How can fashion be used as a form of rebellion?

With the new Trump administration there seems to be a general tendency towards gender stereotypes and the outdated gender dress, which seems to me a frustratingly restrictive version of how a “woman” looks. Is there any way to wear clothes to rebel against this tacit clothing code, even in a rather conservative work environment? – Renee, Emeryville, California.

It is true that the new administration seems to have some very specific ideas with respect to clothing and gender. Those that have to do with classic clichés of masculinity and femininity. In their most extreme form, they take the form of an executive order on gender definitions, but they are also expressed in aesthetics and options on clothing and beauty. When it comes to women, that seems to mean high heels, long hair and luxurious eyelashes.

It is also true that more and more it seems that the leaders of the main public companies, including technology, finance and fashion, are online behind those most retrograde ideas. If that translates into real clothing codes is another issue, but “appropriate”, the current word of choice with respect to the wardrobe and the workplace, is quite open to interpretation.

That said, the dress has been a form of rebellion against almost any type of norm, gender included, since Joan of Arc put on a male armor in the fifteenth century. Just as one of the ways to demonstrate the related mind is to look at the part, one of the ways to demonstrate the deviation of the group is to look different from the group. There is a reason why there is the term “fashion declaration”.

What that means depends on the group in which you are. If that sounds vague, it has to be. The protest traps, if they are not obviously obvious (like a sign on the forehead), they are subjective and exist both in the mind of the person who uses the garment and in the eye of the viewer. A protest garment that stands out at work can be completely illegible for people on the street.

You have to decide how far you want to get to make your point. How much do you want the focus of the conversation to be? And who really?

If, for example, your dress is for internal satisfaction, if it is an expression of your own sense of gender and what it means to you, simply use what makes you feel more like you and remember your own belief system is the answer. . If the point you want to do is about old gender standards, simply not bought them, it may literally be enough.

Maybe that means wearing thick boots with a large rolling band instead of needle heels. Maybe it means a concert shirt under a suit jacket. Perhaps it is just a couple of custom jeans and a crispy shirt with French fists and sleeve links. Maybe you are refusing to change code.

However, if you want it to go further, and do not want what you use become the dominant topic of conversation every time you enter a room, there is a simple way to turn a fashion choice into a form of protest. Create a uniform for you that stands out simply because it is different from the majority of the majority. (Honestly, this is one of the lessons of high school).

Use any garment consistently, and at some point everyone else should receive the message. Whether they are aware of it or not.

Your style questions, answered

Every week in the open thread, Vanessa will answer the fashion -related question of a reader, who can send him at any time through email either Twitter. The questions are edited and condensed.