For the podcast episode, click here. For the NOVA database article I referenced for the episode, click here.

The song, The Village by Wrabel, released in 2017, discusses the topic of being a transgender individual in a rejecting family or society. The lyrics relay, “They say, ‘Don’t dare, don’t you even go there. Cutting off your long hair, you do as your told.’ Tell you, ‘Wake up, go put on your makeup. This is just a phase you’re gonna outgrow.’” The protagonist of the song is expected to look feminine with long hair and makeup, representing their family’s traditional values. However, the protagonist attempts to refuse these values, cutting off their long hair in order to reflect their own values of individuality. This helps me answer my question by providing a clear example of how one may fight back against society’s values through their appearance, and be shut down for it. Also, this song adds another perspective of a transgender person, rather than just discussing cis women like in my first two posts. It proposes the question, why are women, or those perceived as women, the usual targets for forcing conformity?

When I was a child, around 2013 to 2020, I attended a rather traditional church with my family. All of the boys were expected to wear suits or button-ups, while the girls were expected to wear dresses or skirts. As a young boy (though I did not know that at the time) I heavily resented dresses. I found them to be far too long, far too heavy, and far too feminine for my tastes. I was also forced to wear restricting nylon tights, hard shoes, and occasionally my hair would be tied up so tight that I got a headache. Although these components made me squirm in discomfort all throughout church, I was still forced to conform to the standards of what a girl “should” look like. This extended all the way until my teen years when I left the church. In the church environment, my individuality in my style of fashion did not matter. What mattered was enforcing a sense of conformity among groups through fashion. Said conformity was dictated by the values of those in charge, such as traditional femininity, masculinity, modesty, and purity. I internalized this message until I was finally allowed to make my own decisions regarding my appearance, leading to me discovering how I could make my fashion reflect my own values, rather than others.

The background of my blog being a monochromatic typewriter adds to my argument because typewriters are quite old and antiquated, which lines up with my topic of fashion History. I also chose a black and white typewriter specifically to enhance this sense of a time long passed, since almost all forms of media are now in color unlike back then.

If you think my design is cool, you should also see this one!

The painting displayed, Shadow of a Ballerina, depicts a realistic photo of a 1950s American ballerina alongside her unrealistic shadow, who is painted to represent the beauty standard of the time, but exaggerated to its fullest extent. The shadow is also painted in a more impressionistic, abstract style, accentuating her detachment from how real women look. Meanwhile, the real ballerina is composed of an actual photo of a ballerina at the time, exemplifying how different she is compared to her idealized shadow. However, the ballerina’s shadow has significantly more roses at her feet when contrasted to the real ballerina, demonstrating how her overdone features, such as the hourglass shape and femininity, were highly valued among society. This helps me answer my question by clearly illustrating how women were valued in another decade of American history. It also proposes the question, are society’s values too unrealistic for the average person to achieve? When will people, especially women, be thin enough, white enough, or pretty enough for society?

Fashion is often blown off as shallow and pointless, and only matters to those who care too much about their appearance. However, fashion does have value in society other than just aesthetics. Fashion can help express the thoughts and feelings of a society at any given time. For example, in the 1930s and 1940s, fashion mannequins mirrored the beauty standards and values of the time such as thinness and whiteness.