Tag Archives: Fashion and Feminism

Style Icon: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

April 18, 2016 By in Fashion, Style Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 35 Comments

Chimamanda-Ngozi-Adichie-by-Akintunde-Akinleye-for-Vogue-UK-BellaNaija-March-2015

 

This style icon is probably someone you know nothing about, but you should. She is the Truth…..

 

The beautiful and talented, award-winning Nigerian novelist, and Beyoncé’s muse behind ‘Run the World’ lyrics; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is my style icon. I love everything this woman represents. She is beauty and brains, she was 26 when she published her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction and won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has gone on to write many other successful books like Half of a Yellow Sun, a book set during the Biafran conflict in Nigeria, a decade before she was born – and Americanah, my personal favourite, a modern love story set between America and Nigeria.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Image

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You can clearly see this style icon is beauty and brains, which is quite rare these days, and I love that about her. She is like a breath of fresh air, and her style game is on point as well. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie rocks some of the most beautiful African pieces I have ever seen. She designs most of her clothes. A lover of bold prints and native Ankara designs, this style queen balances African prints and modern chic like a boss. She inspires me a lot.

Half-of-a-Yellow-Sun-Chimamanda-Ngozi-Adichie

Chimamanda once wrote an article – Why can’t a smart woman love fashion, and she kind of read my mind with all the fashion lovers cannot be feminist nonsense I read around on the web. I really think the so-called feminist that refuse to like fashion, and believe women should go about looking and feeling unattractive to be equal to men, should take a moment and read her well written article, they have no excuse to be so ignorant really.

Here is a quote from the article below:

I had learned a lesson about Western culture: Women who wanted to be taken seriously were supposed to substantiate their seriousness with a studied indifference to appearance. For serious women writers in particular, it was better not to dress well at all, and if you did, then it was best to pretend that you had not put much thought into it. If you spoke of fashion, it had to be either with apology or with the slightest of sneers. The further your choices were from the mainstream, the better. The only circumstance under which caring about clothes was acceptable was when making a statement, creating an image of some sort to be edgy, eclectic, counterculture. It could not merely be about taking pleasure in clothes.

What do you think of this style icon?

 

 

 

 

Fashion vs Feminism

February 11, 2016 By in Beauty, Fashion Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 49 Comments

There are a group of women that tend to look down on any woman who takes her looks seriously, and I wonder why. I for one, love to look good, and I appreciate beautiful things. I love my makeup, my hair extensions and wigs, my nice clothes, shoes and bags, and I love experimenting with various beauty treatments. So does that make me a feminist or a non feminist?

I think every woman has the potential to be a stunner, with the right clothes, accessories and makeup. I also believe, some women are natural stunners, so they do not have to try as hard as others, but I don’t see women who take the time to wear makeup, and nice clothes as non feminists, just like I don’t see women that do not put on makeup or trendy clothes as feminists. Fashion and feminism can go hand in hand, but they don’t have to.

Bare Legs Outfit Post

 

However, every now and again, I come across a blog post, comment, or a magazine article, that makes me wonder why so many women have a problem with fashion or beauty. I wonder why they have this hostile relationship with anything fashion or beauty related, with the passive aggressive remarks like – ‘I don’t have time for makeup, I have no interest in fashion, I hardly get dressed these days, I am a feminist, I don’t have any desire to be beautiful or desired by men, I am a feminist, I don’t need to have my body hairs permanently taken off’, I can go on and on with the funny remarks I read everywhere, and you will be still be reading this post for hours. These funny remarks make me wonder, so this post is all about me wondering out aloud, forgive me.

Fashion and feminism have a lot in common, and at the same time have nothing in common, it depends on you and how you see things.  I believe they have a lot in common. I am a feminist but I am also a fashion and beauty enthusiast. I hardly have makeup on most days, or have my hair styled (disclosure: typing this post in my pyjamas), but I appreciate stylish clothes and beauty, and I love looking good. I won’t go to an event without looking my best, I take delight in looking good.

So if there is a new pair of leggings that will provide tummy control, and support, I will wear it, if I need to get my teeth whitened, I will, like I have done before (actually I need a top up soon), if there is a laser hair removal treatment to get rid of body hairs, I will have it done, and I am currently having it done, because I CAN.

OOTD The Suede Look Picture

Another issue I have noticed recently, is the hate most feminists have for reality stars and shows. Being a feminist does not mean you are not allowed to like reality shows. I see many women ashamed to say they watch TOWIE or Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and I am like why? I watch both programs and I find them quite interesting most of the time, doesn’t make me a black bimbo, because I am nothing like that.

The issue with feminists that hate fashion and beauty related things, is the fact that they are torn between the two – what they want and what men don’t. In their heads, the whole idea of being a feminist, is being equal to men, all around. So most men are not interested in makeup or beauty, so they are not interested, most men don’t watch reality shows, so they don’t watch them, most men are usually hairy on the body, body hairs are considered a masculine trait, so many do not bother taking them off, so our feminist sisters also refuse to have theirs taken off, and look down on those who do.

For clarification, a feminist is a woman seeking to achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal and social rights for women.

Being a feminist has nothing to do with your personal taste in fashion, style or beauty, it has nothing to with programs you like watching, or books you like reading. It has nothing to do with your background, education, sexual orientation or your hobbies.

Fashion and beauty is seen by many as fun and frivolous, and it is kind of, while feminism is seen as a serious cause. They are both separate movements that have nothing to do with each other, except you want them to.

Leather Leggings

I am a feminist, and I am a fashion/beauty conscious woman. I do not need to hate on fashion, to demonstrate a commitment to the feminist cause and neither should you. Whether you hate on these beautiful things I love, for the right or wrong reasons, it does not make you anymore of a feminist, like it does not make me anymore of a feminist for loving them.

 

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