Why Personal Style is The Best Form of Self-Expression
Every person is unique, but sometimes it can be difficult to express ourselves. We live in a world with high standards where everyone seems to be on top of the latest fashions. However, this doesn’t have to discourage us. Embracing our own sense of style is one of the top ways to promote self-love. Fashion is my favorite form of expression. No two people have the same exact personal style, which is where the beauty of fashion shines through. Whether we’re boho, preppy or edgy, we can all show the world our distinct ways of approaching fashion, which can lead to a boost in self-confidence.
As designer Rachel Zoe once said, “Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak." This is one way that fashion is a beautiful form of expression. Some people are shy while others are outgoing. No matter what someone’s personality is, their style can express them even more than their words can. Being confident in our own fashion can speak for itself. People are often apprehensive to express their opinions because of the responses that may come from doing so. With fashion, we can show who we truly are.
So what does our personal style really say about us? Some styles come with certain connotations, but what we wear is really an expression of whatever we want it to be. For example, if someone has an edgy style, it seems that they’re riskier than someone who is preppy. If someone tends to dress more Boho, it seems that they’re more carefree than someone who has more of a vintage style.
Self-love and expression is an extremely important practice for everyone. It can be intimidating to express ourselves, so fashion is a perfect way to do this. The options are endless when it comes to fashion, and we can truly do whatever we want. Want to dress up in an edgy outfit just because? You can. Want to completely change your style from what you’re used to? Do it. Fashion is completely personal, and it’s important to feel good about what you’re wearing. There is no better feeling than perfecting your outfit and going out to conquer the world.
Style is The Best Form of Self-Expression,This brings us back to the days of Fela Kuti, The Radical Fashion Icon....
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti (15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is best known as a pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, a blend of traditional yoruba and Afro-Cuban music with funk and jazz.[1] At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers".[2] AllMusic described him as "a musical and sociopolitical voice" of international significance.[3]
For Fela, wearing what was considered, non-Western clothes was a matter of pride and authenticity. "I be Africa man original," he goes on to sing. For him, true “Africanness"meant refusing to subject himself to the ways of others or compromise himself for the sake of conformity and assimilation. Achieving full liberation meant rejecting the customs and rules of the oppressor—all the way down to the oppressor's clothing. Fela's aesthetic was meant to be understood as the antithesis of that of the deadpan politicians and military leaders that he so often criticized.
Fela's sartorial choices were a mirror of his political views, equally forthright and expressive, and a reminder that fashion can be a form of politics. He often appeared shirtless with large beads adorning his neck, or in ankara jumpsuits and matching top and bottoms, or simply in his underwear.
Fela's decision to rock underwear publicly was yet another showing of his apathy towards the “white man's" social order—an act of wearable subversion. Fela would conduct interviews and make appearance in his undergarments, sometimes smiling, with a blunt in his hand, showing very little regard about how he might be perceived by respectability hawks. This display translated to him lambasting government corruption and Westernization. His underwear, as well as other items from his wardrobe, are forever immortalized with a display at the Kalakuta Republic Museum in Lagos.
Fela's rebellious fashion sense, extended to the people around him as well. The stylistic prowess of the “Fela Kuti Queens"—the 27 women he married in a single ceremony in the 1970s—cannot and should not be overlooked. With their beaded braids, head wraps, and elaborate ceremonial face paint, these women effortlessly defied Eurocentric beauty standards.
A less examined symbol of Fela's revolutionary powers was his fashion sense—his clothing choices were not only an expression of taste and bravado, but also a conspicuous effort to reject Western ideals. In his song “Gentleman," Fela breaks down his aversion to Western standards by telling the story of a friend who has conformed to European style of dress even though it makes him uncomfortable:
Here's a lyrics from the gentleman song “Africa hot, I like am so. I know what to wear, but my friends don't know. Him put him socks, him put him shoe. Him put him pant, him put him singlet. Him put him trouser, him put him shirt. Him put him tie, him put him coat. Him come cover all with him hat. Him be gentleman. Him go sweat all over, him go faint right down. Him go smell like shit Him go piss for body, him no go know. Me I no be gentleman like that."
It's hard to find artists nowadays so unwaveringly devoted to a cause that their politics are worn on their bodies. Fela's wardrobe was a form of resistance all on its own.
The next time you see a picture of Fela, pay attention to his clothing—or lack thereof—and be inspired. There's never been a more compelling time to channel his spirit of outspokenness, proud blackness, and peerless audacity.
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