Wearing Your Sexuality on Your Sleeve
The Seventh Installment of a Weekly Fashion Column
By GRACE TWOREK
Sex. People love to talk about it. People hate to talk about it. But what so many people don’t realize is that we wear sex. One may ask, how?
Through the clothes we put on our body, we have the ability to express our sense of sexuality in so many ways. No matter how much or how little we choose to express our sexuality through our wardrobe, the most important part is that it is OUR choice. The world, similar to fashion is ever changing and as society reinvents itself through new norms, fashion evolves and becomes a place where people can experiment with their style and began to understand their own sexuality.
I cannot even begin to count all the times my mom has said to me, “Go up and change. That outfit is completely inappropriate” or “Would your father approve of that?”. And I am not here to tell you that the skin-tight tank top and low-rise yoga pants I wanted to wear to school in sixth grade were in any way shape or form the move. I am here to tell you that as a twenty-year-old, I am tired of hearing people tell me what I’m wearing is too revealing or not appropriate for a certain occasion.
I express my sexuality through my clothes quite often, but to me, sexuality is also expressed through self-confidence and in order for me to feel like my best self, I have to feel confident in what I put on my body. Sometimes, that means crop tops, leather skirts, or thigh-high boots (Sorry mom and dad). As college students, understanding our own sexualities and learning to accept the expression of sexuality through fashion can be very complicated and confusing, but by learning to express yourself through fashion, this process can not only be a lot easier, but more fun, too.
Sex sells and the fashion industry is catching on to this. The fashion industry has been evolving into an even more accepting space as it ages, and with this sense of acceptance, more and more people have felt comfortable and confident enough to step out of the box with their style and take chances with their clothes that may be regarded as ‘sexier’ than the norm. Whether it’s going braless or even incorporating lingerie pieces as part of your everyday outfit, these trends are not only becoming merely accepted by society, but rather encouraged and supported by the fashion world.
One of my favorite things about fashion is that is allows you to express how you feel on a day to day basis. Sometimes this means wearing bright colors to pair with your bubbly mood, athleisure to ease your inner athlete at heart, or rocking a leather dress and a red lip because you feel like channeling your inner minx. No matter what, the world of fashion accepts you for you and encourages individuals of all ages to explore and accept their own sexuality regardless of what you choose to dress your body in.
Grace Tworek ‘21 (gtworek@college.harvard.edu) loves writing about fashion for the Indy.