Of Commercialism, Freedom, and Self-Expression

It has been quite awhile since my last Off series. (series ker?? ha ha..) So here's another go at it.

As I channel surfed my way through the television last week I stopped and saw 8tv Quickie for awhile since it would be, well, quick. (I know, so lame. Ha ha.) They were interviewing this ,if not mistaken, doctor (he could have been just a normal guy) about how he was introducing or bringing back "man-skirts". Yes ladies and gentlemen, he was wearing a skirt! I'm not making this up. Not a kilt, a skirt. Anyway, he told the hosts that he wore skirts because it was a sign of macho-ness and added that in the days of ancient rome and chinese dynasties all the men wore skirts and they looked macho in it.

Im here not to talk about his clothing sense or lack of it, haha, and I'm not here talking about the latest trends. If I were I would be talking about the cashmere scarves almost everybody is wearing nowadays or how people are looking for that belle curves look and shift dresses. I am here to talk about a bit of prejudice or almost to a point of sexism (it probably is). What the heck am I up to you ask?? Well a couple of years back, I went shopping for some shoes, I came upon a pair of these white sneaks that I liked. So I asked the promoter to search for my size. The promoter responded, "ini kasut perempuan" (this shoe is for women). I replied, "so?". Now to clarify, the shoes were a pair of white sneaks that was a norm for nike with the swoosh in baby blue while everything else was white. They had no heels or any physical attribute to make it a women's shoe. I was dumbfounded when he kept promoting to me these other shoes that was "sex appropriate" for me and never went to search for the shoe I wanted. I was frustrated and in the end I left the mall that day without a pair of new shoes.

I do not know how it is today but what I experienced back then, which was not too long ago (only two years back), made me think if there is such sexism in the world of fashion. Women are allowed (and perhaps have been the trend) to wear man's clothing but why aren't man allowed to wear women's. If it was a really feminine shoe like say, heels, then I wouldn't mind but this was clearly something that both genders could wear. Have the stereotype of fashion is a woman's world or business is a man's world stuck in the minds of the population. It is bad enough that women's clothing are cheaper compared to men (although the women wouldn't mind that.. ha ha) but where is the freedom in choosing what you want. Have the population been commercialized with the market's view of fashion?? Just like how we have been commercialize to think that skinny is beauty.

There should be rationalization among the major population. Take the good and leave out the bad.