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| From Man Repeller / image via 5inchandup |
Like many women, I love fashion. I'm fortunate enough to be able to buy new things and live in a country where I can freely choose what I want to wear. Blogger Leandra Medine is celebrating that freedom, too, and is using it to start a new and subversive fashion philosophy: wearing what she wants, regardless of whether men find it appealing.
Medine, who was profiled here in the New York Times, runs the aptly-named blog Man Repeller. She's described as celebrating:
"...fashions that, though promoted by designers and adored by women, most likely confuse — or worse, repulse — the average straight man. These include turbans, harem pants, jewelry that looks like a torture instrument, jumpsuits, ponchos, furry garments resembling large unidentified animals, boyfriend jeans, clogs and formal sweatpants."While I can't say I own a pair of formal sweatpants (sacrilege!), I can absolutely get behind the idea of dismissing any thought of men from the ladies' dressing room. Clothes are powerful. A good outfit can make you feel confident and strong; an unexpected tear in your dress or spill on a sweater can leave you feeling helpless or vulnerable. Why hand that power over to men? It may be an urban myth that early feminists burned their bras, but the concept behind that myth is still right on--women should have complete autonomy over their bodies, right down to their underwear.
