Why feminism should should never go out of style.

30 Sept 2016



Maria Grazia Chiuri's debut collection as Dior's Creative Director, shown in Paris this week, stated yet again what has been clear for the last few seasons now: fashion and feminism are about as inseparable as a pair of happy newlyweds. But where does that leave the latter? Has feminism delapidated into nothing more than a fashion trend, a marketing move, a cheap shot? Or should we embrace the fact that the female cause is now totally on fleek?

One thing is for certain, in sending her models down the runway sporting not only fierce looking fencing outfits, but also more litteral messages such as 'We should all be feminists', Chiuri might not have done something alltogether new, but she did take a certain risk, as I am sure Karl Lagerfeld would agree with me.

After all when he undertook similar actions during Chanel's SS2015 show, he didn't exactly got what you'd call rave reviews. Kaiser Karl's critists blamed him not only of commercialising but also trivialising women's rights. But his story isn't the only fash-meets-fem fairytale gone bad. Highstreet fashion brand Whistles found themselves caught up in a big scandal after word got out that their T-shirts reading 'This is what a feminist looks like' were made in a Mauritian sweatshop by women earning next to nothing. So much for equal rights, right?

No wonder that influential fashion blog Man Repeller already raised its concerns about feminism becoming too trendy, about a year ago. Since the fleeting nature of trends, the topic of women's rights might just as quickly become a fashion faux-pas, and that would be a true concern indeed.

So, ought feminism and fashion better file for divorce? Or should they stay together for the ki- er, the cause?

I gotta admit, it beats me. But I do know this: until we have reached a point where all men and women are equal, there can not be said enough about it. And if Lagerfeld, Chiuri, Emma Watson or - what the heck - even Queen Bey are willing to take up that megaphone, I can only applaud for that.

Futhermore I should more than like to shout out along with them. Shout that indeed, we should all be feminists. That we should all fight for a world where women can walk alone on the street at night and not be afraid to be assaulted. That we should all fight for a world where women can wear whatever they want at the beach, a world where relegions are freed of any forms of sexism, a world where men are not laughed at for having characteristics that society deems to be typically female.

That we should all stand together - women and men - against the stereotypes of what a man or a woman ought to be. That we should all accept that in the first place we are all humans no matter what kind of reproductive organs we have between our legs. And until we have reached that point, feminism should never go out of style.

Oh, and FYI, that T-shirt I'm wearing is from Cocorrina, an independant online shop, 100% organic cotton and designed and printed in Greece. So no exploitation there!

Picture by Isis Sturtewagen