I've been feeling sort of boyish lately. I'm not really sure how else to say it. Instead of just sitting around thinking "huh?" and wondering why I can't fully articulate my feelings, I decided to incorporated some men's-wear into today's outfit. I thought I'd take Kate Bornstein's advice (from "Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws") and emulate what I find attractive on others. It was more successful than I imagined. It's strange, I want to dress like a man but at the same time am afraid of looking manly. I think my queer identity and the fact that I've always had a body larger (taller/broader/fatter) than deemed appropriate for a woman contribute to this. On paper, I am a big fat feminist ready rebel against these confining ideals, but in actuality, I have at times found myself working harder to fit within these ideals. I remember in grade 9, the year I came out, I refused to wear unisex shoes (like Vans or Converse) because I honestly felt like my femininity was dependant on my girly flats. It may seem silly, but I was not the only young girl afraid to be labelled manly. I don't mean to ramble, but I like to be honest with my readers and a lot of thought did go into this rather simple outfit.
My favourite thing in men's-wear is layers. Vests, plaid shirt peaking out underneath cardigans, and hoodies layered under blazers have me swooning. Although, I don't know how anyone wears that last one without feeling bulky or uncomfortable.
I don't know how to pose like a dude, so instead I look a bit angry. Apologies!
My dad works in a small town an hour out of Edmonton, and I spent the day there with him. This old swing set is in the town's park, I'd be leery to swing on it but I didn't mind posing for a photo. They're getting all new playground equipment soon. Talk about small town, not one person even walked by the whole time I was taking photos!
Plaid shirt - my grandfather
Men's sweater vest - thrifted
Jeans - Old Navy size 18
T-shirt - American Apparel unisex size XL
Shoes - Payless size 11
Necklace - Forever 21
On a completely unrelated note, I wrote and passed the exam for my Class 7 driver's license, so now I have my learner's permit. Heck yeah!
i love the vest over the plaid! and the necklace is gorgeous!
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so know what you mean vis a vis your first paragraph, uggghhh, such a struggle.
ReplyDeleteyou look super cute though, i love this look.
love this boyish look, it so works, I find myself sometimes too dressing boyish, totally inspiring, you look great <3
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! And I don't think you look manly! I used to dress myself boyish almost all my life (I always was the trousers girl and almost never the skirt girl :D) and recently I decided to change that..
ReplyDeleteI love the bird and cage necklace! I've seen a similar on Dorothy Perkins site (I hope it was Dorothy) and loved it!
first off, you are so beautiful! love the haircut and glasses and all! I love boyish looks too, just don`t really do them very well LOL big hugs for you
ReplyDeleteI love the layers. This is a great look and you are rocking it.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the permit!
Great outfit! Nice colors and nice layering. I like how you paired everything with the cute necklace too.
ReplyDeleteI've never posted before but I've been reading your blog for a while and somehow never realized you were in Edmonton until now! Me too! (Woot U of A in Sept!) lol. Anyways though, I definitely get what you mean about being afraid of wearing anything vaguely 'manly' at times. There is always this tiny part of me that is worried that my mom or friends will think 'oh, well, she wants to wear that because shes queer. Makes sense!' or something.
As a queer girl who chose to be feminine after coming to terms with the fact that I was not obeying society's norms, I totes understand you! I don't think I can do boyish because of the way my body is shaped but I wish I could, to switch things up a bit!
ReplyDeletecongrats on your permit!
Thanks all, I really appreciated the comments! I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way about slightly manly clothes.
ReplyDelete@Shannon, that is so cool! I'm going to the UofA Augustana campus in Camrose, so I will not be living in Edmonton come call, but that si still so neat. :)