I have a strong feeling that “Lolita fashion is feminist” is libfem crap, does anyone has an explanation?
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it think its because lolita fashion is entirely centered and created around women and what they want (as far as i know). A lot of men consider lolita fashion to be gaudy, extra, or childish depending on the type. And Lolita fashion isnt really sexual in anyway. So I think people just decided it was feminist bc they want to call anything feminist
I’ve worn lolita fashion for almost ten years and I have to say that in a way I felt protected from the male gaze wearing those clothes as a teenager, I also find a community almost exclusively composed of women of all ages, so I can see why people say it’s feminist (even though I agree it is a libfem thing). Also, originally japanese women always said that it was about expressing yourself, wearing clothes you were comfortable in and not conforming to the seductive men-catering type of femininity. However it still is overall about femininity, as well as purity and modesty. Besides, even though a community exists, what really matters is superficial : the looks, the make up and the hair. Which is a shame because it could have been different and great honestly.
My go-to frenchie look
Chanel n°5, red matte lipstick, a bit of bb crème ( i hate foundation ), peachy blush on the cheeks, a touch of mascara, just to define and give a little natural volume, thick brows, long dark wavy hair, black or beige trench coat, a vintage leather handbag on my shoulder, dirty manly black boots, converse, adidas superstar, high waisted 90’s jeans ( iconic! ), little black dresses, striped clothes because i just love it,neutral colored t-shirts and tops, comfy but cute lingerie.
Wearing real fur is fucking gross
Wearing the fur of an innocent, dead animal that was killed for no other reason than “fashion” is goals? That’s sickening. I mean..seriously? Wearing real fur is disgusting. And looks gross.
Yup. Faux fur is way better! I really don’t get why people are still wearing dead animals on their back. Its cruel, and it’s useless. It should be illegal.
braineatingamoeba asked:
Hello! I was just reading your bio, and I was just curious by what you mean when you call yourself an “old fashion feminist”?? Thank you~
Hello! :) it means that i feel more in adequation with 60s and 70s feminism ( like what we call the second wave, radical theories and such ) than modern ( third wave ) feminism. And i like the term “old school” ^^.
the mechanism of production, or: why fast fashion sucks, structurally
I had a conversation with a couple of friends about clothing, and how it’s made, earlier this week, and it wandered into territory I thought y'all might find interesting. So here’s what I had to say, more or less.
Basically: there is a reason the clothes you buy at H&M are so shitty, and it’s not exactly that they’re doing it on purpose. Well, it sort of is. But mostly, it’s because they can’t not be shitty. It’s because the entire production chain, start to finish, has become structured in such a way that it is actually quite difficult to produce quality clothing.
When you buy a piece of clothing at a modern retail store, you are probably buying clothing made with dubiously ethical labor, of fabric sourced to cost as little as possible, made of pieces cut on machines designed to cut as many pieces of fabric as quickly, simply, and efficiently as possible. At every step in the chain, every step that can be cut has been cut. The process of clothing manufacturing is, at this point, breathtakingly streamlined, and it results for the most part in a very specific type of clothing.
If you have any familiarity with vintage clothing, you are probably aware that they are usually of significantly higher quality than most modern clothing. When I say “vintage” I mean, in particular, clothes made before about 1965– before the offshoring of our garment industry began. Most clothes worn in the United States before that time were made domestically, by union labor– that is, skilled workers being paid a living wage. This is relevant.
Also relevant is the fact that clothes used to cost more, as a proportion of a person’s income. The average woman in 1950 had one-quarter a modern woman’s wardrobe, and paid a higher percentage of her income for that wardrobe than a modern woman does. That vintage wardrobe, though smaller, was made to a higher standard– sturdier fabrics, better tailoring, sewn from more complex patterns, adorned with more details and better finishing. That wardrobe routinely featured things like deep-pocketed skirts, matching belts, bound buttonholes, pintucks, piping. These are not things we often see in modern fast fashion.
What happened? Well, it starts with labor. When we lost the domestic garment industry, we lost that pool of skilled labor, and switched to a lower-skilled, lower-paid labor pool. We switched to an emphasis on making as many simple garments as possible, as quickly as possible, rather than fewer, more complex pieces. We chose $5 t-shirts over $250 day dresses.
Which is not to imply that I’m judging people who wear fast fashion. It’s a completely rational economic decision to buy the clothes you can afford, and there are other factors at play here, too.
For instance, the price of fabric was once much lower, and home sewing a much more accessible hobby. Due in part to environmental factors and our changing climate, the price of cotton has risen in recent years– why do you think those whisper-thin cotton knits have been the prevailing trend? Why do you think everyone who can get away with it has switched to synthetics?
