POWER

On boundaries, liberation and the urge to be good

The fashion industry is a really interesting example when it comes to the matter of power. Historically, fashion has stayed at the battle front when it comes to women’s liberation; allowing them to push against society’s dictates, for instance, but it has also been a place where power dynamics and lack of representation have left a big chunk of society feeling abused, not seen, or disenfranchised by it. When it comes to fashion media, the notion of power is perpetually at the centre of the conversation, we strive for, create and exploit it. Traditionally, although this is thankfully something of the past, power in fashion imagery used to be depicted with hostile attitudes, as if to be powerful meant to be a utter b*tch. Why? Because power in fashion terms is like a token, the promised land, even in such a trivial matter as wearing a well cut piece of clothing or the right accessory in order to be considered fashionable or accepted socially. Then again, power is also what as consumers we give fashion brands or megacorporations when purchasing their products. Power and agency is what a female garment worker gets when she's able to feed her family or support herself financially, but disempowerment is exactly what she feels when after having worked all day the wages are not enough and/or she has to deal with sexual or psychological harassment by a manager or authority figure within the factory or workplace. 

Because abuse (of different levels and kinds) is not something just happening in factories, it happens within the studios, the offices, and the ateliers. According to the study "Success in Fashion" conducted by Vogue, issues like burnout, inequality on sexual or racial grounds, and difficulty in leading a balanced work-life situation are rife amongst fashion professionals. Although the survey focused specifically on achieving success, I have the feeling that in this context both concepts are intimately related -we can and usually do feel powerful when experiencing success, and although we could be extremely successful while feeling intimately powerless- in general terms even if these two words are by no means interchangeable, they often go hand in hand. The other day I was watching a documentary about an iconic fashion designer and I was aghast to see how another high ranking designer at the house felt it was totally ok to humiliate an employee in front of the camera, as if nothing strange was happening. .

Such feeling of disempowerment is not only related to female workers and professionals, it is widespread, affecting both men and women working in the industry, although maybe more acute if you belong to a minority; in the example above, for instance, the person receiving the harassment was a man. It has sometimes been my experience in the fashion and advertising industries that the lines separating which behaviours at work are acceptable from those that aren’t are often blurred. I believe that the burnout of fashion professionals mentioned in the survey is directly linked to a line of work that makes it very difficult for boundaries to be set up and kept in place. When the job is perceived as the dream of a million people, the fact that involves working very long hours, assisting or doing odd days or extra hours for free, establishing relationships which mix the personal with the professional and the multiple biases that as members of society we naturally have, it’s just very hard to feel powerful all the time. My life recently, in terms of work, has been a rollercoaster. I've felt both very powerful and completely disempowered, all while being the same fashion professional with the same skill set and the same personality. The difference lies in the client. While some value creative output and skill and celebrate talent, others are suspicious and hoard opportunity.

Quite timely, just last Friday we were celebrating International Womens’ Day, so women’s rights and roles seemed like the perfect backdrop for such comings and goings in my life. I came across a very interesting article by Elise Loehnen in which she analyses how women are trained to be good and men to be successful. As a female, it made me reflect on how much I’ve sometimes felt compelled to hold on for dear life on “being good” so that misbehaving clients might value me. And when I say good, I don’t mean a good professional, but an all too nice one, either by trying to avoid conflict or by bending over to unreasonable demands. I marvel at how I have at times had to overlook my boundaries in order to remain on good terms with a client or boss. Were these bosses male? Certainly not. And is it all worth it? Surely not. 

One thing that I find fascinating about Generación Z professionals is that they are much less willing to deal with this kind of stuff. On the one hand, working with them can feel like a challenge because unlike millennials, who had to break their backs for the job and deal with a workplace where the notion of boundaries was simply non existent, Gen Z-ers have no problem in taking for them what they feel is their due, be it a better work/life balance, a salary, etcetera. As annoying as these entitled (and sometimes unreasonable) ways could feel for millennials, who are usually the ones in charge of managing them, the respect these young professionals demand and the fact that they do not wait for others to give them power, but take it instead, might not in the long run create better workplace practices that will benefit everyone?

I do believe that power doesn't just translate as how we feel in the morning on a way to a meeting, but also on the choices we dare make, leaving fear out of the equation. As the younger generation fights back, I think we could all bring some power into our lives and ignore whatever conditioning we might have to wield it naturally.  

That’s all from me this week, misfits! Wishing you a happy Sunday and lots of power for the week. 

Love,