My Short Skirt Is My Style, My Choice and My Defiance

Skirts from Hot Topic, YES STYLE, Express & ASOS

As National Women's History Month comes to a close I wanted to highlight a great poem that stuck with me when I went to see the Vagina Monologues. As you can see from my outfit posts, I love short skirts, I tend to favor them over pants.

There's something about a skirt falling at my mid-thigh that makes me feel playful and beautiful. There's something about feeling the warm Texas air against my legs. I feel like a short skirt is an homage to the lower half of my body.

But once I step out the door, there's no denying that my short skirt becomes more than a style choice. It's evident in the cars that slow down to honk, the men that get uncomfortably close on the train and feel they have to talk to me. Only a small percentage, however, have had the audacity to touch me.

My short skirt is not an invitation,
a provocation, an indication
that I want it or give it or that I hook.

My short skirt is not begging for it
it does not want you to rip it off me
or pull it down.

My short skirt is not a legal reason for raping me
although it has been before
it will not hold up in the new court.

My short skirt, believe it or not has nothing to do with you.

"Then why don't you change?" you ask, "Why don't you wear less short skirts in public, you know, have a little modesty?"

Because it's not about modesty. It's about my body (and every other woman's body) NOT becoming public property when it happens to be a public space. It's about men not feeling entitled to my body just because part of it is showing. It's about my style choices not having consequences that equate to sexual harassment.

My short skirt is about discovering the power of my lower calves
about cool autumn air traveling up my inner thighs
about allowing everything I see or pass or feel to live inside.

Bloggers Showing Off Their Skirts
Garbage Dress / Nubia's Nonsense / Gal Meets Glam / Hip Girlie / Cute and Little

While women do wear clothing that is meant to draw male attention, we should not be judged on that alone - especially not by other women. It hurts me the most when women give other women's (and my) short skirts disapproving or angry glares, as if they think the catcalls and harassment are justified.

I've even heard some go as far as to say that "she was looking for it." That line has got to be the biggest cop-out. It's just the harasser not wanting to be shouldered with the appropriate blame, it's the "out of my control" excuse.

And yet I recently read a blog on Genders Across Borders that in a study conducted about street harassment, one man commented, "You can tell the type of girls that are looking for it..."

No, you can't. I wear short skirts and low-cut shirts, I occasionally sway my hips when I walk but I'm not looking for it. And I doubt many women are. And those who do want "it" - as in a sexual comment or advance - will normally let you know.

Recent Sightings of Short Skirts on the Runways

My short skirt is not proof that I am stupid
or undecided or a malleable little girl.

My short skirt is my defiance
I will not let you make me afraid
My short skirt is not showing off - this is who I am
before you made me cover it or tone it down.
Get used to it.

I can promise you, though, that most women who wear their short skirts just want to wear something that reflects who they are; they want to be proud of their style choices. They want to wear whatever the hell they want without being harassed in a public place.

My short skirt is happiness
I can feel myself on the ground.
I am here. I am hot.

I think short skirts and bare legs should be celebrated and not covered up, I'm creating a new Pinterest Board specifically for them.

[TOP 10 TUESDAY] The Capitol's Future Fashions Now: The Hunger Games Style Isn't Too Far Fetched

I cannot wait until the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games on Thursday. I've been waiting for this movie since I finished the series and they announced it. I have work the next day but I don't really care. I haven't been this excited about a book-turned-movie since Harry Potter.

Apart from watching the book come to life like it did in my head, I'm really looking forward to seeing the how the movie portrays the Capitol's lifestyle and fashions. The book describes the Capitol as being very selfish and exaggerated. They live better than any of the Districts. A lot of pictures have already been leaked but that won't stop me from geeking over Katniss' prep team:

"Venia, a woman with aqua hair and gold tattoos... Flavius gives his orange corkscrew locks a shake and applies a fresh coat of purple lipstick to his mouth... Octavia, a plump woman whose entire bodies has been dyed a pale shade of pea green..."



Exaggerated and outlandish style, however, is nothing new for us. Somebody walking down the street with aqua hair or any of those outfits would be different but not alien. We're living in an age where we're encouraged to do it bigger and better and get people's attention. So I'm dedicating this Tuesday to ten dramatically decadent styles and stylish people that would fit right in the future Panem.

And if you haven't read the book yet, I highly recommend it.

1. Lady Gaga
   It's hard not to associate Lady Gaga with "dramatic" and "exaggerated" style. It's also hard not to attribute her with making super-flashiness mainstream.
   
   
2. Nicki Minaj
   She comes right behind Lady Gaga when it comes to putting on a show, though I think she may be trying to outdo her.
   
   
3. Katy Perry
   You gotta love her cute style and use of color.
   
   
4. Pink Hair Is Everywhere
   I read blog a few months back that pointed out how pink hair was going high fashion, appearing on catwalks and in magazines. I'm personally happy that non-natural hair colors (like pink) are becoming more accepted. The singers listed above probably had a hand in it.
   
   
5. Tokyo Street Fashion
   For as long as I've been a fan of the Japanese, they have taken risks on the streets with their style. They're no strangers to funky colors, sizes and textures.
   
