Lately, a girl who wears short skirt, pumps, and a shirt with some cleavage showing has been dubbed the name “biddie.” For decades now, a girl who goes out in short skirts and high heels are perceived as “asking for it,” but in reality we are not asking for anything, we are just flaunting our girlish figures that we have been taught to hide. Even Ensler addresses this issue directly in the Vagina Monologues. The monologue named “My Short Skirt” explains that wearing such clothing is not an invitation of any sort, rather it’s a way to discover ones self and to find confidence in who you are.
Girls who participate in this “culture” are thought of as easy or unintelligent. Most times this is not the case at all. I am a perfect example. I dress in a certain way because I’m learning who I am and building my self-esteem and wearing different types of clothing that flaunt different parts of my body is part of that process. I most definitely prove the idea wrong that all girls that dress like this are stupid. I have been a straight A student my entire life and have been on the Dean’s List ever since coming to college, and I am also in three national honor societies for my grades. Most guys who find this out about me after meeting me a couple times usually say “Wow! I had no idea you were smart!” When I ask them why they simply say it’s because of the way I dress sometimes. I find it rather annoying that because I choose to dress in a certain way my intelligence is just thrown out the window before I even sit down and have a conversation with someone.
Girls who dress in this way seem to stick together. It shows that we have a built confidence among each other as well as our own self. The interactions between these girls seem to be more bold than those of girls who are more conservative. We learned that there is nothing to be ashamed of, we should be proud of being a woman and having curves. Most girls who dress like this seem to be in college, and this is where the term “biddie” has been taken into a different context than what it was originally thought of to be, which is an old gossipy woman. Though I can definitely see how these negative connotations came to be, I wish that those that refuse to think that girls who dress like this are anything less than trash would think again. We dress like this to make ourselves happy, it is not a "come hither" gesture.
I don’t think that this fad says anything bad about America, though some think that it gives the American woman a bad name. I went to Europe a couple of years ago and the women at night dressed even skimpier than the women I see running around Fredonia. Wearing these “slutty” clothes seem to give me a name, but in reality I feel powerful and most beautiful when I am able to show off the parts of my body I am most uncomfortable with.
In class we talked about how some can label people as “others” based on their appearance such as race or clothing style. I sometimes feel “otherized” by other girls when I go out dressed like this. They look down upon me like I am walking around naked, but in reality I just find myself most attractive in jeans. I wear skirts when I am at a point of low self-esteem, it makes me feel much more confident in who I am. I’m sure this fad will soon die out and it will be another thing looked back upon in the future. Just as we look at flappers and hippies now, its just a way of dress, sometimes a lifestyle.
Performance of "My Short Skirt"
Urban Dictionary Biddie:
You know, this is actually hysterical because I was our school's production of the Vagina Monologues last year and I really wanted to connect that to the reading but I couldn't figure out how to. So kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteNot to mention OH MY GOD, I FEEL THE SAME WAY. I can almost always be seen in a skirt or dress and heels. People (especially other girls) are always staring at me like I did something wrong and I completely despise. What gives you the right to judge me for trying to look good?
In class when we were talking about feeling like an "other," I too was thinking about how I never felt otherized by being a part of an ethnic group, but more as being in a social group, like being a young woman.
I totally appreciate this post and I agree with you 1000%! Great job :)
Here's an article on exactly this topic that you might like: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2011/08/29/why_lisa_belkin_is_wrong_to_condemn_college_girls_for_dressing_s.html This entry is a really, really good example of what I was hoping people would come up with (and Jade, awesome comment). What's fascinating to me is that this debate has been going on for so long, not just in mainstream society, but also among feminists. The idea that young women can and should wear what they damn well please, and be as sexy as they like, just really seems to bother people--even people who should know better. I thought we were kind of over this issue for awhile with 3rd wave feminism in the 90s, but it looks like the backlash is looping around again Sigh. A bit more explicit connection to the reading would have been good here, but otherwise, very nice!
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