What do I wear?
This week I want to expand the horizon and talk about something other than drugs for once. So we’re going to talk about the evolution of rave fashion, social comfortability, and what kind of message are rave goers sending by wearing whatever they want. First I want to paint you a picture of what rave goers used to look like. Imagine running around an abandoned warehouse wearing a pair of Doc Martens, a button up, maybe some denim overalls and sometimes even a dust mask. Crazy right?
It wouldn’t have been out of the norm to see baggy colorful clothes in these rave scenes. It made dancing the night away on ecstasy much more comfortable and it was soon seen socially acceptable to “dress down” in the club scene.
By the 90s the outfit options started transitioning to dressing like grade school children with big colorful graphic tees to costumes incorporating micky mouse gloves, a pac man full costume, and even sesame street characters. The style started moving towards bright colors, furry clothing items, and nipple pasties which still thrive today.
People who analyze this culture are now perceiving the change of fit to represent evolving sexualization. Baggy jeans are being traded in for booty shorts, tutus, and even thongs. And it might even seem like a race to nudity. In the 2000s came the birth of “Kandi” which are rave beads decorated from color to color, piece to piece, to create just about anything you want.
Some are saying that we are just living in a time where aesthetic beauty is “hyper-real and hyper-important” whereas before the rave goers used to be the freaks and geeks looking for safe space to be themselves. And now EDM has become too mainstream and has attracted spoiled suburban kids looking for a reason to show off their butt.
I disagree though. I feel as if having the comfortablity to wear whatever you want to express yourself is one of the most important platforms to showcasing “PLUR”. People find ways to express themselves thorugh Native american headdresses, glitter, LED infused and neon colored custom costumes, and even down to wearing almost nothing. I kid you not, people plan their rave attire almost months before hand and some people even make their own fit. So much time, craft, and care goes into planning for a night where everyone is loved and accepted equally. This is one of the main facets that allow this culture to be so open and care-free and for those to knock it because they don’t understand is mighty ignorant if you ask me. Plus who really has a problem with girls running around half naked?
On the other hand, theirs got to be a counterargument to this non sense right? So here it goes. Rave goers, especially woman, see this community as a safe judgment free space where they are allowed to express themselves in any way possible. The standing case is that wearing whatever you want and as little as you want is a way for woman to liberalize themselves rather than becoming a subject of display or sexualization. This is an environment where no one should have to seek approval from the opposite sex or even the rest of society. Everyone should be comfortable in the skin they’re in and when they are, they are one step closer to becoming a free spirit with everyone else. Ravers let it be known by thier overwhelmingly nude or explicit costumes that they are not there for ANYONES approval. There are only complements in this environment and I cant tell you how many times, regardless of whatever you wear, people will come up to you and give uplifting comments on your apperance. Warm hearts might be the reason for this but so is drugs :). Please enjoy these two short films on what its like at EDC LV.
