Subverting the Fashion Hegemony

outfit deets: shoes - thrifted Naturalizer's // tights - We Love Colors // dress - swap w/ Nat
// belt - H&M

Heya! As I mentioned in an earlier post, this past semester I had the opportunity to do some work and research on fashion blogging. When I realized my courses would afford me the opportunity to think about the topic from different vantage points I got really excited about it and dove in. First, I looked at fashion blogging in general and from a sociological stand point. I came to realize the way that fashion blogs can work to undermine the notion that fashion is a process dictated to the masses by an elite majority. They can do this by encouraging the idea that fashion does not have to lay solely in the hands of the designers, the big chain stores, celebrities, and models but rather fashion-making can be up to us (the general public) and our own creative minds! I supported my argument in part by use of examples from Selective Potential, The Clothes Horse and Sally Jane Vintage (fashion hegemony subverters and also some of my favourite fashion bloggers). If you guys are interested in reading my work you can do so here. I also got to look at my own blog in reference to the tradition of life-writing and in light of everything I had learned about fashion blogging from the sociological stand point. I will have that essay up at a later date!

One thing I mention in the essay linked above is the importance of swapping as a means to subvert the fashion hegemony (the way that fashion can be dictated to us by an elite majority who exercises their control over us not by force but by gaining our consent). Swapping discourages consumption and reinforces creativity and takes the control out of the hands of the elite majority. So naturally, I had to feature a swap in this post! As you may already know by way of this post and this one too Nat of Juxta-Posing and I took part in a swap a couple weeks back.

I love this little dress Nat offered up for the swap. I feel like this would be the perfect outfit to wear to Oktoberfest or...to go yoddling or something. Also getting a little bit of a nordic/milk-maid vibe from the outfit as a whole. In any case, I love the dress and I enjoyed styling it up and wearing it for the day. Thanks Nat!

Sorry for ridiculous amount of linking in this post! Every link is worth checking out though, I promise. If any of you get around to reading my essay, let me know what you think - I would love to get a discussion going on the topic.

Happy Tuesday!

xo Robyn

p.s. I switched over to Disqus comments - I wanted to be able to directly reply to questions and comments. I think it is going to work out great!