"I Dressed as a Goth, a Party Girl, and a Manic Pixie Dream Girl — Here's How My Friends, Partner, and OKCupid Reacted"
http://www.bustle.com/articles/36369-i-dressed-as-a-goth-a-party-girl-and-a-manic-pixie-dream-girl-heres
"I began all this with the slight hope that in the seven years since my last fashion experiment, people had become slightly more open-minded, and less horrible. But the thing is, they really, really haven’t" (Ospina 2014)
So often people are judged by their appearance and what we are wearing. People continue to do it to us as well as we continue to do it to others. As much as we would like to think nowadays and as sad as it is, this is still an ever common occurrence. We think of people that look like they are destitute to be "sketchy," people wearing all black to be goth, teenagers wearing "drug rugs" to be stoners, people wearing some bohemian fashion to be hippies, people that are thought to be "overdressed" are prude while people who are thought to be "underdressed" have negative presumptions of their sexuality, and people dressed "acceptably well" are fully accepted into society while many of these other people are not. The list goes on and on.
This is the 21st century, why are we not allowed to wear whatever we want? Oh, I forgot...we are, just we're bombarded constantly with criticism and judgment. We hear the said-too-often but true statement that "we're all unique and different in a good way." If this is so, then why are our ideas of how we express our differences and uniqueness criticized? What we wear is simply as innocent as showing off our personalities.
The fact is, yes, we all have the right to our own judgment, but when should we realize we have gone too far...too far into the lives of others? Yes, of course we shouldn't live our lives for the acceptance of others, but it is quite hard to completely ignore the factor of acceptance when creating our own happiness. Yet, how often do people stop to think that judgment can be positive and not negative? That is the judgment we should all learn to live with.
First step, let's turn those awful negative stereotypes based on how people dress to positive reflections of their personalities, beyond the confidence they must possess to allow themselves to embrace their differences among the public scrutiny of modern society.
"Destitutes" - Why should we evade people who are only looking for friendliness and a possible help & hope of getting a step up in this cruel world? Some sit out day and night in the freezing cold and then proceed to be spit at or even physically harmed by pedestrians walking by.
Goth - Who said that everyone has to like color? Technically, black is the utmost color as it is a combination of all colors. While some people may be confident in decking out in all black, others find the need to try to hide from the rest of society, so why do we need to find the need to be rude to them and give them reason to hide?
Stoners - Seriously. Drug rugs are oversized colorful sweatshirts that I've heard are to be quite warm and very durable. Why should anyone be judged for wearing something comfy, well-made, and full of color and unique patterns?
Hippies - Yes, I do find myself to fall into this category but I'll try not to be bias. What is wrong with enjoying the comfort of the "flowyness" and uniqueness of bohemian fashion? What is so wrong with expressing our love for our Mother Earth? Why should we be judged for wearing a crystal rock around our neck because we have our own beliefs as others wear a cross around their neck?
Prudes - So what if they like to be modest? Why is being modest ever a bad thing? Everyone has both different levels and ideas of their own respect of their image, why should theirs be judged more harshly?
"Underdressed" - Some may enjoy this style as it gives them a sense of confidence in their body. Others may go to this style as they find it as a way to grab attention and not be thought of as "ugly" or a "tom-boy." Who are we to judge?
"Acceptably Well" - They often agree with society's ideas of the norm along with some of them being people who are too shy to standout. They may find it easiest to conform along with learning that this sadly is one of the few ways to be accepted by many.
As we all have our own right to our opinions, we should all have the right to be free of negative judgment. Next time you go to judge someone by their appearance, think again and really put thought into if the judgment is necessary and holds any truth. Often times, it will not. The more we "hate on others," the more others will "hate on us." This is a situation that we will often find ourselves to be both the victim and the ones who are guilty. Find a reason to be neither.
Let others know that positive judgment and even no judgment at all is a reachable goal for everyone. Be the change society needs to widen the disproving eyes of the public.
-The Crunchy Granola Nut
©The Crunchy Granola Nut
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