Fashion Doesn't Make Me Dumb

By -
Last year, when Zooey Deschanel began starring as Jess on New Girl, I wasn't quite sold despite how much a adore Zooey. The show took some time to fall into a rhythm and I wasn't sure I was a fan of Jess at first. Then she said this:
“Okay, hey! I have something to say to you, man! I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children, and I find it fundamentally strange that you're not a dessert person. That's just weird, and it freaks me out! I'm sorry I don't talk like Murphy Brown. And I hate your pantsuit, and I wish it had ribbons on it -- or just something to make it slightly cuter. And that doesn't mean I'm not smart and tough and strong! I'm about to go pay this $800 fine, and my checks have baby farm animals on them, bitch!”
--Jess, New Girl, S1 E11, "Not A Dessert Person"
In case you hadn't guess from reading our blog, Jael and I are kind of into fashion. We love to experiment with our clothes. We spend a hefty chunk of time talking, reading and writing about clothes, accessories and makeup. While we both rock a variety of styles, we are often girly. We wear a lot of dresses, skirts, tights, Mary Jane shoes, bows and ruffles. We're grown women who like wearing tutus and bright yellow shoes.

We are also educated, well-read, intelligent women. During this particular episode of New Girl, Zooey Deschanel's character, Jess, tries to be friends with her roommate's new lawyer girlfriend, Julia. Julia doesn't buy Jess' "act." She can't imagine why Jess would behave or dress the way she does. Julia works in a law community where she has to dress "professionally" and act "smart." In reality, these terms are often just PC ways to saying she has to behave more like a man. For some reason, being feminine has come to mean the opposite of intelligent and professional.

In college, I worked on a research project that was scheduled to be presented at a national conference. My research partner cut her hair, making her look older and less girly. This inspired our advising professor to suggest I do something to my curly hair to make it "more professional" too. He went on to tell me my high waisted skirt suit with a ruffle-front white shirt wasn't professional either. This same professor told me my goals to edit a fashion publication were beneath me. He didn't see fashion as something that could be valuable, smart, artistic or important to how we communicate with others. He just thought fashion was dumb.

An interest in fashion doesn't make me dumb or silly just like being a woman doesn't make me unprofessional or less powerful. Fun clothes make me happy. I'm not suggesting we dress by our whims and wear kitten-print sundresses to job interviews, but we don't have to forgo wearing or doing things we love either.

So, thank you, Jess, for standing up for the girly girl.  I hope you have a good season two premiere tonight.

 

Comments

Jael Paris said…
Someone was shocked the other day to find out that not only have I read T. S. Eliot but that I've also written a 25 page thesis paper comparing and contrasting his use of Biblical references in The Waste Land to those in Ash Wednesday. This can't be, of course, because I wear pink ruffles.
September 25, 2012 at 7:44 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy 10th Anniversary... and goodbye.

By -
Image
What we looked like in 2009 Ten years ago I created, Fashion Me Fabulous, wrote up a handful of posts, picked a layout and send it all to my friend, Jael. “I’ve started a fashion blog. What do you think?” She gave me a few tips, wrote a couple “guest posts” and before long became my blogging partner. Together, we built a blog and community I could have never built alone. From the end of 2007 to the end of 2014, Fashion Me Fabulous ran regular content about fun, affordable fashion. Jael and I covered fashion week , reviewed fashion books , wrote about fashion history and did more shopping than seems humanly possible to search out the best clothes and accessories . We explored our personal styles , scoured Etsy for unique creations . I watched every single episode of Project Runway and blogged about it. Jael created an amazing presence on Polyvore . We learned all sorts of things about coding and websites and content and graphic design and so on. (You can tell if you look at
Read more

Dramatic Makeup

By -
Image
October is the perfect month for anyone who loves a dramatic look. Because of Halloween, you can get away with more in the makeup department than you can the rest of the year. You want to try false eyelashes? Go for it. You want to color your eyebrows? Do it. Color outside the lines with eyeshadow? Why not? Live it up so much in October that people will think black lipstick in November is practically normal.
Read more

Shop: Green Tree Jewelry

By -
Image
Shop: Green Tree Jewelry Why We Love It: It is unintentionally "big cat" theme week here at FMF. Hence the the two sets of big cat earring featured up front. However, this shop has a lot more to offer than cats of all sizes. These laser cut wooden earrings range from fun swirling designs to intricate peacocks. Best of all, the earrings I've featured here today all cost only $12.95. (Although the shop sells some other higher priced goods). Price Range: $12.95 - $79.95 Links: Facebook Favorite Items: Click through the slideshow below to see some favorite items. View this collection on Polyvore Shop: Green Tree Jewelry by fashionbeccafabulous on polyvore.com Pictured: Tiger Earrings ; Koala Earrings ; Ring-Tailed Lemur Earrings ; Radishes That Hang On Your Ear Earrings ; Cup of Coffee Earrings ; Scissors Earrings ; Rhino Earrings ; Peacock Earrings ; Lion Earrings (also pictured above) All linked earrings cost $12.95.
Read more