I got looked up and down a lot, this day. Hey, I'm in my thirties and I'm wearing shorts. F*cking get over it, guys. I'm self-conscious enough about my gams without the gawks. Take a picture, it'll last longer.
There are so many women who absolutely crush it and on a daily basis. Women younger than me and older and I revere them all. Confidence in one's appearance is a hard thing to come by at any age. Interestingly, I find the stares of disapproval more often than not come from other women (male gaze is a different thing entirely and I'll need a whole new post to tackle that one). Anyway, ladies, rather than look disapprovingly at another woman, due to religious, political, societal views or possible self-esteem issues, why not be a little more accepting? Why project such palpably negative energy?
The way that you look at a person, the way that you regard him/her/them can have a major impact on that person, including that person's sense of worth and acceptance. Stop making people feel like they are "less than," because you think you know best. The simple truth of the matter is: you don't.
When you stare at a person, laugh or give dirty looks, you're being selfish. You're making it about you when really you're missing out on an opportunity to embrace someone and to make that person feel good about him/her/themself. It's easy to tear someone down. Harder to take that high road, I guess.
That being said, I did spot some smirks that most likely came from the print on my shirt. Perhaps, its declaration along with the spikes, the chunky boots, the goggle sunnies and the hair-do, kept everyone around at bay. Hehe. No one dared touch or speak, but their eyes spoke volumes, at any rate. ;)
Overall, I'm pretty disappointed in my city, as far as diversity. I've read that by 2025 or something that the number of visible minorities will grow to 30% of the country's population. That's in my lifetime which is great, but kinda sucks at this particular moment in time. I'm not seeing nearly enough complexity in terms of style and the way people carry themselves. The city is more conservative than I was expecting and it's a real let down. Maybe I'm just not going to the right places, but if the people I see on the train from day to day are any indication, things are not looking too good for the city as a whole.
If this kind of outfit makes people's eyes bug out, then I think either they need to get out more or there needs to be a real push toward bringing more diverse groups to the city. Alternatively, it's possible that the city is more segregated than I realized, in which case, more should be done to integrate those segments of the city and to bring people together. Diversity and complexity need to be the norm, especially in such a large city that prides itself on being a forward-thinking international hub.
Despite the approval or disapproval of the masses, I must say that this outfit made me so happy. I love the colors. I love the textures. I think my legs happen to look rather nice, if I may be so bold. Heh. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I look pretty f*cking great. I quite enjoy this mix of hard and soft.
Thrifted - Black Fedora, ModCloth Green Studded Cardigan (Sale) & Black Platform Boots
ModCloth - Black High Waisted Shorts & Diamond Pattern Tights
c/o CNDirect - Steampunk Goggle Sunglasses
c/o Sammydress - Black Studded Backpack
Threadless - Floral T-Shirt
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