Few things are more confusing and potentially off-putting than something that's aspirational (class based) in a section of culture or society that you don't have much contact with at all or don't understand.
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Few things are more confusing and potentially off-putting than something that's aspirational (class based) in a section of culture or society that you don't have much contact with at all or don't understand.
There has been a lot of muttering and shade about the "look" of the MAGA woman. I've tried to stay away from this conversation. I don't like to criticize anyone's looks. But especially women. Don't women have too many critics?
Too much make-up? Too fake? Who cares really?
@futurebird My dad was a "not MAGA" republican and he just didn't pay any attention to a woman that he didn't think was pretty. He'd be polite but on some level, any woman who wasn't pretty just didn't register on him. I imagine the same mechanism is at work with all republican males. So the Mar A Lago "look" has to be adopted if you're female and want to be heard. I guess they hope a few of their words get through while the guy is staring at their fake tits.
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Anyway. If you want my fashion advice I do have some:
Get your clothes tailored or learn to sew, or get a friend who can help you. Every day I see people in clothing that isn't correctly fitted and it makes me so sad. (Fit doesn't mean tight or loose it means it's *intentional* not just putting up with the size you stumbled into)
That's the only thing I really get heated about.
You are short and your blazer sleeves are too long.
@futurebird I like to think strangers aren't judging my clothing when I leave the house
Guess it does happen
Great
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@futurebird I like to think strangers aren't judging my clothing when I leave the house
Guess it does happen
Great
But wouldn't it be sad if nobody cared about fashion despite all of the effort and art and creativity people put into it? Someone needs to care.
(More seriously do not worry about people who Have Opinions if it stresses you out at all. It's literally none of our business and not important.)
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@futurebird it is pretty sad how hard a lot of conservative women have pivoted into this heavily made up pageant contestant look trying to appeal to that guy
But, I think, and really hope it's *not* sad for the women themselves. The point of the whole look is to have people wonder if you've "had work done" to have some dowdy women with no make up saying "she looks so FAKE" (because we are so jealous obviously) when the "maga face" makes us get quickened out it's a victory for them I think.
Kind of like how a punk enjoys people being scared of their leather and spikes.
I didn't really get that but I do now.
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But the thing I didn't understand was that that "MAGA woman" look that is a little baffling is aspirational. And part of the aspiration is to have people wonder "did she get work done?"
Do you see it now? No one will ever wonder if I've had "work done" I can't afford "work" ... but, the "fakeness" is part of the fantasy and appeal.
I also wonder if being confusing to liberals is part of the appeal. Because, it's the "opposite of a feminist" in their framework.
@futurebird Dr Tressie McMillan Cottom gets into this in this podcast episode with Katie Tassin and to me explained it very well. The whole episode is great and covers status symbols and class. The bit about Noemi’s particular aesthetic is the later part of it. https://moneywithkatie.com/the_mwk_show/status-power-economy/
TLDR is Trump values the effort to perform conformity, so they make it clear they tried. The fakery has to be apparent for that to work.
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F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
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But the thing I didn't understand was that that "MAGA woman" look that is a little baffling is aspirational. And part of the aspiration is to have people wonder "did she get work done?"
Do you see it now? No one will ever wonder if I've had "work done" I can't afford "work" ... but, the "fakeness" is part of the fantasy and appeal.
I also wonder if being confusing to liberals is part of the appeal. Because, it's the "opposite of a feminist" in their framework.
@futurebird What’s so creepy about the MAGA woman look is its sameness. It’s conformism run amok.
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@futurebird Dr Tressie McMillan Cottom gets into this in this podcast episode with Katie Tassin and to me explained it very well. The whole episode is great and covers status symbols and class. The bit about Noemi’s particular aesthetic is the later part of it. https://moneywithkatie.com/the_mwk_show/status-power-economy/
TLDR is Trump values the effort to perform conformity, so they make it clear they tried. The fakery has to be apparent for that to work.
That makes sense. This looks like a fun listen, thanks.
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But, I think, and really hope it's *not* sad for the women themselves. The point of the whole look is to have people wonder if you've "had work done" to have some dowdy women with no make up saying "she looks so FAKE" (because we are so jealous obviously) when the "maga face" makes us get quickened out it's a victory for them I think.
Kind of like how a punk enjoys people being scared of their leather and spikes.
I didn't really get that but I do now.
And if it makes you happy? Sure. I'm so jealous. So mad. About those extensions and lip filler. You ... you really showed me. You win.
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But, I think, and really hope it's *not* sad for the women themselves. The point of the whole look is to have people wonder if you've "had work done" to have some dowdy women with no make up saying "she looks so FAKE" (because we are so jealous obviously) when the "maga face" makes us get quickened out it's a victory for them I think.
Kind of like how a punk enjoys people being scared of their leather and spikes.
I didn't really get that but I do now.
@futurebird So you think the idea is to have people think, "She's had work done"? I hadn't really thought of that.
So similar to fake eyelashes or fingernails that are obviously fake?
I thought it was more trying to look like part of the "in" group, but you may very well be right.
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But, I think, and really hope it's *not* sad for the women themselves. The point of the whole look is to have people wonder if you've "had work done" to have some dowdy women with no make up saying "she looks so FAKE" (because we are so jealous obviously) when the "maga face" makes us get quickened out it's a victory for them I think.
Kind of like how a punk enjoys people being scared of their leather and spikes.
I didn't really get that but I do now.
Purported Irish prayer:
May those who love us, love us.
