Granola, Class, and Feminism: A Reply to Anonymous

dress - Corey Lynn Calter/Anthro (remixed)

cardi - GAP

tights - LOFT (remixed)

boots - LOFT (remixed)

earrings & hairpin - Anthro (gifted & remixed)

necklace - Target (remixed)

Yesterday, in reply to my feminist manifesto of sorts, in which I said, "I am a feminist, but not because it is a marker of consumer-driven identity like granola-girl (no meat; tofu; organic peanut butter; organic cotton);  I am a feminist because it is an ethical stance,"Anonymous wrote the following:

Why do you assume "granola girls" automatically only identify in terms of consumption? What makes it impossible for the choices they make to be motivated by an ethical stance, as you say your feminism is? (For example, people who don't eat meat often choose this in an attempt to avoid the "systematic oppression of others" that you mention...) And is it impossible for a "granola girl" to also be a feminist? 

This is an excellent question, Anonymous.  Allow me to clarify (in between posting outfit photos in which I added brighter colors to the Most Versatile Dress I've Ever Owned) because my reply to you was really just too long for the comments section.

Before I respond, however, I must ask:  Are you sure you're not one of my friends that's screwing with me under an anonymous moniker? I say that because I used the "granola girl" example because I and others have used that term to describes myself even though"look" far less granola now than I have in the past.

 

I don't think that granola girls "automatically only identify in terms of consumption" if they identify in terms of consumption at all. For the most part, we tend not to think of ourselves in this way. Nor do I think being granola precludes feminism. Obviously. But I also don't think that analyzing something through production/consumption/non-consumption categories has a negative valence--in my work it is a common way that I analyze historical records. 

While there are various approaches and debates about what feminism is and what a feminist ought to do, it would be difficult for me to hear someone say that she identifies or stands in solidarity with granola/crunchiness but also drove a hummer, ate imported red meat everyday, never recycled, and would rather die than change in the locker room at the gym if she hasn't shaved/waxed recently. I would think that the speaker misunderstood the common usage of the term because so much of what is understood by granola has to do with outward habits of consumption/nonconsumption. I would also assume that someone misunderstood feminism if he called himself a feminist but found traditional gender roles personally "nice" and so he wished everyone else would conform to them. 

In common speech, "granola" tends to refer to a lifestyle.  That lifestyle might be the result of ethical decisions, habit, preference, or necessity (or some combination of the above). The term might be used to describe a college feminist, a large Catholic or Mormon family, or the habits of young urban people with disposable income who start shopping at Whole Foods because it's closer to their apartment, find that they actually prefer the taste of organic peanut butter, look into why it tastes better, and conclude that that method of farming is the best one, and then eventually join a co-op. Habits and values are often intertwined, but they are not the same thing. 

The same has been said about feminism and this is why I chose this example.  For you, being granola might be an ethical stance; for others, it might be about class taste or desire.  Some see feminism as a by-product of middle class education and experiences or as an equation that is completed when a number of a la carte issues, class formed norms, and consumptive habits are added up:  subscribing to BUST, donating to domestic violence shelters, and purchasing and affixing a PFLAG sticker to your Mac or your car. I don't see feminism this way.  I see it as a coherent paradigm and an ethical stance outward from which stem actions, habits, and consumptive choices. Others might advocate for crunchiness to be understood as a coherent ethical stance, but that is not my project--neither as a feminist or a granola girl.

Reader Request: Packing for a More Fashion-Conscious Country (or City)

One of the great perks of academic work in many fields is the chance to travel for research or conferences.  Four years ago I put most of my stuff into storage, packed up two suitcases with clothes, a few books and pictures, and went off to Spain for a year and a half. Sometimes, though, a shorter trip is in order.  I've gone to Mexico for research twice for a period of a few weeks or two months, and to Spain for a couple of weeks a couple of times.  One of our readers, Scuttleboose of Lose the Boredom, requested some tips on how to pack for a two-week research trip to a more fashion-conscious country in a carry-on, so I thought I would share my tricks.

