The Politics of Fashion
Power Dressing
April 2014 was the most democratic month in human history. The month saw half a dozen countries voting their leadership with total electorates of more than one billion people across Afghanistan, Algeria, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq and of course, India. For India’s 815 million eligible voters, the long and pricey journey to find a new prime minister was a vigorous exercise that continued till the final count in May.
Politics and Fashion have a long and multidimensional relationship, with fashion’s political voice taking on a wide variety of guises inside and outside of the pillars of state. The term politics not only refers to the maneuverings of government, but also encompasses cultural change, sexual codes, and social progress. Throughout history, fashion has been a medium for conveying political ideologies and related social values. Fashion has addressed such important themes as nationalism, feminism and ethnic identity, as well as significant events and subcultural movements.
for A. Sauvage
Menswear for Women
Women have long embraced men’s clothing to communicate ‘power’ much before the ‘80s ushered in the term “Power Dressing.” Based on ancient sculptures, Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s first female pharaoh who ruled for more than 20 years, sat on her throne bare-chested, in a man’s kilt, a false metal beard and a headdress adorned with cobras, usually worn by a male pharaoh. Hatshepsut’s cross-dressing reveals as one writer mentioned “a pioneering female politician whose entitlement to rule as pharaoh was underscored by her masculine attire.”
Of all the freedoms enjoyed by the citizens of the modern world, the ability to wear what one likes without government interference is probably the one we take for granted more than any other. Most people don’t even think about it. We believe that when we get dressed, we are limited by our own closets. But do we have far more restrictions that one would be inclined to believe?
