Intersectionality
A four-way intersection is one of the most dangerous, scary, and yet empowering places to be on the road. Dangerous, as one has the potential to be hit from all directions. Scary, as hesitation and uncertainty can make one fear the unknown. Empowering, as the action of moving forward or changing directions has endless possibilities for new discovery. The same principles apply to life as an intersectional minority. Intersectionality refers to a crossroads of subject positions, many of which are often historically oppressed, resulting in a far greater discrimination or negative treatment from society. Activist Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term intersectionality, states the perils of intersectionality, saying, “Because the intersectional experience is greater than the sum of racism and sexism, any analysis that does not take intersectionality into account cannot sufficiently address the particular manner in which Black women are subordinated” (Stamper). In Crenshaw’s example, being black and being a woman created a far greater magnitude of discrimination than racism or sexism alone, or even the sum of both racism and sexism, since she was affected by all three. Though the term has become colloquial through its widespread use on various media platforms, the understanding of intersectionality is vital to being aware of and understanding diversity within society, since being a part of the “visual world” is completely unavoidable (Kaiser). Thus, intersectionality, and the cultural and historical connotations that are entailed, is inseparable from the concepts of fashion-style-dress, and ultimately our daily lives.
Subconsciously, subject positions and their intersections can play a large role in the ways in which we present ourselves to the world. A subject position that has often played the biggest role in my personal dress practice is one that I had never paid much attention to until recent years: gender. Growing up, I had always been my mother’s canvas for pink dresses and high-heeled slippers, and I obliged without any thoughts otherwise. As I have gotten older, my personal relationship with gender, and societal dressing norms that have been ingrained into my habitus from a young age, has shifted. I have always identified as female, however I no longer feel a need to perpetuate the aforementioned gendered clothing stereotypes of my childhood. Another subject position that has permeated my dress practices is age. Though I had never given it much thought previously, the way that I dress and the age that it presents provokes very specific reactions from society, that have thus affected my choices of clothing. For example, wearing a short, tight dress with heels tends to make me look older and more traditionally feminine, an intersectionality which often elicits certain uncomfortable reactions from members of society. The feedback I have gathered from wearing this type of clothing out has conditioned me to reserve this style of dress for specific social settings where I would be with other people around my age who were also dressed similarly. The other subject positions mentioned in my intersectionality map (ethnicity, place, nationality, and sexuality) have more subtle effects on the way that I dress, however they all are pieces of my psyche that determine the way that I think, behave, and present myself to the world. Dress practices often reflect our own intersectionality in a nuanced manner that lets society catch glimpses of the parts that make up our whole being that are not explicitly expressed.
Bibliography
Kaiser, Susan B. Fashion and Cultural Studies. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2018.
Stamper, Kory. “A Brief, Convoluted History of the Word ‘Intersectionality’.” The Cut, The Cut, 9 Mar. 2018, www.thecut.com/2018/03/a-brief-convoluted-history-of-the-word-intersectionality.html.
Image sources:
Hiveminer.com. September 17, 2019. https://hiveminer.com/Tags/grayscale%2Cparty
Wikimedia.org. September 17, 2019. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Honolulu_Diamond_Head_and_palms_1936.jpg
Mapsinternational.co.uk. September 17, 2019. https://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/the-world-is-art-wall-map-grey.html
