Is my sweater undermining the revolution?

I’ve lost 50 pounds and kept it off for two years.  Prior to this amazing feat, I knew where I could buy my work wardrobe:  Lane Bryant. I shopped there and I loved it.  I was on the smaller end of the size range so anything I wanted to try on would fit, and my wardrobe choices were based on whether I liked the pants, the dress, or the whole outfit – not what was left in my size.  Sure, there were plus size departments in other stores, but I found that the choices at Lane Bryant were superior since they catered to women size 14 and up, rather than making bigger versions of crop tops that looked good on a size 4 model.

Having achieved my new size and healthy life however, I’ve stepped into another question:  what *do* I wear to work?

Currently, my wardrobe is a carefully curated collection of items from Talbots, Talbots Outlet, JC Penney, and Goodwill – where I actively search for Talbots, Eileen Fisher, and even the Worthington label from Penney’s.  I also like Lands’ End, the Gap, and Old Navy Rockstar skinny jeans.  When I find them at Goodwill, I’ll even pick up clothes from Ann Taylor.

I’m in an industry – academia – which does allow significant leeway in how one dresses, but I’m a project manager and I take the “manager” part seriously.  I try to dress well most days of the week.  And, for me, “dress well” means a few types of outfits.

• Nice dress pants, a sweater, and a scarf or a necklace
• A tailored skirt and a blouse
• Either pants or a skirt with a blazer and what my mom would have called a shell – a t-shirt that’s not really made of t-shirt material
• A dress
• And, worth mentioning – I nearly NEVER wear high heels. I fall and trip over my shadow so anything that makes that easier is generally to be avoided.

All of this build up is to say that when I read the Atlantic article,linked at the end of this post, about how today’s Washington DC fashion is bowing to the patriarchy and is schizophrenic in its acceptance/rejection of women’s sexuality, I was bewildered and annoyed.

I do not live or work in Washington DC, but in West Lafayette, Indiana.  And, I would venture to guess that the author would lump in my favorite clothes brands in with her disdain for Ann Taylor styles.

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO WEAR?

Are these criticisms only relevant in the nation’s capital?  Are they part of a world-wide conspiracy?  Are my clothes presenting me as a servant of the patriarchy?  Is my wrap dress exposing my sexuality in ways that go beyond a tiny bit of cleavage that I’m working to hide with a safety pin?  Am I underselling my status as a professional with a matching cardigan/shell twinset?

For a while, I envied a male colleague that wore suits every day.  I got brazen enough to announce this to him, and he said that he only did it because they matched and he didn’t have to think about what to wear.  Since then, I’ve looked at suits as an option, but to be honest, even after a 50-pound weight loss, I still don’t look great in blazers.  Larger-breasted will understand what I’m saying.

But, really, if Ann Taylor is “corporate office submissive” what is Talbots?  Corner-office-capitalist patriarchal?  Wouldn’t dressing in matching suits each day with a variety of pastel button-downs be just as patriarchal?  Trying to dress just like a man was a big hit in the 1980s.  The author even mocks the ballet flats of recent decades as a quiet way for women to slip out of the room while the big, bad men talked over the brandy and cigars.  Silly me, I thought flats were a way not to fall on your face during a big presentation at work.

I have seen fashion trends which were clearly designed to infantalize women.  Plaid skirts and knee socks on adults is a look that concerns me a bit.  Like the author mentions, oversized Peter Pan collars are also a bit of a stretch.

Me and my black Talbots dress pants, however, will be just fine at work this week, thank you.  I don’t see where my new sweater and scarf are selling out the revolution.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/fear-and-clothing/405919/