Men, Women and the Space Between Us

On this day I was a little under the weather and stayed home from work, I just wanted to be draped in a blanket and that's kind of what I did. My mother has a number of gorgeous shawls so I borrowed this one, wrapped it around, belted it, and voila - sweater and blanket in one. Without having to wear a Snuggie.

One thing that I've become increasingly aware of by working on the blog is the idea of space, size and how they relate to femininity and masculinity. What I mean is that we have cultural norms that say femininity is defined (in part) by taking up less space, and masculinity is defined (in part) by taking up more space. Think about it. If you go on the subway, check out how a woman sits, body closed up, legs crossed, trying to appear tiny - feminine. Then look at men, legs wide open, taking up a seat and a half, usually unnecessarily, to show their sheer mass and size which makes them big and strong - masculine. 


Look at fashion, the tinier the heel of the shoe, the finer the fabric, a woman's desire to squeeze into a garment that's a size 2 instead of 6, are all in the quest for femininity. Men on the other hand, wear lots of layers, try to take up more space, and when I worked in retail, the men often bought clothes that were too large for them because they want to give the illusion of being larger. Men are mocked for having small hands, and women get mocked if they have large feet. I'm not making a value judgement. It's just been an interesting thing to observe. Ultimately I hope and wish that people could be comfortable in their own skin and size and space.

~ Photos by Nazia ~

Outfit Details:

Shawl is borrowed from mom

H&M top was a gift from Chris

Gap Jeans, also worn here

Payless Boots

Tristan & America Belt

I don't know where I got those silver hoops, I wear them all the time

Thanks for stopping by!
And don't forget to check out my feature in Desi News Magazine here.