Jordan
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Just recently, I just found out from my friend that some people at my alma mater whom we mutually know, have been talking trash about me due to my fashion sense or lack thereof.
For those who don't know, I prefer to wear.
-Basic black or funky looking skirts of varying length
-Blouses, especially plaid and/or those with peasanty cut or shows a little skin around my neck area (preferably buttoning down the front due to me feeling more comfortable putting it on and the subtle sexiness of it).
-The occassional dress
-Occassionally, maybe even khaki shorts or gender ambiguous dress pants
Now, I DON'T plan on going on a witchhunt or going psycho on people, however, I must address a few things.
Due to me being 6 feet tall and identifying as female, I am hardpressed to find clothing which fits me, and due to having a bit of a beer belly (mmmm beeer) and some love handles, I tend to wear clothing that is form flattering, which is often derided as being "frumpy" or "granny" or even "conservative" (Funny story, when Ann Coulter came to my alma mater, I was wearing a basic black skirt and a bleak floral printed, somewhat baggy, blouse, and I made a crack to my friend Jill that I was the most conservatively dressed person in the room)
Plus, due to me being poor, half of my clothing was either purloined from a hippy commune in Virginia or purchased at Goodwill. And believe me, compared to what is normally at Goodwill, I picked the least granny clothes from there. I also have some clothes from Old Navy, which markets to a younger audience but isn't necessarily the most fashionable, and just started with Avenue, which is marketed more to a 25-40 demographic and specializes in plus sized clothing.
And receiving this news probably made me want to affirm that I will dress in whatever way makes me feel comfortable and I don't care what people think anymore, and that is all that matters. It seems though a lot of LGBTIQ people sadly live up to the stereotype of being overly fashion conscious, and WHILE I DON'T CARE ABOUT APPEARANCE, I'd just like to say that now, I feel more like revolting against fashion. I have never been "fashionable" in my life, and I don't plan on starting anytime soon.
-Jordan Gwendolyn Davis
On the subject of mainstream images, I'm not sure how I feel about your statement "It seems though a lot of LGBTIQ people sadly live up to the stereotype of being overly fashion conscious". Would you make the argument that it's wrong to "fashion" (excuse the pun) an identity and express oneself in a certain way if it just so happens to be in a way that a lot of other people do too? Ex: is someone who feels masculine in a certain way just "conforming to a stereotype" if they choose to express that in a way that's traditionally masculine? I'm just wondering. It sounded to me like acceptance only went one way.
-A
I do and wear what makes me happy, and all I want is to be accepted for who I am.