So I am back from Morocco and although the holiday was super it's great to be back in my usual shopping centre haunts. Although I went to Morocco looking for some time out and a tan it provided a new way of looking at fashion for me. There is a small shopping precinct in Marrakesh with European brands like Etam and Zara most of the locals do their shopping in the souks, a local open air market. Within the souk there are stalls specialising in pottery, brass, spices and souvenirs but when it comes to fashion the stalls are few and far between. There are the stalls with fake Louis Vuitton and Gucci and then the traditional dress stalls which stock leather sandals which are a far cry from this seasons gladiator style. They consist of triangular pieces of coloured leather which would not look out of place in an Ali-baba production at the local Theatre Royal. The stalls also stock the traditional tunics which again come in a range of colours and are long and baggy with a triangular hood. After watching locals in their outfits with nothing but fabric colour to differentiate from one another it made me feel grateful that I had the opportunity to express myself in my attire and that alongside that there was also enough choice around me so that I can express myself. At points as guilty as this feels to admit it I felt pity for those people, I did not pity them for the way they live, or for where they lived their lives but for the lack of individuality they had. When I feel uncomfortable in my clothes I feel trapped and I wondered if this was how these people felt. After sitting on these thoughts for a while I started to question if it was possible that I'd got it all wrong, was it possible that I in fact was the trapped one. While I had variety and choice when it came to fashion am I really free to wear what I want? I would say 'No' every magazine tells me my hairs the wrong colour, every advert tells me I should loose weight, every music video makes me re-look at my wardrobe, if we all looked the same would the media be able to manipulate us the way it does? Imagine if trends did not exist and we had the freedom to wear whatever we wished, the money that would be saved , the stress it would save and the effect it would have on the environment would be massive. I would imagine a cotton tunic and leather sandals would beat stiletto boots and mini dresses in the comfort stakes too.
So this poses the question which culture is trapped, what torture is greater the lack of choice or is the pressure to conform? As a 20 something in 2010 pressure to conform is something I know all about, on a daily basis I question if my lipstick is the right shade of red, my trousers are the right length. The scary thing that we have with our fashion culture is that it not only impacts us but hits our children just as hard. I have spoken to girls as young as 9 who worry about their leg hair and girls of 11 concerned that they don't wear thongs, some to scared to do PE at school as they're afraid that their friends will ostracize them due to their choice of underwear. Is this right, No, is it possible that the volume of choice has become to much and set us against each other, leaving everyone in constant competition to look the best or have the most, the simple answer is 'Yes'. Are we at fault for this? Not completely, the burden must remain mostly on the media but we play our part. For that reason we have the choice to make things change for the better with small steps, 'How', by putting less pressure on our girlfriends. I urge you to encourage your friends to find the true them and embrace it even if their signature style is boot cut jeans, it may not be current but it's comfy and it suits them, and who knew they may just bring them back.
So remember next time you see that batty lady over the road with the pink hair,crazy shoes and glitter dress don't giggle at her appreciate her individuality and see if you too can learn something from her style!
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