Here at BUST, we are well aware that there is no feminist dress code. But others aren’t so savvy on the idea that following fashion doesn’t mean you are disloyal to feminist ideals. Just yesterday a headline from the UK’s Independent read ‘You can be beautiful and still be a feminist.’ As if that is a profound statement! We figured that one out long ago.
The article was spurred after Cambridge undergrads stripped down to their skivvies for a student magazine, leading to comments about the ladies being “bluestockings” and “bimbos.” It’s unclear exactly why the ladies posed in their undies, but other students protested that the pictures “reinforced harmful attitudes towards women.” That point is debatable, but Jill Berry, president of the Girls’ Schools Association defended their decision. “Caring about physical appearance and fashion and wanting to feel good about how you look doesn’t have to be a betrayal of some feminist ideal. I love new shoes but it doesn’t make me shallow,” she said. Berry, who represents nearly 200 independent schools, says she did not encourage her girls “to dress modestly or behave modestly.”
So, what’s your take? Can you love fashion–or even pose in your underwear–and still be a true feminist? It’s open for debate.
Photo of Ashley Judd courtesy Ms. Magazine / Paul Natkin
