Glamatron

more fashion activism

uneasy moment 1: i have this secret fondness (well, i guess it’s not a secret anymore) for the blog “The fashionista & baby.” Partly, it’s that her blog is so cleanly written, especially compared to so many mom-blogs, partly because i like her taste, but mostly because when i’m reading i think “yeah, i feel like that” pretty regularly. i was catching up on her blog and got to an entry where she was talking about being raised to be a career woman, not to do femme-y things like cook, sew, etc

uneasy moment 2: i got an email from someone who mentioned in passing that she’s been reading glamatron. she was pleasantly surprised to find out that we know something about fashion because my signature line (involving some educationally-related initials behind my name) read to her as “geeky,” which first made me giggle, but then made me think…

these moments feel like commentary from the universe on my ongoing struggle with a schizophrenic identity: how does one reconcile the ex-model with the ex-professor? the world seems pretty uncomfortable with women who live in the “womanly” (wear perfume, like nice haircuts, knit, embroider, bake, read regency romances) while still having initials like MDPhD, CEO, or D-Ca associated closely with their names.

i have no idea how to make those identities work together, but i do know that having a brain shouldn’t prohibit me from wearing a short asymmetric skif-o skirt in green satin, nor should wearing said skirt make people around me assume that i have an iq or success story equivalent to that of a wad of used juicy fruit. guys don’t have to deal with this: the successful ceo in the savile row suit with the to-die-for-biceps is de rigeur in hollywood movies…why is it different for girls?

there’s something deeply, deeply wrong with a world that leaves smart girls, creative girls, and girls with personality in the either-or fix of “brain” or “beauty.” so, successful, smart women of the world, there’s only one thing we can do - walk softly, carry a big beautiful bag, and wear really cool shoes, too.