by Zack Zens

What is fashion anyways? This misconstrued notion of dress, dictatorially enforced through the metered mandates of what other people think, write or consider is just that: what other people think. What people think is, undoubtedly, the greatest hindrance to the art of free expression known to humankind. Nebulous office dress codes and rules about the length of girls skirts at school have dealt the burden of fitting in disproportionately to women, people of color and other marginalized groups in a predominantly cis, white and heteronormative world.  

Now, if one were to redress this notion of fashion and dress codes, what remains at its core is the immutable fact that clothing gives people power, and this power is often used to thwart the free expression of some while enforcing other, often harmful and predominant, stereotypes. In promoting vibrant displays of personal expression the true potential of any person is only fully realized when the constraints surrounding clothing for reasons of age, sex, race, gender are repudiated and retracted. 

After all, real fashion, the fashion that makes people get out of bed in the morning, is fashion which means something to them, and in many respects, defines, first, who they are to themselves and by succession, to everyone else. Having said this, the conscious freedom to style clothing allows people of all conditions to shunt and shake off the shackles of expectation, leading to a more veritable manifestation of themselves.  

One of the greatest chains which hold people back from reaching their true fashion potential is the notion, not only of expectation, but of age-appropriateness. It has been drummed into the minds of society time-and-time again, once one reaches a certain age they must wear what society dresses them in, whether it be young people flung into business casual or old people into nightgowns and sack-like chasms of clothing which drown the wearer in sun-bleached pastels; regardless, age, in practical terms, should have nothing to do with a garment of clothing, and embracing the timelessness of fashion only further allows clothing to speak for everyone. In this sense, any garment can and should be worn by whoever finds it personally speaks to them.

The harm of these conceptions of appropriate dress extend far beyond the notion of age, as hairstyles, jewelry, tattoos and outfits are scrutinized on body type, race, gender and sexuality. By and large, people of color are scrutinized for their hair and clothing in terms which are unequivocally rooted and baked into the systemic nature of prejudice and racism, often making professional spaces purposefully hostile and uninviting. The defining counterargument to freedom of dress is that to allow these articles of clothing would detract from the ability of people to work effectively in professional settings. While this is ridiculous, these rules persist, and fall heavily on marginalized groups, from which cultural erasure descends. Indeed, it is without reason to think that protective hairstyles or a graphic tee could in any way disallow people to function as competent members of their workplace. 

In Iran, where rules surrounding free expression and clothing have reached the level of government mandate, one which is punishable by death for failure to comply, the value in autonomy and freedom to dress as one wishes becomes immutably apparent. There is nothing wrong with the act of observing religious clothing such as is present throughout the world and in Iran; however, the line is drawn when the freedom to choose is taken away and the act of choosing otherwise means death, imprisonment or torture via public spectical.

When people are forced to conform to the notion of dress society places upon them, what remains is a desert of creativity, starved of the very marrow of individuality and diversity by which not only are the personal components of identity silenced, but the greater identities of cultures deemed not in line with societal expectations. Freedom of expression is a tremendous gift regardless of age, race, sex or gender and it is often taken deeply for granted when millions around the world today, and many here at home, are fighting for their basic right to live and exist freely 

By choosing to embrace the idea of dressing authentically regardless of societal expectations, one protests and resists the monoliths of censorship, ushering away hate, and letting light and hope illuminate fashion. There is power in clothing, and letting the brightness of that light be snuffed out by what others say, is not something this author will stand for, and neither should you. 

Cover Photo by Van Tran