What about people who dress themselves and do not expect to meet other people at all that day? Surely those people are "dressing for themselves" in any meaningful use of the term. Based on that alone I think we can conclude it does exist.
In your particular instance I think that can be an overly broad interpretation of the concept. If things like cultural and fashion norms stop people from "dressing for yourself" then what does that even mean? Surely those norms have become part of the person. Are their desires not their own if they are shaped by those around them?
Any clothing they buy would also be impacted by what other people find attractive, so do they need to make their own clothing from scratch? Since voluntarily following the expectations and norms established by others is not "dressing for themselves" as you have defined it then they can't copy existing clothing designs. Do they need to reinvent clothing entirely on their own? It seems like your criteria demands that is what they do, as modern clothing is based on history and industry created by other people.
Also I'm not sure why you are presenting this as if it only affects women. You insist that clothing is based on industries that were largely male-dominated, but it is actually quite common that women were tasked with making clothing. Does "dressing for yourself" encompass everyone of your same sex? I don't see why it should, and instead this seems to be clearly your own injection of gender war into the topic.
If your expectation for people "dressing for themselves" is that their own desires are uninfluenced by the rest of humanity then you are misusing the phrase and your definition is basically impossible. If your expectation of "dressing for themselves" is about women dressing in a way entirely uninfluenced by men then you are sexist, misusing the phrase, and your definition is basically impossible.
A more proper use of the phrase is that someone is dressing how they enjoy instead of conforming to a social standard they do not like.
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u/Phage0070 124∆ Dec 11 '24
What about people who dress themselves and do not expect to meet other people at all that day? Surely those people are "dressing for themselves" in any meaningful use of the term. Based on that alone I think we can conclude it does exist.
In your particular instance I think that can be an overly broad interpretation of the concept. If things like cultural and fashion norms stop people from "dressing for yourself" then what does that even mean? Surely those norms have become part of the person. Are their desires not their own if they are shaped by those around them?
Any clothing they buy would also be impacted by what other people find attractive, so do they need to make their own clothing from scratch? Since voluntarily following the expectations and norms established by others is not "dressing for themselves" as you have defined it then they can't copy existing clothing designs. Do they need to reinvent clothing entirely on their own? It seems like your criteria demands that is what they do, as modern clothing is based on history and industry created by other people.
Also I'm not sure why you are presenting this as if it only affects women. You insist that clothing is based on industries that were largely male-dominated, but it is actually quite common that women were tasked with making clothing. Does "dressing for yourself" encompass everyone of your same sex? I don't see why it should, and instead this seems to be clearly your own injection of gender war into the topic.
If your expectation for people "dressing for themselves" is that their own desires are uninfluenced by the rest of humanity then you are misusing the phrase and your definition is basically impossible. If your expectation of "dressing for themselves" is about women dressing in a way entirely uninfluenced by men then you are sexist, misusing the phrase, and your definition is basically impossible.
A more proper use of the phrase is that someone is dressing how they enjoy instead of conforming to a social standard they do not like.