stylessed

I have loved fashion and style ever since I was a child. It was my happy place. I loved the excitement of choosing what to wear or playing dress up. It allowed me to express myself, to demonstrate externally everything I felt. Even though it gave me so much happiness, it was still ridiculed by people around me as unnecessary, unimportant and frivolous.

To say something is frivolous is to imply that that something has no serious purpose. Therefore by saying that something like style and fashion is frivolous you are saying that something that makes many people happy has no purpose. Puppies make people happy, does that mean they have no purpose? Music make people happy, does that mean it has no purpose? I’ve never met a person who says that puppies and music are pointless, so why is it that style is considered frivolous and without purpose?

I would say it is because a love of fashion and style are considered to be feminine traits. I loved style growing up and was frequently told I was girly. However the term girly wasn’t meant as a compliment, it was often said in a disparaging tone that made me feel like it was a bad thing to be girly. However when it is implied that being girly is a bad thing, it is implied that being a girl is a bad thing.

Style is a form of expression, what we wear from day to day conveys so much about ourselves. Is it frivolous to care about how we wish to present ourselves to the outside world? How we are perceived according to our presentation plays a huge part in our lives and can mean the difference between success and failure. Style is a celebration of creativity and expression. Where would we be as a society if we didn’t have creativity and expression? Fashion and style is a means of income for many people of all walks of life. Who would we be if we discredited these people’s work as frivolous?

Style isn’t frivolous, it has a purpose. Its purpose is to inspire creativity and expression. Its purpose is economical. Its purpose is to make people happy. It is not purposeless.