Labels Schmabels – Wear What You Want

People of all sizes and genders should have access to the clothes they want to wear. We can’t let corporations keep controlling what we wear by restricting fashion to further misogyny and the patriarchy’s rule. Fashion is for everyone!

For years I have been bothered by the many differences between the fashion in the men’s department vs the women’s department and the girl’s department vs the boys’ department. The fact that boys get clothes they can play in but girls don’t is insane. Not every little thing for girls has to be pink, frilly, tiny and full of sparkles. And boys’ clothes certainly do not need to be void of colour or design.

Nor should small children be encouraged to wear small versions of clothes that people wear in their twenties. Let kids be kids! Stop trying to force them into toxic and limiting gender stereotypes and stop trying to turn them into little adults.

Kids should have clothes that allow them to be kids, play, get dirty and enjoy their childhood.

Can’t we just stop this whole genderisation and sexualisation of children and adults, and let people be whoever they are and dress however they want to? What are we so afraid of?

Encourage individuality

Children should get to pick what they wear. As long as they’re not going to school or to some other activity naked, and as long as they dress warm when the weather calls for it, what’s the harm? We must nurture their individuality and show them that their lives are their own. They’re their own person and should be able to express themselves freely.

Let children be children

Babies do not need to look like mini-adults. Of course, they don’t. They’re babies. They need clothes that are safe, comfortable and easy to change. That’s it. No need for a mini suit for your newborn. Or a princess gown. Just let them be comfortable. They’re not dolls. While they may be adorable, they’re living individuals that we have the privilege of caring for. That privilege doesn’t mean we have any say in who they are. That was decided long before they came into our care.

Sexualising kids by letting them wear makeup, accessories and garments that look like something an adult would and could wear… that’s so wrong, in my opinion. Let children be children for as long as they can. After all, they’ll spend the rest of their lives wishing they could get a chance to be children once more.

Stereotype-based clothing for adults

The women’s section is a bit ridiculous considering how small, tight and often uncomfortable the garments really are. And many of the garments break so easily. It is as if they were made for someone who’d do little more than sit still and look pretty all day. Ahem. That can’t be what the system was going for, can it…?

And the men’s wear… It’s like we’ve gone as far as we possibly could in the opposite direction. Few alternatives and they all look more or less the same. Often shapeless and void of colour.

So these are our alternatives, huh? Dress up in a colourless tent or in a fragile, tight garment that will break if you move.

What can we do?

Well for one, we could look over and inventory our own wardrobes. Konmari it and lay out all of our clothes and shoes in front of us and then evaluate them all. Create a mood board for what you want to look like and feel like. Colours, designs, the feelings involved – just go for it!

Then you go back to your own garments and shoes. Place the garments and shoes that match your mood board to the side. That’s what you’re keeping as is.

Place the garments and shoes that can be altered to match the moodboard in another pile. Those are the garments you can get really creative with and decorate and adjust according to your own preferences.

Place the garments and shoes that do not fit, match the mood board or in any way spark joy in a third pile. Those are the things you will donate or sell.

Go slow and go online

Look at what you’ve kept. What garments and shoes do you need where you currently live? How many seasons are there?

Make a list of the garments and/or shoes that you still need to get.

Now it’s time to do research. Look for thrift shops, second-hand shops, yard sales and vintage stores. Online and in physical shops. Go slow and local if you can. The less strain you place on the environment, the better. If a shop is nearby, that also means you can go there more easily when they have discounts and offers, and you won’t have to pay for shipping or anything of that nature.

If you’re unable to find what you are looking for in a pre-loved condition, go online and visit small business owners. There are many gender inclusive online shops to be found. Etsy is a good place to start your search.

Learn how to sew/crochet/knit or all three

As I like to say, “Any want or need is an opportunity to find out how to do something yourself.” Knowing how to mend and alter your clothes, and how to sew, crochet or knit new ones… Those are skills you can take straight to the bank. Clothes are expensive and often mass-produced and thereby not sustainable. So knowing how to make them yourself is an excellent way to be sustainable, and creative and be able to wear exactly what you want.

The best part about making your own clothes is that there are no labels or departments. The clothes were made by you, for you. That’s all.

Wear what you want and dress your soul, not your fantasy self.