Alexa Chung on Fashion and Feminism

Alexa Chung has made a considerable impact within the fashion industry throughout her professional career, but she holds a unique perspective on its relevance. The British model and television personality, who is known for her personal style, recently spoke to Fashionista and offered a unique perspective on the place of fashion in her life.

“One day, I’ll look at it, and I’ll be like, how f***ing frivolous and stupid are clothes?” she said. “They’re just what we adorn our bodies with, and it’s all about status and bulls***. And the next day, I’ll be like, no, these change the way I feel about myself. What I shroud myself in can change my attitude and empower me to be more confident.”

“Even though it’s just an aesthetic and it’s quite shallow, because it’s how I appear on the outside, it still, on the inside, gives me the strength to have a stronger voice,” Chung continued.

Studies in the past have proven that dress can affect one’s confidence, perspective, and demeanor, so Chung is not wrong; in fact, many share that perspective. There’s even a term to describe the effects of clothing on cognitive and psychological processes — enclothed cognition.

Although the three time winner of the British Fashion Award’s Style Icon of the Year might consider the concept of fashion to be trite at times, she has never been afraid to experiment in the area. She constantly debuts fresh looks and works with a variety of different designers on new collections. It’s clear that Chung puts effort into personal styling, but it seems that she realizes that while some might consider fashion to be of little importance, many others find confidence and shape their self-image through it.

Chung also spoke on how style allows women to make a statement and how far women have come in society in terms of dress. “I think fashion and feminism make great bedfellows,” she said. “Women wearing trousers in the ’40s kicked up a f***ing s*** storm. Similarly, in the ’20s when everyone was like, “I’m not going to wear a corset anymore!” Those clothes had been suppressive, and the more we play with what’s acceptable between the genders — and even not affiliating with any one gender in particular — dressing is becoming far more interesting, and it’s becoming powerful because it sends a message.”

As an outspoken feminist and purveyor of unconventional trends, Chung stays true to her words. She often sends messages through her looks, experiments with menswear on the red carpet, and she even included a “FEMINIST” graphic t-shirt in her 2015 fall second collection with AG Jeans.

Feminism to Chung is, “To be equal, to stand up for yourself and not be objectified. Whoever it is who’s filtering stuff makes it seem like women want to be more than men. My understanding… is that we’re asking to be treated the same,” she told Stylist Magazine.

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