This week we finished the bulk of our filming. We interviewed a couple that embraces gender nonconforming clothing. They told us some really interesting anecdotes about their gender exploration through clothing. Isaac identifies as a man, but has been trying to find the right occasion to break out a dress that he bought a little while ago. He talked about how gender and sexuality often get conflated, and people make assumptions about his sexuality simply because of the way he chooses to “do” gender.
In addition to Isaac, we interviewed Nick, another cis, white, man. More so than anyone else we interviewed, by wearing earrings and eyeliner, both of the men presented in ways that challenged gender expectations. Isaac talked about this fashion flexibility being a privilege of his identity. For this reason, he was hesitant to call his sense of fashion “resistance”. Those we had previously interviewed, had been marginalized by either race or gender. These identities led to constraints in regard to presentation and clothing. The cis, white, men that we interviewed, had the freedom to defy expectations. Does this still qualify as resistance? Although Isaac struggled to define it in that way, I think that the fashion norms for men are much more rigid than they are for women. It takes a degree of bravery to dress the way in which Isaac and Nick dress. The ability to exercise this bravery may be a result of their privilege, but I believe it still qualifies as resisting the norm.
We also had some interesting conversations about class through these interviews. Nick talked about how he used to buy brand clothing, but now chooses to spend money in other ways, and goes to the thrift store. His shirt was inside-out and covered in holes that it seemed as though he had cut. His interview reminded us of “Masters of Craft.” He is an artist, and implied that his clothes were naturally tethered and randomly selected, even though they were clearly altered and consistent with his style. We are debating how and whether to include this observation in the film.
Professor Devgan had some very interesting things to say in her interview. She talked about how fashion is not of conceivable concern for many people living in extreme poverty. For this reason, it is the elite that create trends. We had been approaching Bowdoin students as some of the masses, that reinforce or resist elite, celebrity culture. In reality, as students at a top liberal arts college, Bowdoin students are the elite. Perhaps what we observed as resistance against the norms created by the elite, is actually the privilege of the elite to engage fashion. Next week, we have our final interview, and then we will begin the hefty process of editing.