Clothes for Queer, Disabled Women
For disabled queer women, navigating the world of fashion can be more than just a quest for the perfect outfit; it can often entail a battle for self-acceptance and visibility. The psychological impacts of grappling with this challenge vary, leading to a range of frustrating consequences. From grappling with diminished self-confidence and feelings of unworthiness to the isolating sense of being different, the emotional toll can extend to profound depths. This struggle to find clothing that aligns with both their identity and physical needs can contribute to a spiral of emotional distress, potentially resulting in isolation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, and, in extreme cases, even suicidal tendencies stemming from the acute experience of societal marginalization.
People may ask how can clothing concerns create such
emotional distress in any person or population? Well, the short answer is this.
Imagine going into store after store to find the perfect
outfit or shoes and come out empty handed time and again. The queer woman does
not fit into the same dress category as their strait counterpart. Perhaps the
outfit for the day is a nice suit. However, men’s clothing is not designed to
fit the curves of a female body shape and female suits might be too feminine
for a butch identified queer woman. Perhaps you are a transwoman and looking
for that perfect pair of dress shoes. Not only do you have the body that does
not fit the typical feminine dress but finding a cute feminine shoe for a size
14 or 16 foot is rather difficult if not impossible.
“I don’t need easy. I just need possible.” — Bethany Hamilton
This is a reality for a lot of woman if they are abnormally tall, short, or large. This problem isn’t just a queer or disabled woman’s issue. However, they do seem to be impacted more often due to fitting into those categories as well as being queer and or disabled.
All this can lead a woman to feel like they do not fit into the world and that something is terribly wrong with them. This can lead to isolation. If you are not able to find what you need for the occasion, then many queer and disabled women might decline the social events and eventually isolating altogether. Either by choice or the vanishing invitations. Friends and associates eventually stop sending out the invitations to the individuals that frequently declines the events and gatherings. As a result of all this, feelings of depression, loneliness, negative self-image, and hopelessness can start to brew and if left unchecked can eventually dominate the queer and disabled woman’s feelings and life.
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When you look at the marginalization that already exists for queer women and disabled women it can be overwhelming. Then adding into the inability to find adequate clothing that fits properly and help them feel confident further marginalizes them. This is a serious and concerning issue for many.
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“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.” — Helen Keller
Too often queer and disabled women just resign themselves to
a mediocre existence as a result of marginalization in the fashion industry and
many other areas of life. They are all to familiar with not fitting into that
perfect mold or ideal female body. Therefore, psychologically they may feel
inferior to others and not live out their full potential.
The good news is that some companies are recognizing that this is actually a concern and a real niche in the fashion industry. So, hope is on the horizon and I can’t wait to see how the fashion industry changes to accommodate the queer and disabled population.
