As early as I can remember, girls have been told what they should or shouldn’t wear. In elementary and even in high school we are told not to wear spaghetti straps because god forbid anybody finds out girls have shoulders. Fashion is often seen as something that is regressing the feminism movement when in reality it is having the opposite effect. Young boys and girls should not be taught that a woman’s worth can simply be determined by judging her based on what she is wearing. After all, we’re taught to never judge a book by its cover, whats the exception here?
This past weekend as many of us know was the Super Bowl, more importantly the Halftime show featuring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Whilst most of us recognized their performance as amazing and most importantly, empowering some saw it as degrading. Why? Not because of their lyrics or the message they were telling the viewers but by their outfits. Instead of shaming these talented artists for their performance some people could only focus on what they were wearing. It’s quite ironic in more ways than one that people are criticizing both Shakira and Jennifer Lopez for their outfit choices when they were the same people who said nothing regarding Adam Levine’s halftime performance. In 2015, during the halftime show Adam Levine decided to tale off his shirt during his performance which no one seemed to have a problem with. Yet here we are, five years later and the double standard between the genders is more evident than ever. This year’s Super Bowl performance is seen as inappropriate and too revealing yet the 2015 performance was seen as unproblematic. A woman’s worth is not determined by her wardrobe and she should be able to freely express herself without others trying to diminish her success.
In the end, our choice of clothing is merely one of the many ways that we, as people decide to show who we are. Whether it be by wearing skirts or sweatshirts, the freedom of wearing what makes you comfortable should not be taken from you, as you are the only one who has control over that. This should be taught to all alongside the principle that both women and men should be praised for wearing what they see fit. Rather than being shamed for their own personal style as long as it does not harm anyone in anyway. Fashion may be the way we show to people who we are, but is should never be the judge of our worth.
References:
Agar, Jerry. (2020). AGAR: Was the halftime show objectification or empowerment?. Toronto Sun.
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