Prioritize/Awkward jeans

By Neslihan

You'd think that now that I actually have the time, I'd blog my brains out but I actually did not. It's not that I didn't feel inspired the past month but let's say I couldn't prioritize. It felt as if every topic was as important as the other and I didn't know where to start. Let's say I felt a bit overwhelmed because of the freedom. I couldn't decide whether I should continue watching my series, catch up with friends, be melancholic or blog. But I've done quite a lot of other things lately. I visited 3 museums and vacation has just started.
First I went to see the '50 Years of Migration' exhibition in Antwerp's City Museum. It tells the story of the first Turkish/Moroccan/Italian/Jewish guest workers and how they changed the streetscape with their little cosy restaurants and picturesque shops. And since I'm Turkish myself, I loved it. I felt as if it was a lost part of my personal history. I must say though that the exhibition in Ghent at the MIAT was bigger and much more thorough. So, the amount of objects was kind of a let down but we (my boyfriend and I) visited the permanent exhibition on religion, power display and the death, which was amazing too.
The second museum I payed a visit to was Ghent's City Museum. I visited the permanent exhibition, which was unexpectedly cool. There were like a bunch of objects that they had found in Ghent and its surroundings. Amongst the things that were found, there were those really old books with the city's privileges and they were so old that if you'd pick them up, they'll fall into pieces. Isn't that impressive? You're literally standing before something that has been there for atleast 5 centuries. I like me some history, what can I say?
 The last exhibition I saw was one on Feminism X Art at BOZAR (Woman. The Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970's.) I thought this exhibition was going to be about a bunch of women opposing the artscene of 1970 that was mostly dominated by men, something like the Guerilla Girls did in the 80's but it was a lot more artsy and in your face but in a different way. It was about artists claiming their place and making feminine nudity more than sexy and biological. I'm still bummed that I didn't take a notebook and pen with me to write the names of the works that thrilled me since there was a bunch but there is one artist I vividly remember: Eleanor Antin (what a beautiful name). She had this video in which she made up her face and it literally  takes half an hour before she concludes that what she's doing is what society is asking her to do. She symbolically liberates herself by taking off her bra -which is a HUGE feminist cliché- but to me it was very significant. It really impressed me to see how dedicated she put on all the make up and looked at her face in a satisfied way, yet wasn't satisfied because this maybe wasn't what she wanted.

Watch another video on the same topic by 'Girls' star Jemima Kirke:

A W K W A R D   J E A N S

Meet my newest obsession: the mom jeans! I call them awkward since they really feel awkward looking at it. They're tight around the ass, awkwardly high-waisted (that crotch yo), loose around the lower legs and comfier than your regular jogging pants. I like mine in a slightly lighter denim colour like the first lady on the left but don't combine them in an 80's way. Vintage is good but you have to temper if you don't wanna look like a 80's housewive/soccer mom. You wanna have that casual Lady Di vibe but you don't wanna actually be her. See? Big difference. I combine mine with white shirts, quirky tees, crop tops, bodycon sleeved tees etc. I wear 'em with sneakers, clogs and sandals. It's just such a varsatile piece, so it's a really great investment. I bought mine at Bershka but they have 'em in American Apparel and Topshop as well. Make sure you check out their webshop. Forever 21 might surprize you too.

Here, a couple outfits that might inspire you to buy your very own pair of awkward jeans:

Lady Di spokesperson of the mom jeans

Miley, the grunge kid

Anna Hathaway channeling her inner biker chick on a lazy Sunday

Matching basics at Topshop

Is Beyonce a feminist or no feminist at all?

By Neslihan

 I think there are a few women in the urban scene who can wear a hootchy thong and still work it. One of them is Beyonce. I just love the aesthetics she puts forward in each album. Each album characterizes her alter ego but the main theme is her being a strong, independent woman who hustles her way through the music scene. Yet when I saw the videoclip of 'Partition' -and I'm hella open-minded- I kind of blocked. There was a lot of nudity in it and I just didn't really get how this all was supporting the song. The song is about B being comfortable with her sexuality and loving every aspect of sex. And she aint afraid to tell it, nor is she afraid to show it.

The song tackles second-wave feminism, that kind of was all about feminists striving for a debate about sexuality, reproductive rights, professional life etc. But at the same time those feminists thought that you had to put aside your femininity to get all of this done. They thought that banning stilettos, make-up and sensuality would make people take them more seriously. So at the end they ended up fighting for the women they kind of looked down upon because those women were to feminine. Beyonce could be seen as lipstick feminist, which is a part of third-wave feminism, the counter-part of second-wave feminism. This wave is all about being a feminist but being also in peace with your sexualitiy. B shows us that it's okay to love sex and to openly discuss it. It's okay to be comfortable with your nudity. In short she wants us to know that she's confident about her sensuality and that that is not a reason to think she's less capable in life in general but in a gender point of view more specific.
What really got me was, how classy she actually looks while she's singing about grinding on Jay's wood . She must have thought: if he can sing about this, then so can I! And she's totally right but the longer I thought about her live performances with Jay when singing 'Drunk in Love' the more I came to the conclusion that she's justifying the same sexuality, she's fighting for, through marriage. She's like: "I can be a sexual being because I'm doing it with my husband." It feels as if this is the only way women can explore and expose their sexuality. She's legitimizing her behaviour but also looking down upon women who aren't married or in a 'serious relationship'. (I truly hate this term because who decides what's serious?) And she does the same thing in 'Partition', she's being a hardcore lipstick feminist but again Jay-Z is in the video to justify the fact that she knows what she wants in a sexual kind of way.

Like I said before Beyonce is a confident lady, who can take care of her own shit. But being a feminist, I can't help but doubt her feminism. Feminism is not about hating men and being solitary and ending up celibate, I know that, but when Miss Knowles -or should I say Carter- sings about getting dressed and ready to dance, it sounds like she's doing that to please the other sex. I know every woman wants to feel desired and sexy but I don't dress up for him. I dress up for me. And I think Beyonce really accentuates the fact that she does it all for him. And that is not what lipstick feminism is about.

        

I also want to talk about her early take on feminism during the Destiny's Child period. Back in the time it was so empowering to see three young girls looking sexy yet standing strong on their ideals. As they were young and human, the consistency in their preaching is not always there. In one song they'd go on about needing a fella to pay their bills, while in another one they'd be all about power and independence. We'd shift from being dependent on a rich guy to being fiece and self-sufficient. Those were funny times.

I do think Beyonce has feminist views but I wouldn't consider her a feminist. She's powerful and empowering yet very conservative in some way. I'm not saying she should all be man-repellent but I think it's about finding a balance between being man-repellent and pleasing him. And that's not easy to do since these are two extremities. I think 21st century feminism is not about burning your bra and wearing shapeless male clothing but we still do need feminism. We need it in the media, in the workplace, in the bedroom and in politics. So, I wouldn't say feminism is dead. It's alive but it fights for different things in the Western world.

Sources:

Wikipedia

Az Lyrics

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