Scarlett Johansson has been quite my obsession lately, not just because i recently found out that she's still very young to have achieved so much in the industry, but also because she plays roles that varies from very sexualized women (He's Just Not That Into You, 2009) to female badasses who can kick everyone's asses with no one's help (Black Widow from The Avengers and now, Captain America 2) to even ordinary but exquisitely beautiful women (We Bought A Zoo). i have to admit, i've yet to watch some of her even better movies like Her, Lost In Translation and other stuff, but I'm still blown away by this lady's acting and really, just this person.
i have so much respect for her because she pulls off so many different roles, but more importantly, she has been another one of those emerging actresses who aren't afraid to defend themselves from misogyny or sexism in general. (God bless Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong'o and a number of other MANY AWESOME ACTRESSES)
but today i am not going to just talk about Scarlet. today i take her as an example to talk about how women dress and how society view women in these outfits.
look at Scarlet in these two photos. on the left we have her in wavy short red hair, and in a dress that shows her back and accentuates her breasts. it's easy to tell that she has make-up on because of her pink lips. on the right we have her hair combed back, her brows furrowed together, expressing a more serious facial expression. the photo is in black and white so we can't really see if there's much make-up used. She's dressed in a suit--shirt, jacket and tie.
these two are the same woman.
moving away from Scarlet for a bit, let me tell you how i feel about 'feminine' outfits (dresses, skirts, etc). for all my life i've always had a problem with wearing skirts and dresses because i've always felt that wearing these things would make me seem more vulnerable (which was what i equated to femininity). being a kind of person who has always hated to be someone else's burden or worry people, i didn't want to portray that physically with whatever i wore. that and i really never thought dresses were as comfortable as pants because i would have to constantly worry about the wind and whatnot--it becomes a liability to me. generally as well, i find men's clothings much more comfortable when compared to the ridiculous women's section we see today, filled with lacy thin stuff which is apparently worth a fortune. there was nothing wrong with that.
what was wrong, was that i equated femininity to vulnerability, to being weak and helpless. to being that cute little girl who could easily ask for help if she was in a cute skirt and girly things. strength was not exactly a part of my definition of femininity. i've even asked one of my friends once if she thought that women in dresses or skirts can seem to look more vulnerable than those in pants, and she answered yes, it did seem so. it's obvious that i'm not the only one who thinks so, and this must be a social conditioning we have all come to accept.
let's go back to Scarlet in those two photos.
it's true that Scarlet Johansson in herself exudes an overwhelming badass-ness, hence it is hard to argue that she looks 'weak' in that dress and 'strong' in that suit. but if i were to show this to stereotypically-educated boys, and ask them which Scarlet they would want for a date, we would see where this can go. femininity today is about taking your vulnerability and making it look attractive. that men would want to protect us--not that there's any harm in that, because i love people with protective natures, but the fact that weakness is imbued in feminine outfits such as this to make women look vulnerable and weak, hence equating that to being attractive...well, something's just awfully wrong about that.
it's just something i thought about.
why can't we see women in feminine outfits to be strong women? must she be in those killer heels and fierce glasses to be a really good leader? what if your boss looked like this:
and yet she can still be associated to being a strong woman who knows how to deal with her emotions and be rational at work? this woman you see right here, can be a very successful figure, who leads a non-profit organization in helping human-trafficking victims. this woman you see right here, can be a single mother who has been through all the crap a person can go through, but still emerge to be a physically and spiritually wealthy lady who owns a tiny bookshop in the city. this woman you see right here, can be bossy but sexy; cute but fierce; passionate but gentle; stern but kind. this woman you see right here can be more than just vulnerable. i'm not saying she doesn't need your help at all, but what i do mean is that she can do things on her own pretty well too.
so here's to strong women who wear really (literally) cute outfits. and here's to the rich diversity of women we have all across the globe. just because we dress up like a proper lady does not make us any weaker. i want to stop becoming that person who victimize women because of the way we dress. i want to say, that girl who's wearing butt-shorts has amazing potential. i want to say, that girl who's wearing a bear hoodie complete with ears is an incredible person with a huge heart. i want to say, that girl who's wearing a really cute dress, is one of the most badass people i know.
let's keep breaking stereotypes, eh?
1 comment:
I think you've basically got down to the root of it - suits, ties etc. are associated with strength and power because of their link with masculinity. Dresses and skirts are associated with femininity = fragility = vulnerability (and to some extent applies to colours as wwell - blacks, dark blues are sober and authoratative).
And clothing choices also put me in mind of Zooey Deschanel, who's often accused of not being "feminist enough" because she likes lace and dresses and polka dots and ribbons, but she has also openly demanded to know why she can't be taken seriously by other women just because she enjoys wearing things that are stereotypically feminine.
But you're absolutely right here - a strong woman and/or a woman in a position of power should not have that authority and strength undermined by what she chooses to wear or not wear.
And that line of yours about the "rich diversity of women" made me so happy because it made me think of all the women I know and all the clothes they love wearing and how their fashion choices are statements of their personality, but also NOT ALL THAT THEY ARE. My aunt was the manager of an auotomotive company with a five-figure salary but went to work every single day with bright lipstick on, painted nails, pearls and jewelry, pantsuits in vibrant colours (and she would have choked anyone who dared say anything about the way she dressed). There's the friend who wears nothing but jeans and jackets and looks like she could beat your ass up, but runs away from kittens. Why is it so hard to see us as people in all our varieties and contradictions?
And it all comes back to the root of it. We need to stop associating ANYTHING feminine = helplessness and frivolity, and to some extent reframe "weakness and vulnerability" as things that are not always or not entirely negative .
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