   
6. The Royal Wedding's Hats
   
   
7. Jay Manuel & His Blazers
   Before I knew they cast Lenny Kravitz for the part, I wished that Jay would play Katniss' stylist Cinna.
   
   
8. The Red Carpet
   Always a place for stars and their stylist to take chances and go big. Its a very thin line between the Best and Worst Dressed List.
   
   
9. The 2012 Fashion Runway
   
   
10. Bold Makeup
    Although mostly pumped up for runways and magazines, dramatic makeup is seen increasingly more on the streets, with high pigment shadows and bold red lipsticks hitting the shelves.
    
    

Pictures via Style.com and WeHeartIt.com

[STYLE ICON] Emilie Autumn Fights Like A Girl In Frills & Corsets

Like I said in my concert street snap post, when Alex introduced me to Emilie Autumn, I wasn't an instant fan. It was her her lyrics, though, that kept me listening - they were dark, angry, ironic, raw but feminist at the core. On top of that, I couldn't ignore her style: beautiful but equally raw.

I think the greatest blow to the feminist movement was the perpetuated idea that feminist were "ugly, unfashionable and masculine" so girls fled from the "feminist" label. But women like Emilie Autumn spit in the face of this by proudly wearing corsets (a timely symbol of femininity) and singing about the irony of being pretty, how "every skill I ever have will be in question." Her songs point out the strange difficulties of being a woman.

"It’s so easy to kill... If I have to I will...
It’s not pretty but it’s true
I am through lying still, Just a body to be beaten, fucked, And if I’m lucky, left for dead...
I’ll get my revenge on the world...
And if I end up with blood on my hands
Well I know that you’ll understand
'Cause I fight like a girl.."

The concert we went to watch was part of her current tour, Fight Like a Girl. Normally, telling somebody that they do something "like a girl" was derogatory, implying weakness, but Emilie hopes to reclaim that, adding a ferocity that comes from being a woman. And she does it dressed in outfits that exude femininity - corsets, lace, feathers, tulle, ribbons and sparkly rhinestones.


There's a very Victorian element to her style, which is fitting considering she satires that era in her songs. It was a very dark time for women who wanted more out of life - more pleasure, more knowledge, more freedom - as they were usually dismissed as insane and subject to strange medical practices.

Much like taking back "fight like a girl", wearing corsets and frills is taking back symbols of femininity and submission and making them stronger. Women shouldn't have to lose their pretty details to be taken seriously. They should feel free to wear clothing that makes them feel sexy and girly for themselves, not for others' gaze.

Emilie Autumn's Style Inspiration by style-geek

I cut and spliced different parts of the concert below. I like how she gives you more than just a concert - she puts on a full production that reminds me of vaudeville and burlesque.



Pictures via WeHeartIt.com

[STREET SNAP] Emilie Autumn's Concert Brought Out The Local Plague Rats

Alex introduced me to Emilie Autumn when we started dating and, I'll admit, I wasn't an instant fan but she grew on me. I've come to love her deep raspiness and the disjointed yet harmonious melodies but, more than anything, her lyrics. Sometimes ironic, sometimes dark, and mainly angry, her words are incredibly feminist and raw - but more on that on my next blog, with video!

For now enjoy a few Plague Rat (her fans) pics, taken as we waited outside. Concert lines never fail to turn up great street style.

[DIALY OUTFIT] Cupcakes, An Outfit With Roses & Birthday Bounce Houses

January through March is a very busy time for me when it comes to birthdays. We celebrated my little sisters' birthdays this past super-cold Saturday, or at least it felt super-cold compared to today. Despite them turning 23 and 17, my mother still rented a bounce house and bought a pinata. It was a nostalgic kind of fun and that never gets old. If you're throwing a party for a close friend in his/her mid-20's, I highly recommend buying a few beers and renting a bounce house.

• T-shirt & Sweater -- Wal-mart
  (Not the most fashion forward but they get some of the basics right)
• Tights via Birthday Gift -- Target
• Skirt -- JC Penney
• Cupcake Necklace via My Friend Allison
  (I felt it was fitting for a birthday party)
  
• Boots (Soon to be Retired) -- DiscountWomensDressShoes.com

Blogging On CBS' DEFEND YOUR RIDE: The Soda Guy on a Vespa & Two Reliable Rides

CBS DFW published three more of my Defend Your Ride Interviews! Tony only made me want a moped even more and Morgan was quite a character - check out her pirate hat below. I can promise you those two will be interesting reads.



Tony with his 2007 Orange Vespa Buddy 50 Scooter
"I always wanted a motorcycle when I was a kid.
My parents wouldn’t let me have it. Now I don’t have to ask permission!"
Read the Interview & View More Pics >>



Morgan in her Electric Blue 2008 Honda Fit Sport
"We had crazy hat day at work the other day."
Read the Interview & View More Pics >>



Pace in his 2011 Subaru Legacy
"I’m not really the sing along type of person, but I do listen to show tunes..."
Read the Interview & View More Pics >>