Breaking the stereotypes of fashion

Rohit Bauri

“Ohh, wait..wait; what are you doing? This certainly is not your type. This will make you look fat!!” 

“The more black you wear, the more royal you look.”

“You want to use makeup? Are you straight? Now I am afraid to share my room with you, bro.”

Don’t tell a lie to me. We all have heard these statements once in our life. Suppose you are a girl then probably more than hundreds of times. These are some common statements of your near and dear ones who always judge you by choosing clothes.

 They always tell you about a specific range of ideas and concepts of fashion that limits the probability of infinite realms of fashion inspired by arts. Is that bad? Probably yes, probably not. You can always define yourself in a safe, soothing, and comfortable zone. A design that is approved by so-called society and in norms of good & bad, But this way, you are killing the world fashion.

I know it’s easy to do that, but fashion means change. In my opinion, like all the amazingly beautiful things out there in this world, fashion also fits perfectly with one metaphor: ‘follow the way where your heart belongs.’ 

Today I am sharing some typical fashion norms and why they are stupid. So let’s continue!

  1.  Men should not have long hair:

This one fashion stereotype is my favorite. Why? Because this is one of the very first stereotypes I came across. This is also the easiest one to be observed.

You can easily see people around following it with their hearts. It’s not easy to see a man with a bun on his head.

Let’s jump into history about men having long hair. It has always been seen that all around the world of different cultures of a different era (especially India), royal men have long hairs. Not because they didn’t have barbers that time, but long hair was a sign of royalty. Usually, people from royal families who have their inheritance in the city keep their hairs long as a sign. In contrast, the slaves had to be clean shaved as a sign of their slavery. So if a man is keeping long hairs, he is no fool, but he knows what he is worthy of.

One more reason men must grow their hair at least once in their lifetime because it makes them a little more responsible about their hygiene, their understanding of their body causes long hairs to demand love.

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  1. Makeup is for women:

Makeup is for women. Yes! You read it right. If we go into the history and psychology of wearing makeup, we will find it one of the oldest rituals. One of the oldest cultures of the world, Egyptian culture has rituals of wearing makeup. 

Egyptian women used to wear coal eyeliner and natural colors on their faces to become more beautiful. At the same time, psychology says that females of every animal are trying to become more attractive in the whole animal kingdom. They try to send a message to the opposite gender that they are healthy and ready to mate. As it is said that men are made of blood and sweat, most of them don’t care about their beauty and skin contrast but scars and muscles.  

Yes, this mind pattern is still in the mind of everyone. Even psychologist Dr. Richard Russell did an experiment where he collaged different features of many men and women and created an image. Next, he increased contrast in one and left another one as it is. People chose high contrast face as female. Yes, too much makeup is feminine.

But that doesn’t mean that men can’t paint their faces. In the modern world, taking care of your face is not feminine but actually a smart move to stand out. Basic makeup like face wash, sunscreen, concealer and foundation, and lip balm can give you more masculinity. A clear face makes you more hygienic and attractive to women. It seems like the game is being changed now.

  1. Size does not matter:

Let’s talk about women this time. You must have known the fact women have a much wider range of clothing than men. Next, they have much more rules too. If you are fit, you can wear anything, a little chubby; oh sweety, you have a restriction, and if you are of plus size, society puts a label on you with their narrow mindset. Like you cannot wear shorts. 

You must not wear larger prints. You should wear long and loose dresses to look slim and think hundred for a hundred times before buying a crop top. Enough it’s enough!!

Let me diminish the wall and tell you the truth. Pretty women out there, Your size does not matter. Your body type is not the primary factor of your beauty. If you lack a sense of style, then even zero figures cannot help you out. On the other hand, if you have the art of mixing colors and choosing and creating your style, believe me, you are far beyond these stereotypes. Ladies, bring out your best selves.

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  1. Jewelry is feminine:

This is one of the most interesting fashion stereotypes for me. Basically, for very long ages, jewelry is used by human beings. Women see their jewelry as part of their bodies. It defines who they are. If we talk about India, women have a very long list of different jewelry. For example, mangalsutra, Sakha pola, earrings, nose rings, bangles, kamarbandha, Payal, rings, mang tika, and much more. But the question is raised when someone claims jewelry is only for women. What do you think? Is this true? 

Let me take you to very far back in time, ancient times. What can we see? Men are wearing pieces of jewelry! Rings, necklaces, and even kamarbandha. 

If we analyze the motive for wearing jewelry, we can find the gradual change in the mindset. First, it was for the royal people. Kings and queens had their inheritance, Ministers and their families had their own, even warriors and worshippers had jewelry for their identity. Later it was changed. Pieces of jewelry are then used to show off people’s richness. And now jewelry is being used to complete any outfit—nothing less, nothing more. 

Here are some images that can show how cool the right jewelry looks on a man.

  1. Style has a fixed pattern:

Let’s go to another and today’s last fashion stereotype. One question to you all. Have you ever met a guy or girl who is always teaching everyone how to dress? I am certainly sure your answer would be yes. I feel this irritating. 

Well, I am not saying that they are wrong. We can learn a lot of stuff from them. They are right in the sense of fashion, but they are wrong about fashion. Fashion is not something that you can fix a pattern for it. It changes itself, and that’s the most interesting part of it. From person to person and from place to place, it differs drastically. 

Confused? Okay, let me clear it out. Do you remember Luna Luvgood from the Harry Potter series? Have a close look at her personality. What makes her special? Her weird belief, her weird yet smart behavior, and her dressing sense. Her dressing sense resembles who she is. It’s a part of her personality. It’s a part of herself. The same applies to every one of us. 

You are unique, and you can make your style. You just need to explore the world of fashion. Your style can tell the world that who you are. Your style can bring the world in awe. So stop listening to everyone and become your fashion icon.