Because of my cultural background, the title of this excerpt immediately jumped out at me. ‘Cover Up.’ That has been said to me more times than I can count. There are so many layers to this, making it almost overwhelming to discuss at the moment. Where do I even begin with this bullshit? Living as a woman in a muslim community in the Middle East can be suffocating, spirit-crushing, traumatizing. For exclusively women, self expression and visibility is met with hostility more often than not. Clothing becomes a tool to seek out the resistant ones, and in turn, fashion becomes political.
The excerpt identifies the societal rulebook placed on women’s bodies and dress, as well as the consequences of defying it. It cites a police officer’s comment that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” The text also states ‘How you dress will always affect how people respond to you. But a justification for assault? Never.” Having been surrounded by the mentality Corner is condemning, this was a very powerful statement for me. I began to think about a time my skirt was “too short,” and my mother told me that rape was inevitable. Or another time my shirt was “too tight,” and “drawing too much attention” at a mall. Growing up, fashion was my salvation and voice. To have it ripped away from me so often from so many directions was traumatizing. It empowers me to read that I am not alone in this experience.
