by Lucy Korn
I have never thought of myself as a feminist, mostly because I don’t believe that wanting social, political and economical equality should warrant a label (it’s just a basic human right), but also because sometimes that label can look down on activities that, as a woman, I love. For example Politico magazine recently published an article in which the author talks about how fashion magazines demean woman of power – even when they are celebrating them.
Apparently when Vogue, ELLE, Marie Claire or the like profile a ‘serious ‘woman (no celebrities or designers because god forbid a woman in the pop culture spotlight be deemed serious) they are demeaning them by putting makeup on their face, designer clothes on their backs and asking them to smile or worse, asking about their children. I mean god lord; there is no way an intelligent and powerful woman like Condoleezza Rice would care about something as frivolous as appearances right?. How demeaning for her to be shot by the worlds most celebrated photographers for the pages of such a notable magazine!
What I hear when I read these kind of articles, or when I hear Hilary Clinton calling out an interviewer for asking about her personal style (“Would you ask a man that question?”) is that there is something inherently wrong with a powerful woman who also enjoys dressing up, shopping, looking good and talking about her children; that liking these things somehow diminishes a woman’s credibility. These arguments, they don’t do anything to fight sexism; they just perpetuate it in a different way..
And anyway why should it be considered demeaning for a powerful women to partake in such a ‘frivolous’ thing like fashion when their male counterparts are not considered any less credible for liking rugby or bespoke suits?
Huh maybe I am a feminist.
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Photo credit: Voguepedia
