Since Julie Klausner posted the rant “Don’t Fear the Dowager: A Valentine to Maturity” on her site and on Jezebel, a rant against women who embrace whimsical fashion, tumblr debate has been raging.
I have a lot of problems with this article – in fact, there are very few things in it that I don’t have a problem with. Let’s see how she starts out.
adult women are acting more and more like little girls, and it’s really starting to get on my nerves
Yes, the infantilization of women in society is highly problematic (1, 2, 3, 4 ). What does Klausner blame this on? ukuleles, cotton candy, bunny rabbits,whoopie pies, craft fairs, kitten emphera, converse sneakers with mini skirts, and the trendiness of birds.
These things are not necessarily infantile, but definitely whimsical and light-hearted. I think Julie Klausner is conflating these two ideas to a dangerous degree. Yes, the two might overlap often, but they are not one and the same.
And more: bunny tattoos , women with master’s degrees who are searching for life partners – this one is pretty disturbing, what’s wrong with wanting someone who is a partner? – rompers, liking ‘rainbows, Girl Scout cookies, and laughing a lot’.
And Klausner sees this as so disturbing because
“these manic pixie Muppet Babies are really just in it for the peen”
Wait, what? I’m not a fan of the manic-pixie-dreamgirl-posing-in-a-field-with-a-typewriter too often, but the ~whimsical~ trend is one that I really, really don’t think is all about getting male attention. If I, or anyone, wears a floral dress or bakes cookies, it’s not most of the time about trying to “tell men we won’t bit their dicks off"". I, and most women I know, don’t dress or accessorize to impress men: we do it for ourselves, or for other women.
Zooey Deschanel, the apparent incarnation of (almost) everything Klausner hates.
Ripped knees points this out :
The result is hugely disparate blogs like The Man Repeller, Hipster Musings or even Karla's Closet, which are about more than Cosmo-style spreads on How To Dress To Please Your Man and Hiding Your Body's Flaws Forever and so on. It's real fashion for real girls who care about more than how big their tits look and how tiny their waist is. It's something close to - and even I am rolling my eyes at this turn of phrase - a sisterhood of style, a clubhouse where the kind of dudes Klausner thinks we're after aren't even invited, for once.
\Instead of blaming other women for being too whimsical, Julie, maybe you should be looking at the societal structure that not only tells us to be like children, but tells us that all these whimsical things are bad and worthless. Instead of telling us we can’t be feminists because, god forbid, we like kittens, why don’t you look at the real effects of the male gaze? Or at least, stop being a hypocrite.
And one more time: Whimsical =/= Age Inappropriate, although her title implies that it does.
I for one say, if you want to wear ribbons in your hair, eat brownies, buy jewelry from Etsy, and only read vintage books from thrift stores, go ahead. It’s Your Choice - More Power to You. I might even join you every once in a while (or more).
from servingofcute@tumblr
What do you think? Does Klausner have a point after all? Where is the line between whimsically cute and infantile or childish? Are women really doing this for men, or just for themselves?
I don't know how every other woman dresses, but I dress for myself and throughout my younger years went through a series of phases to finding out the best style for me. I'm really happy where I am now, but the journey getting there was definitely long as style journeys rightfully should be.
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