Every time my BFF Jessi and I are contemplating our outfits for an out of town gig or vacation themed event, we prioritize our likeness to our all-time favorite teen bully: Brianna Wallace. I've probably referenced her before in my Holiday in the Sun post, which was named after the movie she starred in (played by Megan Fox in her adolescence). We simply love outfits themed around that movie, which was actually a narrative infomercial for Atlantis resorts but marketed to Mary Kate and Ashley's youth audience as just another fun foray into the lives of America's white heroine sweethearts. There's an irresistible Weezer song playing in the intro. Here's why I love Mary Kate and Ashley: they were more or less sold into acting (not placing any blame here) and compromised the public experience of having their own unfiltered opinions, but as soon as becoming adults they rebelled against exactly that and became opinion leaders in fashion. They could have continued to exchange their identities for corporate campaigns with corporate scale paychecks. Instead, they welcomed adulthood and the process of having one's own opinions filtered not by a parent agent but by her personal, internal moral discretion.
Anyway, so this look is an enthusiastic wave (you know what I hate? when people say 'a nod to (x trend)' -- why are you nodding? It sounds so pretentious and wannabe dignified. I would never nod at something I like, I would enthusiastically wave. Unless you're talking about a 'wassup' nod. I would say sup to a trend I like, but it's waaaay more likely that I would wave and give them a Ja'mie hug and double cheek kiss) to water sports and the contemporary integration of neoprene and PVC in fashion.
Now may I direct your attention to the star of today's show. Everybody, meet Minty Jungle, Minty Jungle, meet everybody. This what Minty Jungle looks like:
Sequin All Seeing Eye Top ($40) | Jersey Mesh Bralette ($29) | Faux Leather Harness ($30) | Velvet Zip Up Crop Top ($24) | Cheetah Print Bomber Jacket ($50) | Supreme Bitch Swimsuit ($60)
I'm loving this angry sport girl aura for summer.
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My #OOTD features a Romwe top, 80s Purple sunglasses and Minty Jungle Uber leather skort.
Everything is infinite,
Bebe Zeva
It sucks to not genuinely believe in things anymore. Not only is life less fun when you don't feel compelled by some unforeseeable narrative to carry on, but people start to trust you less because your once dependable faith in that narrative is waning. Your friends wonder if you're an authentic person. Your lack of commitment to the dream is socially unattractive, confusing, unrelatable. What else might I be doing out of guilt, not sincere interest? People don't believe me now that they know I don't believe in things.
I've quickly gone from an ENFP to an INFP. It feels like nothing inspiring can come out of physically exhausting social interactions. So I isolate myself in either my bedroom or bathroom, settling for the company of my mirror reflection instead. Finally I understand what a buzzkill I am. But I'd rather change my outfit than my opinion. ;)
Maybe a good example of my literally immeasurable, but detectable, bitterness is this cyan/turquoise/teal outfit I wore several weeks ago. In December 2012, I would have genuinely loved what it represented; allegiance to a group of people who also deliberately wore these colors and prints. But now that I don't seek alliances with subcultures and people, I don't care what reaction someone has to this outfit. It no longer serves a 'signified purpose.' It's just a black and cyan outfit that hearkens to the tropical nostalgia of faith in the future.
I do sincerely hope that someone is inspired anyway.
Supershop 24 Hrs holographic snapback, Romwe checkered bodysuit, Romwe palm tree leggings, H&M shirt, Boohoo rhinestone heels
Everything is infinite,
Bebe Zeva
Living out of a suitcase for four months in LA taught me a lesson about how to efficiently combine pieces of my finite clothing supply so I'd appear less resource-deprived and (hopefully) more creative. We know this frantic desperation to mix and match is rooted in fear of seeming 'poor' - and what else, we know that the premise of the current Fashion Game is contaminated with prejudice towards the 'uncreative' working class, from whom the fashion set is perennially devoted to differentiating themselves.
We've developed ways to reconcile our poverty with attention to personal style: recycling, recontextualizing, etc. The tragedy is that differentiating oneself from the stigma associated with a lack of access only reinforces the original stigma by proposing that poverty is embarrassing and worth moving away from. The inverse of this, normcore celebration of 'poor aesthetics,' is even more boorish in that it superficially camouflages the privileged among the genuinely deprived, thus absolving the former group from having to acknowledge their systematic advantages. It also sedates the movement toward eliminating poverty by re-presenting it as a "chic lifestyle choice."
Basically, there is no way to morally defend an involvement in fashion. But that refers back to my disclaimer post, De Profund-ish.
I went with option A, flexing my creative muscles to make some unnecessary statement about how ~innovative~ I am as an individual, and how there's ~no excuse~ for not having a diverse sense of style, even during times of hardship. Propaganda 101... who knew it looked so innocent?
Same pair of Missguided heels in every outfit, and a leatherette motif theme throughout. Consistently incorporating a material, color, or pattern in your looks for the week lends plenty of credence to the insinuation that every outfit was deliberately selected in line with your preferences -- even if it all came together by chance.
water sign
Zero UV clubmaster sunglasses, Missguided leather crop top, Ping Ping & Rabbit bubble print leggings, H&M denim shirt
en fait
Retro City sunglasses, Romwe collar and Givenchy-inspired shirt dress, J Brand leather cuff jeans, Romwe rhinestone necklace
matinee
Retro City sunglasses, OASAP cuff necklace, T by Alexander Wang top, Romwe leatherette overalls dress
Everything is infinite,
Bebe Zeva
I think I'm comfortably postfeminist enough to wear this Girls Gone Wild trucker hat. Surely someone will confuse my accessorization of the franchise as a subversive endorsement of women 'just expressing themselves.' But I'm not that optimistic. I think I'm actually okay with wearing this hat because I think "Girls Gone Wild" is just the type of shitty entertainment that deserves to be appropriated into contextless ubiquity, hopefully destroying the fecal aura of its crass origin en route. Lol I'm a little out of control today guys.
No disrespect to the actual girls 'gone wild' (or girls going wild anywhere, I guess) -- whatever your reason for participation, I empathize. My core issue with this franchise is its slimy ideological veneer - the one that tricks people into believing women can make truly independent decisions in a culture so entrenched in discrete patriarchal influence.
That said, I can't be counted on to not appropriate meaningful things because (remember?) I selfishly enjoy holding culture accountable for its terrible entitlement complexes. And I've been known to imitate the masses in an undisclosed, masturbatory situationist charade. The difference between my participation in trends that I know suck deep down and the participation of most genuine 'mainstream apologists' is that
1) I don't sincerely believe that anything popular is good
2) I don't currently appraise the importance of my behavior at an obese overestimate -- one that I've seen lead many unfortunate internet presences to defend their lazy compliance with claims that all life and conversation is "performance art"
and
3) I will admit when something I've said or made is propaganda or pornography (this entire blog and all of my social media accounts)
Conversation over. Oh wait, this was and never will be a conversation because I cannot be persuaded. I'm a petulant 20 year old, people. Lower your expectations.
Vintage cap, Deisel leather jacket, Motel bodysuit from 80s Purple, OMG Fashion disco pants, Missguided heels
Everything is infinite,
Bebe Zeva
