Dress to Impress

Call me a girl, but I really like shopping.  Unfortunately, I'm also a broke college kid, so every now and again I treat myself to some online window shopping.  Today, I was browsing a few of my favorite online shops when I saw this:

It was listed as the "Shimmering Paillette Cocktail Dress."

My initial reaction was, "Quick! Get that girl some pants!" This dress is listed as being a mere 32" long.  As a tall(er) girl, I know for sure this would never fly as a dress in the length department, but as a girl, I know this just wouldn't fly.  

I spent last week at Seek 2013, a conference for Catholic youth put on by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).  The conference featured a series of talks by some great speakers.  My favorite was entitled "How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul," by Jason Evert. (He and his wife wrote a book, too!) In his talk, he discussed the different ways in which men and women are attracted to each other.  He challenged the men in the room to view the women they are attracted to as sisters of humanity rather than as objects because we are people made in the image and likeness of God.  As a woman, it's easy to be empowered by such a statement; A few girls were all, "Yeah! You tell 'em, Jason!" Honestly though, ladies, let's not blame the objectification of women entirely on the gents.  Just take another look at Exhibit A above.  We know perfectly well when we get dressed to go out just what kind of outfit will attract attention.   

Skirt lengths sure have changed in the last 100 years.  The movement toward shorter skirts and pants for women characterized by Amelia Bloomer was actually what she called "a move toward rational dress."  The women who fought for suffrage and called for less constrictive clothing for women wanted us women of the future to be able to let our voices be heard in the society in which we live.  What message are we sending with our current fashions? 

Edith Head, an American costume designer, once said, “A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to prove you're a lady.” 

We as women have more value and worth than being an object to the male eye.  Let's take some responsibility, dress our worth, and encourage the fashion industry to rise to our standards.  

xokaleigh