The subject I wanted to focus on for this project was my wardrobe, and how I feel as though I don’t wear enough of the things that I love and wish that I could be confident enough to wear. I wanted to explore the boundaries of what was already there, and how I could see things differently, all relating to the pieces of clothing that are also part of myself.
I know that most people (especially in design school), express themselves in their clothing, and it’s a beautiful conscious choice to be representing yourself in what you wear. I think the reasoning as to why I don’t confidently own my self and body is because growing up there was always stigma and perimeters as to what my clothing does say about me and how it is perceived in public. As I grew up, the things that I was wearing was mostly critiqued because it was coming from a place of love, and thinking about how there is the issue of safety. Some people in my life still believe that what I wear determines how people will react to me, and in turn, it might be my fault if someone does react a certain way about my appearance. Which I find sickening and incorrect because we should not be trying to stop people from expressing themselves, and start educating people that we should respect each other and what we choose to wear. There is so much stigma about what a woman wears and whether it’s too much or too little should be entirely up to the wearer, and not strangers pushing their preconceived mindsets onto you. I am lucky enough to be living in such a vibrant and encouraging space, one that I wasn’t always in. I know I’m on a rant but, being in such an open and supportive area is a gift and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
For me, being able to express myself and quite frankly feel confident is by wearing certain things that allow me to feel empowered. I grew up feeling very insecure about the way I looked and felt almost diminished in not being able to wear the things that I wanted to. Because I struggled with my appearance I think having the outlet that I do now, of my visual self-expression, really helps to combat when I do feel ugly or insecure. And I think it’s a beautiful feeling, one that everyone should be able to have, being able to own the body you are born into, and owning your visual self no matter what you choose to represent yourself in.
SO, for this project, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and let my close friends dress me in things that I wouldn’t normally see myself in. Every day another friend would come and take things from my closet and accessorize me however they wanted. I deeply value and appreciate all of my friends’ different outlooks on how they create art and their style. A lot of them say that the way I dress reflects my art aesthetic. I allowed each of my friends to take one thing from their closet (if desired) and add it to the outfit! Seeing myself in all of these different things, and being surrounded by so many supportive voices made me feel super empowered and made me want to branch out more into exploring my style.
I think the way it evolved was more of just seeing the details of each of my friends’ aesthetics and how they brought it out in my closet. I loved this project because it not only helped me get out of my comfort zone, but also seeing each person’s point of view and it becoming a bonding experience. The only challenges that I encountered were that of how messy my room would be after picking out the outfits and also the printing of the book, as it was the first time I have printed a book by myself. I made the spreads in InDesign, and wanted to make it inspired by dress up games I used to play as a kid online. Which in a way, does speak to the idea of objectification, and how there is an ideal body-shape that is “desired” in the public eye. I think that in the act of gathering and exploring different outfits in my closet I learned that my visual self-expression isn’t defined by just my closet, but it makes me feel empowered and it is super fun exploring all the possibilities.
