A Huffington Post article entitled “23 Trends Men Hate (But Women Love)” went viral several months ago. Like many things that go viral on the Internet “Trends Men Hate” has started a trend itself.
Although this article was posted back in November there is still aftermath of STFU on Tumblr and Twitter. Many feminist bloggers on Tumblr are outraged, claiming that men should stop telling women what to wear. Bloggers are posting pictures of themselves rocking all the offending trends and flipping off the camera. It’s understandable to cringe at this article, but have we neglected to realize who wrote it? A woman.
Women are each other’s harshest critics. We set the trends by following them and we criticize the way these trends look on different bodies. If you don’t believe me, watch an episode of Fashion Police or pick up a tabloid while you’re waiting in line at the store. While you’re at it, look around you and see who else is looking at the tabloids. Women. We need to stop buying into this constant berating of each other.
Some of the trends being berated in this article were peplum tops. Apparently these look like maternity wear. Kim Kardashian has been spotted sporting this look, as these tops are flattering to the waist.
Also on the list was dark or bright lipstick. So, can we wear any lipstick? I guess this is a throwback to the 90s but I have to hand it to Selena Gomez for making the dark lip look modern, and wearing it with confidence. High-waisted jeans and shorts were another item of clothing that men just can’t stand according to the article. I guess this classy look is reminiscent of the “mom” jean, but a modern fit is incredibly flattering and professional for us aspiring career women out there.
We can thank Betsey Johnson for telling us that women don’t dress for men, they dress for each other. This would be so wonderful, if it could stop being a competition and instead an appreciation of one another. We should start valuing the time and effort other women are putting into their style, instead of criticizing it and then indirectly criticizing the woman herself.
Maybe you don’t care about fashion; not everyone does, let’s just recognize the effort and the courage it takes to rock styles like a high-waisted pant or a brightly colored lipstick.
