We are what we wear

DISCUSSION:

Everyday we spend time planning what to wear, and even judging what others wear in this fast paced twenty first century, in which we can only wish to keep up with the constant yet somewhat bombarding sea of trends that engulf us on a day to day basis. As a fashion blogger, sometimes it seems as though there is no phrase that speaks more truth then "we are what we wear." It's impossible to walk down the street without judging or being judged for what we wear. We are often defined by our appearances, in a world where first impressions count

To an extent it is beyond true that we really are what we wear. We are defined by the uniform we put on in the morning, and the outfit we change into at night. The smallest of choices within the grand scheme of life somehow dictate what others think of us. In my opinion, this ability to dictate first impressions seems to be one of the most beautifully dangerous concepts that surrounds us today.

Sometimes it doesn't even come down to what we wear, but how we wear it. Louise O'Neill's novel Asking For It, seems to show just that. The controversial book deals with rape culture in Ireland today, and if you haven't read it, then you really should. I feel like some of the concepts in this book take we are what we wear to a whole new level, where women are considered to be "asking for it," when they choose to wear revealing outfits. That, on the other hand, perhaps takes the concept out of context. You wear a uniform, you are a student. You wear a suit, you are a business woman. You wear a revealing outfit, you are brave. Not asking for it.

What seems most ironic about the widely talked about concept of our expression of our personalities being made mainly through our choice of clothing is the very fact that we have a school uniform. A uniform that creates a sense of "unity," a very unity in which we are supposed to find strength. I, for one, find strength is self expression. We are what we wear, so it's ironic that in these institutions of development we are not asked, but rather forced to wear an outfit that says nothing about who we are, but rather what the world wants us to be, and who they expect us to be. We are what we are told to wear, I am what I wear.

Who are you?