Fashion is a tricky one for feminists. There are two poles to navigate, each with deep roots in thousands of years of patriarchy, and few of us make it through uncompromised. On one side we feel the pressure to dress sexy and look attractive, and on the other, a pressure to cover-up, because it is our job to prevent arousal in men. In their purest forms, both reduce women down to their bodies.
In the 1960s women began resisting the idea that they should have to hide their bodies or their sexuality all because some men can’t handle it. These miniskirt feminists, which included women like Gloria Steinem and Helen Gurley Brown, saw sexual liberation as part and parcel of women’s liberation and weren’t afraid to show a little leg to prove it. Now we are seeing a similar effort among nonconforming women, but this time the skirts are long.
Read Full Article »