The Fabric of Me: Sown inside out

When you choose your outfit for the day are you choosing how you want to be seen or who you are? For me my clothing has always been a little bit of both, it provided counsel in my appearance to symbolize what I believe in. I started to love fashion very early on in life. My mother played an intricate role in my love for fashion because growing up I watched her style herself and altered her own garments.  Similar to my mom, growing up I didn’t have all the latest fashion trends or the means to afford it.

 

 

I loved to read magazines like Vogue, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Elle just to name a few. I would flip through the pages and read the tips on how to dress for your body and wear what the celebrities are wearing for a cheaper price. Even though the clothing were at a cheaper price at the discount stores, I still found it difficult to afford it. This among other things motivated me to start working as soon as I was legally able to. Working and earning money of my own provided me with a sense of responsibility and independence. This helped me to begin  molding my style into a professional, confident as well as a smart young women that was eager to learn more and be taken seriously. Reading fashion magazines along with watching media shows such as E! news, resulted in me learning to be more creative by finding the best ways to style and dress for my body.

I was for the most part confident in my appearance but struggled with some insecurities. In addition, Stereotypes and biases against people of my skin complexion didn’t help the situation. Most times I feel the need to be the bearer of my race. In most cases, the places I go to in a social setting, I’m usually the only person of my skin tone around. At times I feel like I am the example, whether this is true or not, I undergo the burden of being the symbol of my race. With all the stigmas and stereotypes about people of my skin complexion, whenever I’m around people of different descents and skin tones I feel like I have to be at my best. Instead of being the norm of what they (people from different races) are use to, I aspire to display more. I have to admit sometimes I undergo a lot of pressure having the urge to show others that the stereotypes are untrue. I’m not a stranger to the phrase “She’s pretty for a black girl” or “You are not what I expected”. What does that say about society? It’s been 50 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but some of the same biases and prejudice still exist. African American fashion designers are still a rarity in the industry, and in my opinion its harming our society. The insufficient amount of Black fashion designers allows these preconceptions to continue to exist. While not completely  demonstrating what the African American culture can illustrate and express through fashion. My style expresses my independence, it makes a stand to challenge the stereotypes while I am just being myself. I have pride in my appearance, not fusing my identity with my clothing per se, but being true to myself by displaying certain tiers of my identity through my fashion choices. Not all my choices were great, but they helped me mold myself to be my most comfortable me. For that, I will always love fashion.

Questions:

#1.) Should it be of concern for a person to sow clothes that looks more expensive than what they can really afford; rather than finding a way to earn more to better their standard of living?

#2.) What does it mean to have “the burden of being the symbol of your race”? Is it reality or self consciousness?

#3.)  Is society molding our fashion styles with magazines and media or are we in control?