A Normal Part of Being a Girl

I just read a timely article about the evils of the fashion industry.  In fact, I had a little hesitation about admitting that I'd enrolled Fiona in a 'fashion camp'.  Egads!  Do I want to give her an eating disorder?  Make her obsessive about her looks?  Yes, amongst many of my very intellectual and well-intentioned friends, this decision might be interpreted as harmful.  And I have my own doubts as well.  However, if anything, I honestly feel like this sort of camp brings the fun back into it--makes it an 'every girl', healthy activity.  For what's more girlish than fashioning your very own dress and putting your hair up in a fancy 'do?   How fun are all those designs?  How pretty she looks!

Yet, I do shy away from being extreme with it all.  I don't ever intend to make Fiona a 'pageant doll' or any such, but this camp was primarily about the art and craft of fashion.  The fashion show was simply a celebration of the week's hard work--and all the girls modeled their own dresses.  It was fun and no one was excluded.

At Fiona's request, I, too, dressed up for the show.  Afterwards, I received compliments as well.  The article disparaging the fashion industry pointed out how the extreme anorexics and airbrushing make us dissatisfied with our own 'normal' bodies and lead to both types of binge behavior--anorexia, of course, and binge eating (as in, what's the point of even trying, it's impossible to compete!).  So, in a sense, I'd argue that these little fashion camps and the like counter that--they make it permissible and fun for 'normal' gals to dress up and celebrate.  And the responses are so fun and positive.

So, yes...try not to fixate on the fashion industry's advertisements (i.e., avoid them as much as possible a general rule of thumb!).  DO focus on your own enjoyment of your clothes and personal style.  It's a normal part of being a girl.  Denying that part of ourselves is, well, perhaps better than developing unhealthy fixations based on extreme ideals, but it limits us.  So, I say to enjoy indulging in a healthy level of attention to your dress and style, if you have the notion--it's fun and good for morale, honestly, with the positive feedback from yourself and others.