This weekend I read an article criticising the way young women are choosing to dress. The general gist of the article was that young women are not leaving enough to the imagination as skirts are getting higher, tops lower and clothes in general tighter. One older woman commented that she wished there was more subtly in the way these young women dressed.
Before I get to my point about subtly I think I need to make an aside regarding the constant cry of ‘leaves nothing to the imagination’. I have an issue with this because to me it misses the point. I know this is supposed to mean that the person has revealed their body and thus their sexuality and that by covering up this would not be so much on show. In reality though I think this statement has an implied meaning that you are right to be focused on your sexual attractiveness and it is ok for others to identify you as a sexual object it is just not ok to do it blatantly. Clothing, of lack of it, for men and women should not be about hiding your body and thus engaging in a teasing game. It should be about fun, expression, comfort or sex if that is what you want but the key point is it whatever you want it to be.
Anyway, back to my main topic – I agree wholeheartly with the need for subtly but do not think we can expect young women to display this triat when it is so absent from our culture in general. How can young people learn subtly if every message they receive is blatant, bold and unambiguous?
From sitcoms, to music, to advertising, to radio, to politics, there is no subtly – the messages are simple and the meanings are even simpler.
I have to go and play with my little woman now but I just wanted to start thinking about the double standards that we continue to apply to our young people – do as I say, not as I do.