Undressing wardrobes

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The pandemic pounds I have gained make me grateful for having been lazy in sorting through my closet. With a bit of extra weight on my frame, I am glad for the extra few inches of waistband my (formerly too large) summer capris are giving me. 

I think quite a lot about clothes. Not because I enjoy shopping for them; indeed, the very opposite. I have written before about how much I loathe clothes shopping: So many options on the racks and so few viable choices for me. I want comfort and common sense, natural fibres and classic lines. No plunging neck lines, short hem lines or narrow pant legs for me. My body is made for living and moving, so I need my clothes to fit my form. I have no interest in stuffing or cinching myself into a piece of clothing or having it expose more of me than it does cover. Some women might want that; fine. I do not. 

But some women have no choice in the matter. Have you followed the brouhaha about the Norwegian beach handball uniform controversy? It is unbelievable to me, yet sadly true. In sport, women’s outfits tend to undress them, rather than clothe them appropriately for their athleticism.

As I was contemplating that sartorial state of affairs, I came across the photo of VP Kamala Harris with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. And it struck me like a ton of bricks: the President is in shirt sleeves, though with a tie, while the VP is in a blazer, though with high heels. She is more covered up than he is, though I would bet that if she were to take off her blazer, she would have bare arms. Hmmmm. To look the part for the people (the pic comes from the White House’s Facebook page), he is casual in shirt sleeves, while she is emulating the classic men’s formal style of a suit. He is dressed down, while she is dressed up. 

It is likely true that men have a smaller range of clothing options than women have these days, though it’s equally true that in 2021 almost anything goes for anyone — unless you’re a female athlete or you’re a woman holding high office. Then you’re limited by rules and conventions that I, for one, would like to change. 


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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Comments

  1. AnnJuly 23, 2021 at 7:56 AM

    Hmmmm I haven't given much thought to VP Harris's pant suits except to think they look well cut and comfortable. But I'm sure you are right about her apparel chosen for political effect, same with the President. Men in shirtsleeves sell more tractors doncha know.

    Right now I'm watching the Parade of Nations in Tokyo. What a variety of insular correctness. The women of Nauru are wearing knee length straight black skirts. How they must envy those from other countries in track wear.

    The only similarity in national costumes? Masks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amanda Le RougetelJuly 23, 2021 at 8:30 AM

      Interesting and unintended that I put up this post on the day of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics...

      I have no issue with pant suits for women, at all. They are 100% serviceable and can be 100% stylish, too. It is the contrast between the VP and the President's wardrobe in the photo that struck me, and how men take off their jacket to be informal while for women it's more complicated than that. I find this all endlessly fascinating and also endlessly infuriating; keeps me noodling on it!

      Delete
  2. FrazJuly 23, 2021 at 9:17 AM

    Then there's the shaming that happens to at least one female athlete nearly every Olympics: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/07/19/paralympian-olivia-breen-official-criticized-shorts-english-championships/8019628002

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amanda Le RougetelJuly 23, 2021 at 9:29 AM

      For sure what's true -- irrespective of shorts being considered too short or, conversely, too long -- is that women's clothing choices are fraught fraught fraught with complexities and expectations from a myriad of perspectives.

      Delete

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