She Culture: Pride in presentation

Lesbian fashion in Utah is something of a conundrum. Yes, things have extensively progressed from what we’ve seen in the past but there’s always room for improvement. Improvement that must, and I believe will, be had.

I’ve always thought of Salt Lake City and Park City as the pinnacles of culture in this state, but in comparison with other major cities in the country, they tend to be lagging a few years behind. I’ve found that this rings true not only within the LGBT community, but also within those on the other side of the fence. I’ll err on the side of caution and mention that this should be taken with a grain of salt because, of course, it is a generalization and there are a decent amount of exceptions. Many of whom are Utah natives and who continue to impress me, and I would imagine others, with every encounter.

I have noticed that there is a propensity for casual dress among the LGBT women in Utah. Put frankly, there’s a particular word that comes to mind when I think about the fashion selection of such: sloppy.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a conversation with people unfamiliar with lesbian culture and fashion, and the general (uneducated, some may say) opinion they hold is something of a shoddy ensemble of textile. Typically this image that they evoke consists of over-sized, soiled, wrinkled and haphazardly thrown together clothing. Maybe the outfit is topped off with shoes that don’t match in any form of the word, and way too many gaudy accessories. In which case, usually the best rule to follow, is that less really is more.

Call me a cynic when it comes to this topic, but I find myself agreeing with the naysayers on occasion, which is certainly more often than I would prefer.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the diversity of the chosen styles within the lesbian community. I applaud the countless women who take that extra few minutes out of their day to take pride in their presentation. The women who prefer be overdressed than under, and who defy the limits of traditionally gender-oriented clothing and hair. They are those who challenge the boundaries of what it means, and what it takes, to walk down the street and know that they will turn heads, and replace negative stereotypes with awe.

I don’t care if you’re butch or femme or anywhere in between. Dressing up before a night on the town is one of the activities I get most excited about. I realize that not everyone shares the same accord, but let’s face it, the fashion police aren’t walking around patrolling appropriate dress for work and for play, day and evening, and for clothing that should be worn strictly in private quarters.

I can’t help but be a little bit amused when I’m out and about and, observe the clothing selection of some of our fellow women. Sometimes I’ll reconstruct what I imagine their thought process is like when they’re sliding into their clothing selection.
“Well, I guess today I’ll close my eyes and the clothes I shall wear will be the ones I stumble over that may or may not be strewn across my bedroom floor.”

I’m not sure who gave the OK for sweatpants to be worn at a bar or restaurant, flip flops when it’s January and there’s six inches of snow on the ground, or to behave in a bar like it’s a strip club (but I guess in that case, clothing wouldn’t be much of a factor anyway.)

I’m not saying that endless amounts of money need to be spent to fluff up a wardrobe, or even that a person must absolutely possess a chic fashion sense in the first place. These gay boys and their obsession with fashion is intimidating, but I promise it’s really not so shameful as a lesbian to be aware of and keep up with the trends. But in all seriousness, my humble and only suggestion for the LGBT community is to keep doing whatever it is that you do, but maybe we could step it up even if just a little bit, and dress relevantly and appropriately to your setting.

As the saying goes, first impressions are hard to surpass. How we present ourselves outwardly will affect our behavior, our attitude, and as ambassadors to the LGBT community. Social construct or not, there are reasons why one doesn’t wear pajamas to work, jeans to the theater, or just their underwear to the club. Dressing appropriately doesn’t simply make us feel pretty, it adds to the collective effort to encourage further evolution of human civility as we know it.