Has it ever
occurred to you that as you get dressed daily, people actually size you up to
their personal standards of measurements, and then tag you as they deem fit? Well in
Nigeria, it has always been the status quo to judge a book by its cover, in
every area. And sometimes it seems it’s actually worse for women.
If you button up your collar too tightly, you're a prude,
very religious or too uptight, but if you show cleavage, then you're a tease. What
if you opt for flats, then you're old-fashioned, but choosing heels makes you
too cheeky or out-there. This form of sexual stereotyping has been going on for
a while, and in some people’s opinions has now placed the act of getting
dressed onto a damaging scale of self-worth.
Now
recently, Terre Des Femmes, a Swiss feminist organization, took on the double
standards that come with women's style with an ad campaign titled "Don't
Measure a Woman's Worth by Her Clothes." The campaign points out the
dangers of judging a woman by her outfit and points out the fact that those
judging her are usually wrong anyway.
The ads aim
to shed light on the dangers of making snap judgments about a woman by the cut
of her dress. Artist Theresa Wlokka created three images and assigned different
measures of worth for different areas of the body. From prudish to boring and
from cheeky to slutty, the funny thing is that not a single association is
positive.
We might
not all agree with the representations made by this images (I certainly don’t
agree with all of them). But I’m sure we all get the idea behind it, which is
to show that people judging others are usually very wrong, and to see for yourself
and think twice before looking in the mirror and asking; "Does this dress
make me look slutty?”
With all
that said, I’d love you all to give me your points of view on this issue;
should a woman be judged by her dressing and do you agree with these
stereotypical representations of what your outfit might say about you.
PHOTO CREDITS:
pulse
This is deep. Nice post, this was a great read. I agree and the same time don't with these images. But you're making a very good point. Thanks for this article
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing this great article! That is very interesting Smile I love reading and I am always searching for informative information like this. And I don't agree with the images lol, but i do agree as women we need to be conscious of what we wear......
ReplyDeleteI have clothes that I don't wear yet with tags on...i really like to invent something new in myself..love this article.
ReplyDeleteVery acute article, thanks for this and yeah I agree women do face a lot of judgment for the way they’re dressed. Some of them are deserved no doubt, but others are absurd like the images show. I believe a woman should dress depending on how comfortable she is and at the same time a sensible and trained woman won’t expose herself anyhow
ReplyDeleteI prefer a woman that shows less with the confidence that she doesn't have to show anything to be attractive. The thought of what's beneath is the best part, when I see girls with a "dress" that they might as well not be wearing it just puts me off, so when your already semi naked it just looks like you've shown everything to everybody. Trust me there's no point in flaunting, the quaility of attention you receive will drop, you will only attract shallow minded guys, which there are a lot of.
ReplyDeleteThat’s why I like myself, I live in jeans, trousers and shirts, and I don't care what they say about me. No time for anyone to judge me. I’m comfortable with myself and at the same time they can’t call me slutty.
ReplyDeleteI love this article and glad that you brought up this topic, but oh for heavens sake women should dress appropriately for the occasion and with elegance and decorum, whether casual or smart. ALWAYS wear your clothes well - DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO WEAR YOU. It's really not rocket science - whatever your taste.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing in this article that was new to me. I believe women should use their common sense to dress, and if they don’t they shouldn’t complain about what others call them.
ReplyDeleteTell this to Kim Kardashian she really needs this article in her life…… For me I agree stereotyping is needed to an extent or else some women wont be ashamed of bearing it all.
ReplyDeleteWomen let’s not be slaves to fashion or what some people think is sexy, sometimes what you wear does make a difference to how you're perceived, it’s the world we live in. Having the confidence to develop your own style is really what counts.
ReplyDelete: Well it all depends. For me I have no self-esteam problems, I just like to be comfortable. Wearing high-heels kills my feet. I used to wear them all the time, then I got smart, and said -why the heck do I put this pain on myself. So, now I wear flats and don’t care if anyone thinks I’m boring or not… So if you think showing some cleavage is what suites you then go with, no caring of what some other people think….
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article thank you. Right now I am caught in-between the two sides of the argument. I believe every woman should be conscious of what she wears so she won’t be perceived in a negative light also I don’t agree with going out to judge everyone just by their appearance sometimes you might be right but also sometimes you might be wrong.
ReplyDeleteDress in clothing that you feel most confident in. Keeping your look put-together, but not overdone or overexposed is very important.
ReplyDeleteDressing can be your best and worst enemy. I think it’s a great article for people getting ready for a job in a corporate setting. Dress sensibly that’s my advice……
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Interesting article, I think everyone is entitled to their own point of view, for me the feminists should take a chill pill, it’s the same way I ridicule grown guys that sag that’s the same way a girl that exposes herself or wears heels on the wrong occasion should be ridiculed
ReplyDeleteI’ve never commented on your blog before, because I usually don’t comment on stuff online, but this is a thought provoking and article and I just thought I should share my views. For me I like wearing black a lot, because I have a Goth personality, I love Rock music and NuMetal, so most times I just let my mood govern what I wear. So I kinda believe that’s how everyone thinks about dressing, so the moment you start dressing with some exposure most people will automatically assume you’re slutty, whereas most girls dress like that because of what they see on TV and on social media. As women let’s all dress the way the spirit leads us, and if your spirit leads you to be slutty well you are own your own LOL
ReplyDeleteYour fashion does make a statement and will say a lot about you before you open your mouth. For me there’s nothing wrong with showing some cleavage or wearing really short skirts once in a while. Everyone should just wear what they’re comfortable with and they’ll be fine. I sure don’t agree with does pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt is always refreshing to read a post or a blog from you! I have to elevate every day! I appreciate all your knowledge that you share! I consume every bit ! Keep feeding me Seymore! #GrindKeeper #WeGotNext #JumpItUp
ReplyDeleteThis is why I so love your blog, you deliver some really intellectual posts on fashion and women issues. My take on this issue is that, me I don’t support these images at all, I get the sarcastic idea behind them, but nobody should judge women like that. At the same time I believe every woman should learn to dress responsibly for whatever occasion.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I will be sharing with my teenage sisters. Blessings to you.
ReplyDeleteOne thing women should know is that a woman who chooses to dress in such a way as to display her feminine attributes will attract sexual interest from men. But who claims that men should not think the thoughts or experience the emotions that the woman is evoking with such dressing, now that would be hypocritical. A lot of the emotional response to the appearance of a person of the opposite sex is involuntary; what we have control over is how we respond with our behaviour. That’s why some men can easily find an excuse for rape, so pls women dress wisely.
ReplyDelete