wore a red skirt. If I do a third round, I'll go for a red top. Baby steps.
Anyway, I've been thinking a lot recently about the way women who care about fashion and style are perceived and how that intersects with what I've learned from other feminists (our topic this week for FFB). Sometimes I get a lot of flak from people for caring about how I look, as if somehow that makes me weak or shallow or insecure.
Except that that's not why I care. That's not why I get annoyed when people make comments about my interest in clothes and style. I get annoyed because the assumption that a smart woman shouldn't care about clothes, that clothes are nothing more than frivolous vanity, that caring about appearances is shallow is (a) not true, (b) misinformed, and (c) shallow. Yeah, I said it. Judging based on nothing but outside appearances is shallow, the end.
Well, that, and that writing off what's traditionally feminine as frivolous is antifeminist in my book.
I don't know if my mom would call herself a feminist, and I'm almost sure that my dad would have a hard time labeling himself as one, but as I look back on my upbringing, I see the feminist tendencies. I distinctly remember my mom telling me that blue was NOT for boys and pink was NOT for girls when I was setting up my Barbie and the Rockers band - an earth-shattering revelation for a five year old. I remember my dad playing Barbies with me when he got home from work so my mom could breathe without small children underfoot. I also remember the way he took me out on long bike rides and trips to the park to fly kites or play ball.
I was encouraged to develop diverse interests, and I think that spurred me to buck stereotypes as often as possible. So here I am, a twenty-eight year old Christian Latina. I like clothes, hunting for bargains, wearing heels, dancing, music of all kinds, boxing, Glee, stupid funny movies, Latin American history, baseball, languages, my hips, going to church, cooking, soccer, serving, reading, shoes, travel, and challenges. You know, among other things.
Because if there's one thing my parents taught me that has influenced my particular brand of feminism is that women (and men) are made stronger by diverse interests. And this is me, confident in my brain, my body, my heart, and my faith. And that's why I will talk style in one minute and immigration policy in the next. Because that's how I roll.
And I'm infinitely thankful that I have parents who've encouraged that. Son los mejores padres del mundo.