If blending in with the locals is important to you, my first recommendation is that you do some internet research to see what the trends are in the country/city that you are traveling to.  Look at what the local style bloggers are wearing and saying and what the fashion mags are touting.  Ask friends who have recently traveled to those places or friends who live there what the locals are wearing.  Also check out The Glamourous Grad Student's City Chic series in case the city you're traveling to has been covered by anyone recently.  Even if you don't care so much about looking like you are from Milan, or Paris, or Buenos Aires, or wherever it is you are going, research the weather if you haven't been to the location before.  If you're traveling to use archives, I strongly recommend that you verify that the archive in question does not have a dress code and make sure that you know their policies about notebooks, writing utensils, whether or not they require you to bring gloves, etc. before you start packing.

Once you have a sense of these things, make a list of things to pack.  Think in terms of remixable pieces.*  Figure out a variety of combinations so that you can minimize the number of pieces you need to take to create two weeks' worth of outfits.  I'll give a few examples.  A jersey dress could be worn to the archives or the library with a cardi and a belt (many archives tend to be chilly even in the hot summer months) and flats and to go to dinner and drinks by removing the cardi, changing shoes, and adding a statement necklace.  Don the dress for another day at the archives by wearing it as a skirt and adding a blouse and a belt.  A pair of jeans could be worn with a blouse for the archives during the day  (unless your archive is like the Vatican and has a no jeans dress code) and a tunic for night and a tank top and your comfiest flat sandals for doing touristy activities on the weekend.  They could be worn with a tank and cardi back to the archives or library.




Find me on Polyvore

Items that I would not leave home without for a summer archival trip:
- a pair of versatile and comfortable flats
- a cardigan or two (I usually wear one on the plane because I freeze on planes and in airports)
- a dress that can go from day to night by switching shoes and accessories
- an umbrella
- laptop and camera and flashdrive
- necessary documentation to get into the country and archives
- power converters/adapters etc. for laptop, camera battery charger, etc.
- pencils (I never use them except at archives)

In order to maximize space in your carry-on suitcase, I recommend either rolling your clothing (this also minimizes wrinkling) or using vacuum packing bags.  (A friend of mine vacuum packed her ginormous down comforter and brought it with her to Europe, and this event solidified in my mind their miraculous powers.)  If you plan on taking a pair of boots, I recommend wearing them on the plane in order to gain some extra space in your luggage.  You can always stash a pair of flip-flops in your purse and switch out for a long flight.

I'll ask those of you who have traveled abroad for research (or for fun) to share your tricks for saving space in your luggage and your must-have items in the comments.  What's your methodology for packing for a research trip?

Oh, and don't forget to enter our CSN stores giveaway!


* Unless I sauce or wine myself, go to a smokey night club, or end up running 15 blocks in an item of clothing, I tend to wear pieces of clothing 3-6 times before washing them.  (Underwear excepted.) It's better for the life of the clothes and the environment.

Q & A with La Historiadora de Moda, Part II

A couple of weeks ago, I answered your questions about my personal life.  Now, as promised, here are the answers to the questions that you all asked me about my professional/academic life.

 (My messy home office in my old apartment)

Sal asked: What will you miss most about being a grad student?
To be completely frank, there's not much I will miss about being a graduate student other than the friendships that I have made in graduate school.  I don't want to give a negative impression of my program or experience in grad school.  I have been very lucky with my advisers and the number of opportunities that I have had to do research, to teach my own classes, to present at conferences, etc.  However, I've definitely reached a point in my life and in my career where I am ready to move on. 


adressandabike asked: What attracted you to academia?
As an undergraduate, I had some great history professors who were enthusiastic about their teaching and their work, and that enthusiasm was contagious.  Also my late father was a teacher and later in life a professor (in the biological sciences), and I'm sure that influenced me.  My mom has produced evidence in the form of marked up elementary school textbooks that show an early obsession with history, especially with that of Spain.

Julia asked: If you weren't in your field of academics, what kind of career would you like to have?
I honestly don't know, which is probably why I'm so panicked about the possibility of nothing working out for me on the academic job market.  I love doing the kind of research that I have been trained to do and what I have been doing this year as a visiting faculty member.  If I didn't have such a black thumb, going to work on an organic farm would intrigue me as a back up plan.

A-C asked: What is your PhD thesis on/what is your specialty?
I'm not going to go into too much specific detail here, but my PhD thesis is about commercial theatre in early modern cities and drama's relationship with political culture and public opinion.  My specialty is Europe 1500-1800, but my research focuses mainly on Spain and its empire.  If you want to know more, you'll have to wait for the book.  :P

Anna asked: What courses are you currently teaching? If you could teach anything, what would it be?
Currently I am teaching a course on pre-modern Western Civilization and one on The Reformation.  I'm really enjoying teaching the Reformation and would love to do it again.  If I could teach whatever I wanted, I'd love to teach a course on medieval and early modern Spain and one on early modern cities.

