Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What to wear... The Story of a Doc Wearing Fiend


OK, so I admit it, sometimes you will catch me watching How Do I Look on the Style Network. I enjoy it, but every time I watch it I have all kinds of conflicting feelings about the show. I mean, I enjoy seeing all these "ugly ducklings" transform into swans, and yet part of me screams in outrage over the fact that this show has once again bludgeoned a once unique individual into conformity.

I often wonder which is better. On one hand, they kind of want the make over. That really is not the question. The question is why they want the makeover. Are they stuck in some kind of fashion rut and know it, or do they feel pressured by those around them to tone down what society cannot handle, someone who does not meld with the herd.

I myself have this issue all the time. People constantly telling me, "your clothes are too big, you need smaller clothes!" Truthfully, why can't they mind their own business. There is a reason my clothes are in various states of fit. My weight fluctuates, therefore causes me to buy new clothes, then need the old ones again when I gain some back. It is not a situation I am totally pleased with, but if my comfort is hurting your eyes, well tough noogies. I am more concerned with the issue behind the ever changing size than whether or not my wardrobe meets with your boxed in view of fashion. Sorry, off on a rant there. Did not mean to veer off the path (Yet that is somehow appropriate for this blog entry).

On Sunday I went to the mall to enjoy some of the Birthday gift cards I received (Yay me). Normally I would look everything over before committing to a purchase, but that did not happen this time. I somehow ended up in the Brass Plum in Nordstrom, like I am a 15 year old girl. There it was, across a not so crowded room. They called to me, and I whimpered back.

Hanging from the sales rack was a solitary hot pink patent something Dr. Martin (the fabric was synthetic, but not certain what). That 15 year old girl in me started to sing. I looked at the lonely shoe, missing his sister who was being held hostage in the stock room, and knew these shoes were mine.

I thought over and over again, people will laugh at me. Docs are so Grunge scene, but I did not care. I love them! I LOVE Docs, so there Style Network. I refuse to be boxed into a homogenized wardrobe so I fit in your test tube little world. I buy not that it will somehow make me a better person, just a more malleable one.

Now when I watch How Do I Look, all I feel is kind of sad. What was once a person that was a unique stamp on the world, has now been blended like charcoal pencil or pastels, and can no longer be distinguished from the other marks on the canvas.

I, for one, plan to always wear my hot pink Docs...

2 comments:

Gina said...

Great topic and great writing. Stay true to yourself

Melissa said...

I admit that I too enjoy watching "How Do I Look?" and "What Not to Wear." I prefer the latter, as I think that Stacy and Clinton are a little less "mean" about things. They want people to keep their quirkiness and individuality. The people whose wardrobes are in question are invariably those who are looking for and need a change, like those who are looking for a promotion in their jobs, or seeking new jobs in general, or those who have lost or gained weight and don't know how to dress their new bodies to their full potential, or those who are divorced/widowed and looking for love again, and so on and so on. You get the gist.

Of the two shows, I think that "What Not to Wear" actually keeps the person's personality in their new wardrobes. I would agree that "How Do I Look?" makeovers tend to all come out rather the same.

I am a Doc lover too. Though I do admit that my Docs of choice have taken a rather less "Typical Doctor Marten" look. Mine are more "baby-doll-shoe-with-an-edge," but they are still Doc Martens, and I must admit that I get lots of compliments on them--especially my red ones. http://www.6pm.com/images/729/7298980/3832-432402-5.jpg

I think there is nothing wrong with a great pair of shoes--in a fabulous colour. There are certainly a lot of so-called "couture" shoes out there that are vibrant colours and crazy styles. So how is a brightly coloured Doc Marten boot really any different?

I say, rock on with your bad self and your Doc Martens! :-D