Thursday, September 11, 2008

sewing, social class and gender

Today I stayed home from work. I am sick and I had to get some extra sleep. I watched a lot of television in the afternoon, mostly Project Runway on Bravo. I enjoy watching that show for many reasons but I think the biggest is that I like to sew and watching people design clothing is very exciting to me. It makes me feel glamorous when I watch people interact with Heidi (Klum, fashion model) or Michael Kors (famous fashion designer). It also glamorizes sewing. The most complicated thing that I’ve ever sewn was a button down short sleeved shirt but I hardly ever wear it. I’ve also made curtains on a number of occasions. But mostly I mend. I sew on buttons, make hems, and resew seams where the thread has come apart. Mending is not at all glamorous. The most I may get out of sewing is that my partner’s mother may compliment me on my curtains. But that’s about it. I wish I was a celebrity sometimes, sewing for a celebrity judge.

During the judging sessions in Project Runway, sometimes the judges would indicate when a garment looked “cheap” or “expensive”. What does this really mean? All of the “designers” (not “seamsters”!) have a limited budget for each garment so it is not a literal meaning. I think the distinction may have something to do with the messages that the garment conveys. If something looks “expensive,” I would guess that it means that the garment is chic or classy or fancy which associates it with something that a person of higher class would wear. So when the judges use the word “cheap” I wonder if they really mean that it is low class or trashy. I’ll have to test this theory the next time I watch.

Sewing is also a feminized task, I feel. John always asks for my help when sewing buttons. I make sure not to take over that task when he asks for help because it’s important to me that he know how to do it. But part of me wants to do it for him, because it takes so much time to give him hints on the right way to do it. I would like to see Michael Kors sew a garment. Because I know he had to at SOME point in his career! It would make him look less regal. Also, I wonder if Michael Kors is gay. It is heterosexist to wonder this (what does it matter if he is gay?) but some male fashion designers are. I hope that heterosexual men who like clothing feel as free to get into the business as homosexual men but I’m sure that is not the case. There is a lot of emphasis on women’s clothing in the fashion world! I wish this wasn’t so lopsided. The dudes need cool clothes, too! All of the emphasis on glamorizing women’s clothing forces us to devote a lot of time and money to dressing ourselves. Meanwhile, we could be thinking about how to better ourselves or our communities (not our appearance).

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