KC asked: What is your favorite book?
I wrote about my favorite novels in the last Q & A post, but I figured I owed you one favorite academic book.  Peter Burke's Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe really shaped my thinking in my early years in grad school.  


And you didn't ask, but here's a typical work outfit¹ for me these days:

1. Dress - Teeze Me (Filene's Basement and remixed)
Cardi - Target (remixed)
Tights - HUE (remixed)
Belt - From another dress (remixed)
Boots - Fluevog (remixed)
Necklace - Boutique in Santiago de Compostela (remixed)
Earrings - Etsy (remixed)

My hair is still not super long, but it's getting long enough that I can experiment and play with braids a bit more than I could a few months ago.

What is your field of specialty?  If you aren't an academic, what was/is your favorite subject in school?

Open Forum: Dressing for Different Sensibilities in the Classroom

Last week, this email popped into our inbox here at Fashionable Academics:

Dear fashionable academics:

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase of students from the Middle East, with Muslim background, coming to our university.  As a female professor in a predominately male field, I have always dressed conservatively.  But, now I find myself wondering if I should only wear pants and long sleeves when lecturing.  After all, it is a culture shock for these young men to see a woman in a authority, let alone dressed in a way they would never see at home.

What do you think?  In order to communicate, do we need to dress for our student’s sensibilities as well as our own?  How far does this go?

-Engineering and Technology Professor

After some discussion, Ann Underfunded Humanity and I wrote back to Engineering and Technology Professor and said: 

Dear Engineering and Technology Professor,

Thanks so much for your email.  A couple of us have talked it over and our immediate response to your first question is that you should not feel compelled to only wear pants and long sleeves while lecturing.  We at Fashionable Academics are feminists, who believe that women have the right to dictate their own individual dress and personal appearances.  While it's admirable that you want to take your students' cultural backgrounds into consideration, there are no doubt also impressionable young men and women in your classroom who should see a smart, capable woman in a position of authority who dresses according to her own personal preferences.  After all, these men have chosen to come to the US and have no doubt also been bombarded with media images of western women.  I don't doubt that they experience culture shock, but I don't think we should dress according to the standards of their culture....

Best wishes,
Ann Underfunded Humanity and La Historiadora de Moda

We also asked Engineering and Technology Professor if she would mind if we opened up her larger question of dressing for students' sensibilities here on the blog.  Since she did not mind, I pose the same question to you, dear readers.  To what extent should we be dressing for our students' cultural and social backgrounds and sensibilities and how far does this go?

Personally, as I've gotten a bit older and as I've spent more and more time teaching, I dress more and more for myself (although I do think about how students might perceive me because of the way I dress, especially during the first few weeks of a term).  I don't like to show too much thigh in the classroom because I don't want my students thinking about how long my legs are.  I don't like to dress too casually because I do want to set some boundaries between them and me, and that is one of the easiest ways.  However, I don't worry about taking my nose or tongue piercings out for class.  I might dress more authoritatively if I'm discussing something especially provocative, but I wear sleeveless blouses and dresses, pencil skirts, funky Fluevogs, and colorful tights.  I also tell my students on the first day of class that if they have a problem with a female faculty or with reading then my class is probably not the class for them.

Most of my students at Big State School come from the Midwest, but every term I have taught there I have had several students who are ESL students coming from the Middle East, India, East Asia, Eastern Europe, etc.  I respect that they may have different points of view about historical sources and historical narrative, and that they may have different expectations about the way that teachers and professors dress (as well as how women dress).  Then again students from rural areas often have different expectations and sensiblities than do students from urban areas about dress, as do students who are fundamentalist Christians from those who are agnostic humanists.  There are a myriad of student identities, cultures, subcultures, sensibilities, and expectations in any given college classroom.  It would be impossible to dress so as to make them all happy.  So for me the bottom line is that I dress so that I respect myself, so that I am confident in the classroom, and I can feel that way in an outfit like either of these:

I'm curious as to where each of you draws your own personal line between dressing for yourself and dressing for your students, though.  So, again, to what extent do you think we should dress for our students' cultural and social backgrounds and sensibilities and how far does this go?   Please do share your thoughts!

