Leopards use
its spots to camouflage and blend into its surroundings; however, humans use its
unique pattern to do the exact opposite, to be prominent. Leopard prints have
been around in the fashion industry for decades. Its unique pattern is still
being used as motifs for numerous apparels and accessories.
Its design
is applied to portray a fierce and sharp look similar to the characteristics of
a leopard. Given this fact, the leopard print can be tailored to both males and
females. On the contrary, it is stereotypically a design for ladies. The
fashion industry has portrayed leopard prints as a classy and chic look suited
only for the ladies. This is similar to the stereotype which depicts the colour
pink as a symbolic representation of femininity. It makes one wonder why does
stereotyping lurk in every corner of society, even in the way we dress.
This
occurrence is termed as object language
and the way we dress is a sub-group of it. According to Desmond Morris, dress
serves three functions: comfort-protection, modesty and cultural display. Our
clothes and fashion is gender neutral; it is how society assigns meanings to it
which will determine how it is perceived. The way we dress gives others the
opportunity to judge us at face-value.
Back to the
topic of leopard prints, it is a fashion norm for ladies to adorn themselves
with leopard prints. However, for men who wear leopard prints, it affects their
credibility. The highest credibility men can achieve through dress code is by
wearing classic two-piece suits.
It is
disheartening how stereotypes can drastically affect the way we perceive
society and the things around it. We really need to shift views and be
open-minded. Though its clichéd, do not
judge a book by its cover. Let’s fight stereotypes.
Who says guys can't rock leopard prints?
Who says guys can't rock leopard prints?
Group 3 Class B
ReplyDeleteComing from a guy, these leopard print clothing look nice! Who says leopard prints are only for girls, it not who is wearing it, but whether one can pull the look off, for example, whether the look flatters what you have or magnifies your flaws
Group 4 Class B
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand, females wear leopard prints not only because it showcases their fashion sense but also their hotness and wild character.
As for the guys, most of them in the past did not wear clothes that are slightly weird or “unusual” because they are afraid that they will stand out and being labelled as homosexuals. However, most guys now have changed as you could see. They are wearing unusual design pairing up with vivid colors (i.e. pink, aqua, red…) that we hardly use in the past, in order to build up their own fashion sense.
Therefore, I think that it is a great improvement compared to the past as we are now, able to express ourselves and communicate through our fashion sense.
Thank you for sharing with us this amazing post. Now I have to start saving up to get myself a leopard print cardigan too.
I agree with you that stereotypes are so common in our society and we should learn to fight against stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteThe stereotypes of leopard prints are also correspond to women of color especially the blacks. The African American models are stereotyped as wild and uncivilized, thus they are often being portrayed by the media with animal prints that are associated to the animals in the jungles.
Furthermore, besides the example that you have listed above regarding how the color pink is associated to femininity. I have another example to exemplify how the society stereotypes certain activities that are deemed feminine. Facial and cosmetic products are often associated with the females. In the past, if a guy who is not an artiste or performer and he wore make up, he would be seen as a homosexual.
However, as people become more educated and realize that all these stereotypes are mainly social construction, more people are willing to express their fashion sense.
This is evident such that it is common nowadays to see men who buys facial and cosmetic products such as perfumes, pimple creams, eyeliner and BBcreams.
In conclusion, I hope people would be more aware of the stereotypes in our society so that we can express ourselves better.
Comment by Group 1 Class B http://thelostmemberspeaks.wordpress.com
This blog entry on sex stereotypes in clothing is interesting. There is a growing trend of men dressing like women (men wearing skirts) and women dressing like men (women wearing army style boots and business shirts). In this day and age, I believe that people are becoming more open minded and that stereotypes in dressing are less prevalent today. This can be seen in the example in which famous hip-hop artistes like Lil' Wayne and Kanye West appeared in women's blouses and women's platform shoes in their performances. I feel that leopard prints can represent a man's masculinity well.
ReplyDeletePeople are more individualistic today, and want to stand out from the crowd through their dressing. However, I think we will not be seeing the average man wearing a skirt on the street any time soon because this violates social norms and it might be too unusual in our society.
To conclude, I believe that a person's dressing now depends less on traditional public and social expectations, but their confidence level, quirkiness, and the image he or she wants to portray.