Feminism or Frothy Frippery in Fashion

Thought Hadley came up with amusing goods again, here, although I think she's not really articulated all that I'd say on the matter:

Can one be a feminist and a fashion fan?
Laura Hall, London
Have mercy. How many times can a lady engage in the Fashion - Misogynist Tyranny or Female Empowerment? debate before eating her elbow out of boredom? The answer is about 75 times fewer than we have done so on this page. Chomp chomp. Fashion is about making people look good and, lo, feeling better about themselves. Now, stop rattling the paper with excitement: I concede that at times this does cross over into extremes resulting in quite the opposite, with women labouring under a lifetime of self-hatred and physical contortion, and this is very wrong. But it seems to me similarly anti-female to insist that in order to be a true feminist, one is not allowed to have any vanity. This, surely, is just a breath away from the old anti-feminist stereotype about hairy armpits and burlap trousers - a stereotype that has led to a current generation of girls loath to describe themselves as feminists in the belief that this makes them sound in favour of body hair as opposed to, say, equal pay. So to continue to insist that any interest in fashion is on a par with being a blinkered victim of a male society seems more than a little misguided. Patriarchal society or not, everyone likes to look good and to insist on anything else is self-defeating. Heck, even Ann Widdecombe went blond, and, as that example proves, this is not just about looking good for the boys - it's about looking in the mirror and having a little smile.

I concede that there is a difficulty in separating whether something makes you feel better because you genuinely like it or because you are conforming to society's expectations of what you should look like. But look at it this way: it is a proven fact that you are more likely to get a job if you dress nicely. Object to the superficiality of this world all you like, but the fact is that the more women who look decent, the more women there will be in good jobs so we can take over the world. Ha ha! Don't burn your bras, sisters! Buy them!

Problem is, of course, that this fails to engage with the fact that the people dictating fashion are incredibly frequently not women, but men. But it does echo an argument/contradiction that I struggle with but have decided that I will embrace looking good. Why? Because why on earth should women tell me I can't wear skirts or shave my legs, when we've supposedly rejected being limited by men? Problems... a patriarchal society has told me that shaving my legs is good and wearing skirts is what women "do". Certainly, this is one answer. However, for me feminism is not about rejection entirely of the things that a patriarchal society has brought about, such as cars or computers or football or sliced bread. It's about rejection of the limitations that dictate women MUST behave in a certain way and yet being "girlie" is demeaned, an insult... so I will do, as a bright, strong woman, whatever I damn well please. And if some men are benefitted by that, so what? I happen to think we need to live together and forge partnerships, where women's rights are as important to men as to us. That will make the whole of society better.

Sorry for the rambling, but I am VERY NERVOUS about my presentation in a mere two hours' time of my work to my organisation, so I'm panicking and this probably is utterly incoherent and inconsistent because it is rushed and I'm tryingt o distract myself and get this published asap. Apologies again, folks.