KINDERWHORE

BAD GIRL, BAD GIRL, WATCHA GONNA DO, WATCHA GONNDA DO WHEN SHE COMES FOR YOU? Not a rhetorical question, punk!!!! I'm preeeetty sure I would make an amazing bully... good thing I'm super nice to people and smile at everyone who makes eye contact with my dumb face. This outfit is just overcompenstaion for how embarrassingly friendly I am to strangers. Go ahead, ask me for directions! I'll have absolutely no idea where you're going and no, I don't know street names because I don't drive, but I'll apologize a million times and offer to buy you french fries!

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Beanie - H&M

Wayfarers - Secondhand

Studded collar - Israel

Dress - YES STYLE

Jacket - Members Only

Biker boots - YES STYLE

This look is inspired by Courtney Love and the rest of the 90s Kinderwhore clan. I sought out this buttercup babydoll dress with hopes of punking the crap out of it. Did I deliver? Well, my eyeliner is hardly smudged and I'm not flicking cigarette ashes onto my loveseat so maybe not. But is it subversive? YES. Since I'm on the topic of female powerhouses, I figure this is a good opportunity to bring up the subject of feminism. Those of you who follow me on Formspring already know where I stand on the movement, but for the rest of you -- it's time to find out.

I am not afraid to say that I expect each and every one of my readers to be a feminist. Girl, guy, genderqueer, it doesn't matter -- every morally conscious human being should be able to recognize that gender equality is IMPERATIVE for society to progress and excel. Feminism is not about making women more powerful than men, it is about deconstructing the values we ascribe to genders that make us believe any one is more important than the other. That means feminism is not only for women. Feminism frees men from oppression, too; patriarchy cripples a man's ability to express himself emotionally, depend on others, and love. Patriarchy socializes people to victimize others and oppress themselves. Women and men alike often exercise the knee-jerk reaction of dismissing feminism. Why do we do this? Because we want to protect our privilege and defend our mental framework. We don't want to change the way we think or live, because that would mean sacrificing many of the benefits we are conditioned to desire. For a man, a privilege might be the ability to assume a place of political power (America has yet to elect a single female president!) So, if he were to embrace feminism and attempt to destroy his own privilege, that would mean he must accept more competition in the political sphere and workforce. For a woman, the privilege of patriarchy might be depending on a male counterpart to provide income, at the expense of her ability to assume the roles she genuinely desires (as opposed to those she is conditioned to believe she desires.) I believe that subconsciously, men recognize the privileges that come with patriarchy and want to keep them because they make life easier. But it's important that as we develop more advanced moral consciousnesses, we exchange convenience for equality.  It's also common for men (and women!) to deny that they are privileged, because pretending that privilege isn't real means that it can still exist without being addressed and amended. As soon as we acknowledge a problem, we are obligated to fix it. That is why we deny that there is any real need for change.

I encourage all of you to question the agents of socialization that influence your mindset and essentially shape your perspective -- that includes propaganda presented by the media, roles ascribed to you by your friends and family, even concepts that are presented to you as truths by your religion. Many of the values we are taught to apply to our livelihoods are not objectively fair; they are socially constructed ideas invented to control society and maintain power structures. Even if they benefit you, convenience you, or ease your sense of self, consider that those privileges cost someone else a basic human right. Challenge them. 

I could go on for hours about feminist/racial/class theory and how or why it's relevant, but I think for now I simply want to point out that equality is my priority. I will touch on specific subjects later. Opening up a dialogue for feminism (and intersectionality in general) is important to me, especially as someone who intends to pursue activism through self-expression and education for the rest of their life. Now you know!

Everything is infinite,

Bebe Zeva