Q & A with La Historiadora de Moda

In a post that I wrote last week, I gave you the opportunity to ask a bit about me.  I decided to break the questions up into two posts: one on my academic life (forthcoming) and this post in which I will answer the questions that some of you awesome readers asked me about my personal life.

Caffeinerd asked, "if money and professional responsibilities were non-issues, how would you spend the next year of your life?"
I would like to travel for a couple of months.  I'd really like to see more of Africa (I've only been to Morocco) and I have a hankering to see Australia.  Then, I think I'd like to live in Italy for the rest of that time.  I'd love to learn Italian, and I could handle about 280-300 days filled with learning language, working on some writing projects, and eating risotto with my husband.

Anonymous asked, "how did you meet your husband?"
M. and I met in grad school.  He entered the program a year after I did.  I thought he was pretty cute.  Shortly after we met, M. invited me to see Shaun of Dead at the theater and have a coffee.  I totally thought it was a date; he apparently didn't.  So after the coffee, I mentioned that some friends/colleagues of ours were at another bar if we wanted to join them.  We had driven separately so we decided to meet at the bar.  I called one of my friends to tell him we were coming.  Apparently, he told everyone that we were on our way and that we were on a date, so that they should all leave so we would be alone.  Well, M. and I both arrived an none of our friends were there.  Awkward.

We ended up becoming good friends anyway, and, when I was living in Madrid, I came back here to visit for a couple of weeks.  I stayed with him, and one thing led to another.  Then, I went back to Madrid, and we went back to being friends.  When I moved back to the states several months later, I admitted to him that I liked him as more than a friend.  We started dating -- cautiously at first because we had been friends for a long time and didn't want things to be too weird if things didn't work out.  Soon we were throwing caution to the wind.  I completely recommend falling in love with a good friend! We got engaged a little over a year ago and got married two weeks ago.

Kim asked, "will you and the husband take a honeymoon eventually?"
Yes, but not for a few months.  Ideally, we’d like to go to Madrid for a few days to see friends of mine, and then spend a week or so in Crete and Santorini, but right now our plans are complicated by a few issues, including our academic schedules. 

Musing Around asked, "imagining that you had a big-deal professor salary, and not a graduate student stipend, what would you add to your closet?"
I would be very tempted to buy a vintage Chanel suit or two and more vintage dresses and coats in general.  I would also definitely buy more Fluevogs and Wendy Brandes Jewelry.

KC asked, "What is your favorite book?"
Honestly I have quite a few, but I'll narrow it down to a couple of super favorite novels (and a monograph or two in the forthcoming post).  La casa de los espiritus (The House of the Spirits) by Isabel Allende was one of the first books that I read in Spanish that had nothing to do with my research.  It sucked me in and left me breathless and it was the fastest I've ever read Spanish.  I love magical realism, and another of my favorite novels is The Baron in the Trees (Il Barone Rampante) by Italo Calvino.  It is a beautiful tale about a young lad Cosimo (the eldest son and heir of a baron) who refuses to eat his dinner (snails) one day and gets in trouble.  So he runs off to the back yard and climbs an oak tree.  From there, he proclaims that he won't ever come down from the trees, that he'll never set foot on the ground again.  And he never does.  He eats, he makes friends, he takes lovers, he reads Enlightenment authors, and grows old in the trees.  The love of his life, Viola, is smart and fierce.  It's a book that fills me with both a painful longing and peace at the same time, and, whenever I read it, I wish I could read Italian so that I could savor it in the original language.

It might not come as a surprise that I spent as much time as possible in the trees when I was a kid, which is a bit of a paradox because I'm afraid of heights....  I had one in particularly that had the perfect nubby little branch at just the right height for an easy climb.  I used to climb my tree and read in it during the summer.  I probably would have climbed a tree yesterday if I hadn't been wearing a white skirt.¹

1. Dress as shirt - Nine West (remixed)

Skirt - Anthropologie (four or five years old)

Cardi - Target (remixed)

Boots - John Fluevog (remixed)

Flower pin - NY&Co. (remixed)

Belt - Ralph Lauren (Filene's Basement)

Tights - Target (remixed)

Ring - Gift

So, what about you?  Are you a tree climber?  What's your favorite book? You get bonus points for a favorite academic book and a favorite novel!