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping.But also,
It’s not a Team Spirit Indicator I’d ever use but 1) I’m not on their team and 2) I don’t even wear logos on shirts because what I’m gonna do free advertising for Nike or whatever? Nah -
And if it makes you happy? Sure. I'm so jealous. So mad. About those extensions and lip filler. You ... you really showed me. You win.
@futurebird
if it wasn't this particular look it'd probably be a different one. it's just a type of clout chasing. -
But the thing I didn't understand was that that "MAGA woman" look that is a little baffling is aspirational. And part of the aspiration is to have people wonder "did she get work done?"
Do you see it now? No one will ever wonder if I've had "work done" I can't afford "work" ... but, the "fakeness" is part of the fantasy and appeal.
I also wonder if being confusing to liberals is part of the appeal. Because, it's the "opposite of a feminist" in their framework.
@futurebird I live in the Washington, DC area and saw a few dozen ladies with the MAGA aesthetic in person around the time of the inauguration last year. They stood out because nobody in DC does their hair or makeup like that, nor do they wear fur coats!
They look like they subdued their hair with a whole can of hairspray and a curling iron while getting TV pancake makeup. And I think that’s the point, they are supposed to look like a Fox TV anchor.
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But, I think, and really hope it's *not* sad for the women themselves. The point of the whole look is to have people wonder if you've "had work done" to have some dowdy women with no make up saying "she looks so FAKE" (because we are so jealous obviously) when the "maga face" makes us get quickened out it's a victory for them I think.
Kind of like how a punk enjoys people being scared of their leather and spikes.
I didn't really get that but I do now.
Tangentially related: Speaking of conservative women, there was an article on how Fox News female anchors all look the same (blonde hair, moderate dress, traditional haircut) : It's by design, to reinforce the stereotype of the ideal conservative wife.
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But the thing I didn't understand was that that "MAGA woman" look that is a little baffling is aspirational. And part of the aspiration is to have people wonder "did she get work done?"
Do you see it now? No one will ever wonder if I've had "work done" I can't afford "work" ... but, the "fakeness" is part of the fantasy and appeal.
I also wonder if being confusing to liberals is part of the appeal. Because, it's the "opposite of a feminist" in their framework.
@futurebird fascist love a uniform. the men have one too it's just not as over the top
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@futurebird So you think the idea is to have people think, "She's had work done"? I hadn't really thought of that.
So similar to fake eyelashes or fingernails that are obviously fake?
I thought it was more trying to look like part of the "in" group, but you may very well be right.
I think it's both. One: showing that your man can afford to pay for all that work to get done. Two: getting those things done that the most popular individual in your group has gotten done.
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@futurebird I live in the Washington, DC area and saw a few dozen ladies with the MAGA aesthetic in person around the time of the inauguration last year. They stood out because nobody in DC does their hair or makeup like that, nor do they wear fur coats!
They look like they subdued their hair with a whole can of hairspray and a curling iron while getting TV pancake makeup. And I think that’s the point, they are supposed to look like a Fox TV anchor.
@MisuseCase
I’m on the subway right now. If we did a photoshoot: made a fashion plate of everyone on this train you’d have styles: from traditional, to counterculture, to glam, to messy. It takes a LOT to stand out.So, how can a maga woman make it clear she is part of her ideological movement?
It’s hard.
And there is a strong impulse to create those boundaries (in this political moment.)
But, how do you “dress anti-feminist” Show, as a woman, that you will not be a problem?
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Anyway. If you want my fashion advice I do have some:
Get your clothes tailored or learn to sew, or get a friend who can help you. Every day I see people in clothing that isn't correctly fitted and it makes me so sad. (Fit doesn't mean tight or loose it means it's *intentional* not just putting up with the size you stumbled into)
That's the only thing I really get heated about.
You are short and your blazer sleeves are too long.
@futurebird I’ve had some weight ups and downs and one of the things I noticed was:
- your punishment for gaining weight is buying new clothes
- your reward for losing weight is buying new clothes
I absolutely hate shopping for clothes. So I tend to just have clothes that fit badly for one reason or another.
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@futurebird I’ve had some weight ups and downs and one of the things I noticed was:
- your punishment for gaining weight is buying new clothes
- your reward for losing weight is buying new clothes
I absolutely hate shopping for clothes. So I tend to just have clothes that fit badly for one reason or another.
@paco @futurebird nah, I keep all my rewards just in case!
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I think it's both. One: showing that your man can afford to pay for all that work to get done. Two: getting those things done that the most popular individual in your group has gotten done.
@fritzoids @MarvinFreeman @futurebird Reminded of court women plucking out their hairline to a high dome (in tribute to the king, some said.)
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But the thing I didn't understand was that that "MAGA woman" look that is a little baffling is aspirational. And part of the aspiration is to have people wonder "did she get work done?"
Do you see it now? No one will ever wonder if I've had "work done" I can't afford "work" ... but, the "fakeness" is part of the fantasy and appeal.
I also wonder if being confusing to liberals is part of the appeal. Because, it's the "opposite of a feminist" in their framework.
@futurebird similarly: the practice of faux-painting was to paint architectural features made of cheap materials to look like more expensive ones, like mahogany or marble. But at a certain point, the original materials became cheaper, so the practice became more exaggerated and obvious, to show the extra money spent on an artisan to do the painting
It’s the same thing with designer fashion and expensive wine: you don’t pay for the product, you pay for the price tag
It’s all flexes. Always has been
Faux-painting and the Columns of Arlington House (U.S. National Park Service)
The columns on the front of Arlington House, painted to look like natural stone, are a large example of a bygone decorative technique called faux-painting.
(www.nps.gov)