D-Empress - Contributed

Get to the heart of the matter in Fe-mail Ties, a weekly column written by D-Empress. She explores the ties that bind women from Africa to the Caribbean.

It never fails to amaze me how the fashion industry has grown to be so influential in every sphere of our lives. Every season, the style mercury rises, set by high-heeled fashionistas, pouting models and iconic musicians.

Hi-gloss catwalks, from Johannesburg to Kingston, seduce us into believing that if we are not in tune with the latest hemline, we are less than we could be.

Global villages

As world spaces evolve into global villages, it begs the question whether our grandmothers and mothers enjoyed greater freedom to just, be. I imagine life was far simpler back then. What influenced their style expression?

Our apparel speaks volumes about us before we even open our mouths. Power dressing, hip hop and bling are all potent symbols of power. The choices we make in presenting ourselves to the world are pawns in a power game, a dance of smoke and mirrors.

South African society has walked a long road in the fight for gender equality. There is still a long way to go. In a country where incidents of abuse and rape are alarmingly high, power dynamics between the sexes is a burning issue.

Unacceptable behaviour

Earlier this year, women wearing miniskirts were assaulted by men at a taxi stand because their clothing was said to be provocative and inviting rape. Fittingly, this event sparked protests and swift moves from government and civil society to denounce such behaviour as unacceptable.

Last month, research figures exploring people's feelings about whether revealing attire contributes to the chance of being raped were released. In this, the second study (the first in 2006), there were significant drops. In 2006, 33 per cent of South African metropolitan adults, as opposed to 23 per cent in 2008, agreed that women wearing revealing clothes were asking to be raped. That men are taking it upon themselves to beat women into conservative attitudes of compliance, indicates there are still many battles to be won. Rape and violence being issues of power rather than sex is really where it's at.

From miniskirts, to pants suits, to midriff-exposing low-rise jeans, who or what influences our dress and what does it say about us? Women of this millennium have more opportunities than ever to define their iconic style sensibilities. Let us consciously embrace our alluring chameleon-like nature and create engaging, or mysterious, or even brazen expression in honour of our evolution. Let us be.

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