This is the point I’m trying to make: at every step in the production chain, from the manufacture of fabric to the design and assembly of the clothes themselves, someone has decided to do the least expensive thing.
Shift dresses require less complex cutting than structured ones– and what, coincidentally, has been the most common shape you see in stores? Miniskirts require less fabric than long skirts– and minis are, coincidentally, in vogue. Sheer fabrics require less raw material to manufacture; machine-assisted beading and studding takes less-skilled labor and less time than other forms of embellishment that call for skill and handwork. Garment workers being paid pennies a piece earn more when they don’t have to add pockets or extra finishing, or sew buttons on too securely.
The cutting machines that stamp out pieces to be assembled into clothing? They’re loaded with as thick a stack of fabric as possible, because the more fabric you cut at once, the more clothes you can make in a day. The thicker the fabric, the fewer pieces you can cut at once; the more pieces you cut, the greater the margin for error, so better make those pieces simple. Clothes that fit close to the body need to be cut and sewn more precisely, unless they’re made of stretchy fabric. Boy, leggings sure are popular these days.
We’re seeing the end result of a garment industry that has cut itself to the bone in pursuit of profit. The clothing currently in stores reflects an industry that has streamlined every process it’s capable of. This has actually influenced trends and driven fashion in a direction that calls for cheap-to-manufacture clothing. It’s a process that is fundamentally unsustainable, because there’s only so much you can cut before you’re left with rags. And it’s built on the backs of a labor pool that has begun to protest its treatment, to demand fair wages and attempt to unionize.
If that happens– and I sincerely hope it does– we may begin to see the price of clothing rise again. With it, if we’re lucky, we may see a rise in quality. When the people who make your clothing are paid a living wage, when they have the ability to develop their skills and be fairly compensated for them, there is a ripple effect through the whole production chain.
We might end up with smaller wardrobes. But perhaps the pieces in them will be worth owning.
This has been getting reblogged a bunch recently, and I’ve seen a lot of notes from folks who wish they could sew their own clothes but can’t afford the (admittedly steep) cost of fabric, and a lot of notes from people who want to thrift most of their clothes but have a hard time finding things that fit. So, a couple of tips:
If you don’t own a sewing machine, check your local Craigslist for a reasonably priced one. Try for an older machine– the all-metal tanks are more reliable than modern plastic ones. You can find PDFs of the manual for pretty much every sewing machine that’s ever lived.
If you don’t have room/$$$ for a sewing machine, you may have a fabric store or sewing studio in your area that rents time on their machines. They are also likely to offer classes, if you’ve never sewed garments before.
Bring a tape measure with you to the thrift store, and make sure you know your measurements. This saves a LOT of trial and error.
Many thrift stores have a ‘material’ section where you can buy fabric yardage. All thrift stores sell bedsheets and curtains, which are really just yardage if you have the right attitude.
Keep an eye on fiber content tags– avoid polyester, look for cottons, wools, and silks. Check for stains, holes, and weak spots. Avoid anything that’s already pilled. Look for notions– grab-bags of thread, zippers, buttons etc are super useful and way cheaper than buying them new individually.
Do you have a creative reuse center near you? They’re basically thrift stores for craft supplies. I’m in DC, so my nearest ones are Scrap B’more and Upcycle CRC.
If you’ve got a question about thrifting, simple sewing projects, and other ways to avoid retail fashion, feel free to message me.
Oh. So that’s why I had so much trouble finding a decent fucking t-shirt.
I was tagged by @lvoeletter to note nine albums that i love and then tag nine people. thank you for tagging me !!! :)
- Digitalism - I Love You Dude
- Daft Punk - Discovery
- Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
- Escape the Fate - Dying is Your Latest Fashion
- Rihanna - Anti
- Lil Kim - Hard Core
- Sefyu - Qui-suis je?
- Sexy Sushi - Ca m’aurait fait chier d’exploser
- Boney M - Nightflight to Venus
i tag: @vavareblog @cannibalitchi @glow-cats @puppetcake @korydweninterim @a-room-of-my-own @radical-flower @misaandry @lovelilts @rageandsailormoon @une–ecureuil and everyone who wants to do it <3 !!!
It’s obvious that tumblr views gender not as a binary, not as a hierarchy, not as a performance, but as a commodity bought to portray the image of uniqueness, like all other fashion items found in your local shopping mall.
Mireille Darc dans “Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure Noire ( 1972 )”
