I have come to realize that the flapper's of the 1920's and the "biddies" of today's society have quite a bit in common. I'm not positive I could say that the short skirts of our time are a radical gesture, but this type of dress definitely makes a statement; not up on a soap box, not at the table with parents, but in everyday public lives. These women walk on the sidewalks of our towns, in the malls, and into the public eye, making statements without words. This, I wouldn't say is a movement, but a demonstration of femininity. In a time when we are told that wearing a certain type of clothing gives one a reputation, many "biddies" defy the expectations regardless of what others think.
Just like the flappers brought up the lengths of their skirts, women today are following suit. Though the preferable body back then was a boyish slim figure, today women want curves in all the right places. Women would use the fast selling cosmetics to enhance features, and still do so today (granted some people take it too far and attempt to remake their entire face). The flappers were learning to "live their own lives" by not following the societal expectations of what a proper woman should look like. They also wanted to play the part of "irresponsible play-mates", which in turn allowed them to fall out of the position of "guardians of morality." I feel as though women are still looked at to set standard morals for their children, they are the foundations of a family. I don't believe that by wearing certain clothing one's morals completely subside, leaving her completely demoralized. Clothing just doesn't have that type of effect on someone. An attitude change of an entire group of women is what makes morals change, not just by shortening a skirt or two. Now women look the part of of the "irresponsible playmate" do so only for the looks, they don't necessarily play the part. Women today use the sense of independence created from the revolution flappers were involved in to take authority over themselves. They take hold of femininity in a very sexual way because feminism is a very sexual subject.
The class reaction to the word "biddie" was exactly what I expected. People have a certain connotation that if a girl is overly sexy that she could not possibly want anything but for a man to come jump on his opportunity. I, however, after thinking about it don't think this way at all. I believe wearing things that show off one's body is extremely empowering, and has nothing to do with other people, only with yourself. I used Eve Ensler's "My Short Skirt" in my other blog post but didn't really go into the words of the monologue. I believe this monologue has a lot to say about how women dress. In one part the narrator says:
It is not an invitation
a provocation
an indication
that I want it
or give it
or that I hook.
The words pretty much sum it up. Waring a short skirt does not simple prove that a girl is asking, or more so begging, for male attention. The next chunk is what really makes me understand this monolouge.
My short skirt, believe it or not
has nothing to do with you.
My short skirt
is about discovering
the power of my lower calves
about cool autumn air traveling
up my inner thighs
about allowing everything I see
or pass or feel to live inside.
My short skirt is not proof
that I am stupid
or undecided
or a malleable little girl.
This part also goes out to the fact that women who wear short skirts do it only for themselves. Since when does wearing a certain type of clothing make a person less intelligent or one who has loose morals? I believe that hose who judge a person's intelligence based on the way they dress is a very closed minded way to think. I don't believe a girl who dresses conservatively is more intelligent than anyone else, but a girl who dresses more provocatively is automatically assumed as "dumb, stupid, and an idiot" as I heard one classmate say. The negative connotations towards the intelligence of women based on how they dress seems to be only one sided. The term "biddie" has often been interchanged with "slut." I find this very interesting since the word biddie was taken out of context to describe a girl who looks a certain way when the actual definition says nothing about appearance at all. The word slut, then, is often used to describe or as another term for biddie which also seems pretty moronic to me. So really who is the unintelligible one? The person who takes hold of their sexuality or the one who criticizes her for doing so?
PREACH, GIRL! I love that you're so adamant about this, it's so great. We both wrote entries on the same track with the whole biddie/flapper comparison, but you looked at it a lot more critically than I did. I agree that dressing a certain way is definitely a reflection of how you feel about yourself and that's it. It's not indicative of what kind of person you are, how intelligent you are, and so forth.
ReplyDeleteI was in the Vagina Monologues last year and I'm in it this year as well; I didn't hear 'My Short Skirt' until way later in the rehearsal process but I LOVE IT. It's definitely one of my favorite monologues in the show just because it's so in-your-face and so empowering. I think every girl that's ever been called a biddie or a slut, or judged based solely on what she wears should read this monologue and understand that it's all what YOU make of it, not what anyone else thinks.
Awesome post, girl :)
I hope you keep on talking about this too, because it's interesting and important. I made a comment on Jade's blog that also applies to your train of thought here. I'd really like to see you nail down a definition of 'feminism.' You're essentially redefining it, or owning a definition, and an expression, that even feminists tend to want to marginalize. I think your motivations are really different than the motivations of your basic flapper that way.
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