Wiscon: friday

[sasha_feather]

Friday:

28: Dressing to make a statement
The Rotund, Sarah Emrys, Laura, Beth Shupe, Betsy Urbik

Mostly a very good panel. Panelists spoke a lot about Steampunk and Lolita styles. Gender and class were discussed. Style is one's personal expression; fashion is the culture's moment. Fashion's major purpose is to signify gender and this is why people can get angry at those of us who dress outside traditional gender types. The Rotund talked about dressing as a fat person and dressing "agressively". She talked about getting sent home from work once because of what she was wearing (a professional dress that showed some cleavage), implying that her body was unacceptable. One panelist talked about dressing in a Victorian style to express a type of femininity that is both visible, but not sexually available. Ageism and classism within Lolita were brought up. Some people brought up that white men in particular tend to limit themselves style-wise. It'll be nice when men can wear feminine styles more openly.

One hiccup when a panelist did not understand cultural appropriation at all!

I know most of you get this but let me explain! When one culture is colonizing, they have the power to appropriate, to pick and choose elements from the colonized culture.

The colonized culture cannot appropriate from the dominant culture. If they are taking elements from it, they are either assimilating, ie trying to fit in, or they are transforming, turning one thing into something else. Or perhaps they are doing something else! But it's not appropriation.

*sigh*

After this I hosted the first-time WisCon dinner, went to Opening Ceremonies, then went to the Vid Party. For me, the most fun part of the vid party was the sing-along with captioned vids.

Comments

[trouble]

That is a kinky boots icon.

:D

[sasha_feather]

Yes it is! :D I use it for fashion posts.

Burgundy?!

[teigh_corvus]

I was going to comment on your actual entry, but then I realized you had a Kinky Boots icon and got distracted.

*___*

Re: Burgundy?!

[sasha_feather]

Bwahahahah!

[onceupon]

That moment! Ugh! I wish we had discussed cultural appropriation in more detail before we had the panel so that could have been nipped in the bud sooner.

[sasha_feather]

I thought you handled it really well, and so did the audience, so that it didn't spiral out and become a Thing like it could have. Overall I really liked this panel and thought you did a great job moderating! :D

[jesse_the_k]

Can you go into more detail about what the audience did right?

Also! Difference between style and fashion! I now understand what those words mean.

[sasha_feather]

The panelist said something wrong, like how when a colonized culture takes on the fashions of the colonizers, that is also appropriation. Several people in the audience said no or shook their heads, and one person compared this phenomenon to trying to fit in in high school-- you dress to conform, to blend in so you don't get noticed. It's for survival. I think another audience member said something too, but I don't remember what.

[onceupon]

Hey, thank you! I really appreciate that.

I think it was a great crowd - and so we were all just so horrified! *laugh*

We talked a bit, some of us, afterwards about how the subculture stuff should probably be broken out from the regular presentation stuff. So maybe we'll wind up suggesting two panels on the subject instead of just one for next year. I really want to build on the conversation instead of having the same conversation all over again.

And I'm glad you were there!

[eggcrack]

Sounds like a really interesting panel! I like that separation (there's probably a better word than that but right now my mind is coming up empty) of style and fashion, and aggressive dressing sounds like a fascinating concept.