dragonflie
Blueblood
Posts: 1,960
Mar 14, 2005 2:10:14 GMT -4
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Post by dragonflie on Aug 28, 2014 18:21:28 GMT -4
I really like your post Wilbert.
I think what bugs about her to me is that she is credited with these feminist ideals when I really think she just makes bad clothing choices, and I think it actually counters any empowerment she may be going for.
Her clothes so often don't fit, and it doesn't seem to have much (anything?) to do with her size as they are so often too big/bulky/baggy… And then for some reason if she is criticized she gets given credit for challenging ideas of beauty or for just dressing how she wants!! That is great- but I also still thinks she looks like crap 90% of the time, irrelevant of her size/shape. I also can't help but feel like it's intentional- there is no way a person could wear the things she wears and not know that it looks awful. If she is making a statement, then, I don't know, maybe she should make an actual statement, and say what she is trying to do with all of these fashion horrors. I know that every person is not some grand glamourous fashionably brilliant being, but there are bad choices that happen occasionally and then there is Lena Dunham.
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Post by Neurochick on Aug 28, 2014 19:26:41 GMT -4
I disagree. She has access to who can design clothes to fit her body. There is nothing unfeminine about wearing clothes that fit you. Christina Hendricks isn't stick thin and she looks great because she wears clothes that fit.
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Post by magazinewhore on Aug 28, 2014 19:41:47 GMT -4
Not sure why I'm wading back in here...but I think her clothing choices represent a different paradigm about how women "should" dress (and a rejection of the old rules about dressing for your size).
I grew up in the 80s when, if you weren't *slim*, you didn't show flesh or dress unflatteringly, but about 10 or 15 years ago, that idea has really fell away. Young women do wear whatever they like and whatever is "in." I work at a college, and I'm kind of constantly amazed at what students think is okay to wear for many reasons. I think young people have thrown off the shackles of old dress rules, much like my Gen Xers did when we slouched around in our grunge (which was a political statement to many; even if you weren't aware of it).
I do. She's very articulate and thoughtful (to me). I think she's dressing like her peers do, but she also doesn't limit herself to old ideas about what a "plus-sized" woman should wear. And, honestly, that's refreshing.
If you find her irritating because she's a hipster or uber-priviledged or incredibly lucky or all of the above, that's fine. I just find it fascinating that people attack her for her wardrobe like it's a personal affront to them.
ETA: You guys all realize this is cyclical, don't you? In the 1960s, parents were pissed off because the Beatles had long hair. In the 80s-early 90s, Baby Boomers said horrible things about Gen Xers because we were different than they were. Of course Millennials are going to draw ire for what they do. That's what young people do; they shake shit up. They throw off the ideas that came before them. It's how it's supposed to be.
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dragonflie
Blueblood
Posts: 1,960
Mar 14, 2005 2:10:14 GMT -4
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Post by dragonflie on Aug 28, 2014 20:19:03 GMT -4
Hmmm… well I'm pretty much her age and I still think she looks like crap- it has nothing to do with young people shaking things up or with her not fitting how a woman "should" dress. I just thinks she looks like crap because the clothes she wears look ugly on her- on the red carpet. And again, if it's some statement or empowering thing for her- whatever- but that's not what it looks like from here. She hasn't said as much as far as I know either. If it is simply (from what I have read this seems to be what she says) that she picks clothes she likes, then fine- and the fact that they look hideous is fine too. It's not deeper than that- it's not some paradigm shifting thing that forces us to see woman in a new light- it's just a girl with horrible taste in clothing/hair/makeup.
And no, I really don't think if she were thin she'd get heaps of praise for the choices she made- because the fact that they look awful stands on its own merit. When thin celebs wear awful things they are criticized all over the place- hell, when celebs wear things that are boring or not that amazing/unique they get criticized. But for Dunham somehow if she doesn't wear something hideous there is praise (in the vein of- "finally", or "phewff", or "yay- she looks great"- all the while she is wearing something that if most other celebs were wearing we would be saying: "boring", "meh", etc), and if she does wear something hideous- well that is just a way to make a statement- not conforming to societies standards of feminine beauty… Yeah, I don't think so.
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tortuga
Landed Gentry
Posts: 971
May 4, 2006 20:18:39 GMT -4
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Post by tortuga on Aug 28, 2014 20:31:34 GMT -4
As someone who complains about her awards show clothing choices, I definitely don't think there's a way large women should dress. I see Melissa McCarthy doing that and I hate the way she dresses more when she does because of it. Fit and flattering should be an award show/black tie event given no matter what size one is. It's all about body shape not size. I don't care if I see her un-toned arms or thick thighs.
