Fashion & Liberation

Self portrait by Roshini Kumar

When I think about fashion, I imagine a mystical world full of wonder. Fashion to me is a vessel we use to express who we are, or who we want to be. Fashion is art–a garment designer can pour their soul into making a dress, but it takes someone who resonates with that piece to carry it on themselves. Our clothes can play a beautiful part in discovering who we are. We are years of trial and error (in and out of the changing room), and as we grow so do our fashion choices.

So how can fashion liberate us?

Liberation starts with accessing our needs and wants as an individual. To be truly liberated, one must be free. Free to be who we are. When we liberate ourselves through fashion, we show the demolition of years of conditioning. We’re no longer playing the role of anyone but ourselves, which also means we’ll be dressed accordingly.

Everyone is worthy of expressing themselves and their bodies with adornments of their choice.Your outfit can be an embodiment of everything you. It doesn’t have to be expensive, trend worthy, conforming to your gender or age. It can be a physical manifestation of who you are as a whole.

Infact, most mainstream fashion trends have historically been regressive. Trends can embody restrictive forms of self expression. Real fashion has never been about any of that. Hair, makeup and clothes have been used as forms of expression that break gender norms and roles, in the most powerful ways possible.

Take pants for example. The question of who wears them has been a rebellion in itself and we see many examples of this throughout history. According to Cathy Newman, who wrote about the subject in The National Geographic in 2019, “American Civil War surgeon Dr. Mary Edwards Walker wore pants despite eight arrests for ‘inappropriate attire.’” More recently in 2016, Jeffery Lamar Williams, aka Young Thug, who is an American rapper, singer and songwriter, made waves when he chose to wear a dress for his cover art. The photographer for the shoot, Garfield Larmond “…explained that Thug knew immediately upon seeing the dress that it was what he wanted to wear for the Jeffery shoot,” reported Cameron Wolf in his article published in Complex. These seemingly small acts can cause ripples, not only around the world, but also deep within yourself.

“I started wearing bits and pieces of colour and clothes that actually fit me as I began my journey into self love,” says photographer & activist, Roshini Kumar. She lit up as she spoke to me about her fashion aesthetic, that she feels belongs to the 90’s era. Fashion has also helped Roshini sieve through the crowd to identify people she would like to connect with. Plus, it’s been a way for her friends and family to get to know her better. Roshini believes that usually, fashion trends do not encourage inclusivity– they have restricted people by putting them into boxes and often do nothing for self expression. “Fashion should be about you,” she adds.

We have been subjected to the thought that women attract sexual attention via their clothes, or lack thereof. Telling women to cover up has had a way of controlling and limiting our expression. In some cultures the way a woman dresses apparently reflects on their family and their husbands. Infact, we even tell men what they are and are not allowed to wear. And I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of it.

Personally, as a woman, I decided to liberate myself from the belief that I am the one to blame for getting harassed. Our society and especially the patriarchy has played a huge role in what women (and men) should wear, but I refuse to be part of a system that controls what I put on my body, so I can fit into a role. I’ve decided to wear what I want and you should too!

If you aren’t dressing the way you want to, you can feel less like yourself. I urge you to stop denying yourself the liberty of being who you want to be. Fashion, when utilized correctly, is nothing short of a revolution. If we all start thinking of style, fashion and what is fashionable as something that’s uniquely you, the world could start becoming a better place.

So wear that outfit and liberate yourself, today!