A New Look at the Female Leg

As a woman, I am definitely more conscious of how I dress than the men around me (at least to my knowledge) and I hope I am somewhat in tune with the message that my outfit sends out into the world. But then again, this happened. In the summer (remember summer?) I found an awesome almost-floor-length sleeveless blue jean dress, complete with buttons all the way down the front. Now, in the summer, it looked great by itself, maybe paired with a belt to cinch the waist. That's all well and good, but Canadian winters are harsh and that ship ain't gonna sail in early January. So I decided to wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath, paired with some grey tights. As soon as I walked down the stairs from my room, my sister laughed and asked if I was becoming Amish.

I guess a floor length dress is only acceptable if you have nothing else on underneath. I was getting a lot of stares at school that day as well, or perhaps I only felt that I was because of the comment my sister made. Either way, I believe the perceptions other people get when they look at what we wear definitely play a part in how they see us as people.

And then I saw this article in the Toronto Star a little while ago. Seems like I am not alone in this theory. Rosea Lake, a university student in Vancouver, is happy to see the viral speed of her shared photo from a school project.

Of course I would help to spread the photo from my humble little blog.

What an interesting way to display the way we see others based on how they dress. The image is being showed to students across Canada in lectures and classrooms, and I think the more women who see this, the better. I see so many young girls on Facebook who have an obvious problem with self-image and confidence, and they need to be reminded that it's what's on the inside that counts. Remember that old addage? It still works today. Even if you're twelve and have an iPhone 5.

I can only wonder if she bent over in some contortionist fashion to write the words, or had someone else do it with their face in her bum. Don't shoot me, it's only a thought!

The whole thing reminds me of the Slut Walk that happened in Toronto last April. While women are objectified all too often (and undeniably more often than men), we can all do something about it, and show those who may be too sheepish to fight back that it's worth it to raise your voice for something you think is important. I am definitely one to speak out when I think something is wrong, and while I am often told lovingly by my friends to shut up, you should speak out against things you don't think are right as well. How else will we get rid of things that should never have happened in the first place? *cough Rob Ford cough*