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Post by GoldenFleece on Aug 28, 2014 20:46:31 GMT -4
Maybe Lena is huge for Hollywood but for life...I feel that I see women in the 10-18 size range (US) that dress better than her pretty much every single day of my life, at work, at the store, everywhere. They wear colors, patterns, interesting cuts, they follow trends and have different styles and don't just walk around in dark-colored muumuus all the time. Granted, these are not red carpet gowns but Sharon Stone wore a Gap t-shirt and her husband's shirt another time and made a lot of Best Dressed Lists. Maybe there's a thought that you would look horribly out of place on a red carpet if not clad in head-to-toe couture from the known houses, though I really don't buy that.
You see famous women in shoes that don't fit when they certainly can afford better, but they seem beholden to designer freebies or whatever a stylist throws their way, which can mean copying ill-suited runway looks and shoving their feet into shoes two sizes too small. Maybe resisting all that and insisting on wearing clothes/shoes that fit and flatter when you aren't a sample size gets a person labeled "difficult" and that's why more actresses don't bother.
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Post by chonies on Aug 28, 2014 21:01:03 GMT -4
Not sure why I'm wading back in here...but I think her clothing choices represent a different paradigm about how women "should" dress (and a rejection of the old rules about dressing for your size). ... I do. She's very articulate and thoughtful (to me). I think she's dressing like her peers do, but she also doesn't limit herself to old ideas about what a "plus-sized" woman should wear. And, honestly, that's refreshing. If you find her irritating because she's a hipster or uber-priviledged or incredibly lucky or all of the above, that's fine. I just find it fascinating that people attack her for her wardrobe like it's a personal affront to them. ETA: You guys all realize this is cyclical, don't you? In the 1960s, parents were pissed off because the Beatles had long hair. In the 80s-early 90s, Baby Boomers said horrible things about Gen Xers because we were different than they were. Of course Millennials are going to draw ire for what they do. That's what young people do; they shake shit up. They throw off the ideas that came before them. It's how it's supposed to be.
But what I don't get is what it is she's trying to shake up, if anything. To me* what I find so strange is that she's kind of maybe a new edge of femininity, of feminism, of challenging what is supposed to be, and all I see is a person who is making choices that are often strangely created, that are unclear in their message, and don't seem to stand for anything. She's not doing a good job of dressing for her body because her clothes don't fit, and she doesn't seem to be making choices. If vague, unclear statements are what she's about, then an old person raised in a different media ecology--one of bold statements à la Sinéad O'Connor on SNL and perhaps Bjork's swan dress--would appreciate some tip or clue that that's what she's on about. I have no beef with her wearing clothes that she likes, and her feeling comfortable with showing her arms, or her nakedness. To me, this unequivocally not about her fatness or thinness, or whether a woman is probably a 12 at max is really "plus size." I also don't entirely understand how people find their dresses for red carpet events, so this might be my own ignorance. It's not even the dresses, it's the whole look--there's something kind of off about the whole thing. Is it playful? Is it just about the dress? Is she showing how much she doesn't care about these events by only wearing a fancy dress? ETA: It's possible there is no statement and her choices are just her choices, and that's it. I hate to think I'm overthinking things, but maybe I am. Has Lena written about her style choices? *Older and fatter than Lena
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 3:06:02 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2014 21:22:13 GMT -4
Hmmm… well I'm pretty much her age and I still think she looks like crap- it has nothing to do with young people shaking things up or with her not fitting how a woman "should" dress. I just thinks she looks like crap because the clothes she wears look ugly on her- on the red carpet. And again, if it's some statement or empowering thing for her- whatever- but that's not what it looks like from here. She hasn't said as much as far as I know either. If it is simply (from what I have read this seems to be what she says) that she picks clothes she likes, then fine- and the fact that they look hideous is fine too. It's not deeper than that- it's not some paradigm shifting thing that forces us to see woman in a new light- it's just a girl with horrible taste in clothing/hair/makeup. That's my thinking too, she just has horrible taste. And there's nothing wrong with that. Lord knows I don't have good fashion sense either, I'd probably look worse than her if I went to a red carpet event and picked out my own outfit. But luckily for me I'm not in that kind of field. I also have enough sense not to trust my own judgment and thus I very rarely ever go shopping by myself. If it weren't for second opinions, I'd probably look like a cross between a bag lady and an 80s music video.
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Post by Mutagen on Aug 28, 2014 21:22:56 GMT -4
She's an odd case because she seems to frequently get it half-right. Or at least you can see the kernel of a good outfit in what she wears. Personally, I loved the fabric and colors for this dress, but the final overall look was so meh. Same with her most recent pink Emmys look - I thought the bottom had the potential to look awesome, but the top and the hair just didn't work. I think some of the reactions she gets can be a little OTT sometimes, but I can understand some of the frustration.
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Post by pathtaken on Aug 28, 2014 21:33:28 GMT -4
Okay and also: what is up with the open- mouth pose? It certainly does not help the situation. She looks so lovely here. Smile or close that mouth, sister! That open mouth look totally looks like she is goofing. She seems to strike that pose every time she's on the red carpet, so perhaps the outfits are all just one big schtick?
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