With @glitterpuppies at Salonathon presents: LEX-I-CA (at Beauty Bar)

Aren’t we the fucking cutest? Seriously.

I debuted the first piece of my “Oriental Beauty” collection tonight. The line takes cues from Orientalist fashion, a way to re-appropriate Western fashions which appropriate from Eastern/Asian traditional clothing. A way to re-commodify, and thus, take ownership of the commodification of the Asian body by capitalistic Western practices. 

Theory/Fashion/Critique/Fabulousness all rolled into one. You are welcome. 

Important thoughts about dress, and cultural appropriation. 

I’m also trying to navigate this, as it’s a difficult subject.  
A few of my own thoughts:

- I believe there are different degrees to cultural appropriation and what is or is not okay, most influenced by one’s awareness of the cultural significance of what’s being appropriated. 
- Wearing a warbonnet / native headdress for fashion is never okay. It’s a cultural item that’s highly specific, worn by people who deserve to wear it.  If you haven’t earned a warbonnet, don’t wear it.
- The more one realizes that what one is doing and/or wearing may or may not be affecting a marginalized group, the less desire there will be to actually do/wear that thing or item.
- If one wants to wear a bindi, maybe do so with awareness of its significance and specificity to that appropriated culture?
- The jeans argument is not really sound.  Jeans were made for utilitarian use, and not specific to one culture. What are the power dynamics of jeans? 
- There are wide differences between cultural appreciation, appropriation, and exploitation. 
- I have no answers, just thoughts and my own personal guidelines about this issue.  

glittergnat:

I am a queer Mexican/American fashion designer working in Paris. My friends are also fashion design students.

Yesterday I was walking in Paris with two (white, cis, female) european friends of mine. Some African men walked by is really beautiful batik suits/ shirts/ robes, and we all swooned…

iamkiam-photography:

Preview:
Wes Perry / Velveeta Fitzgerald
Queer performer extraordinaire

Fuji instant film, Cambo 4x5 camera