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| Kiko Mizuhara |
I suppose this post is somewhat of a belated intro so hello and welcome yet again! I started Within Color with little direction, limited resources, and an overwhelming group of incredible friends. Since our launch a few weeks prior, we've had an outpour of support from strangers, friends, and social media that I am so appreciative of. There's such a disheartening amount of cynicism on the Internet that sometimes I forget community and kind words also have their place. So before I ramble on, thank you all for simply reading, lingering, and contributing in all capacities.
That said, I've been thinking a lot lately about what this project personally means to me and the ways I'd like to see it evolve with time. Fashion blogging is one of those things where it can be difficult to take something so seemingly superficial and make it political. Although as a woman of color, doesn't every aspect of life become political in some way or another? 'Cause you know, the personal is political. To me, Within Color is an extension of a real group of friends, a space where style is attainable, the authors are relatable—where it's OKAY to be somewhat narcissistic, and proud of the fact that we're all beautiful, smart, and empowered women, but at the same time it's also a space that isn't afraid to be critical of these industries. I get frustrated thinking about the many problematic aspects of fashion that at times, I mindlessly support—the inevitable want and need to constantly consume, the influence of perfectly curated editorial style blogs, fueling the fire for the capitalist machine, obvious under-representation of people of color, the ethics behind the labor of fast fashion, etc. This is the space where I want to talk about it all.
While writing this post, I vaguely remembered an interview I read last year that outlined many similar feelings I have towards fashion blogging. After some deep searching, I finally found the source, Jenny Zhang of the defunct Fashion For Writers, interviewed by Helen Zou of Chictopia. Upon rereading, I found myself screaming (in my head, mostly), "YES! YES!! YES!!!" over and over again throughout the interview. If you have 10 minutes to spare or can't beat your current level of Candy Crush, READ THIS INTERVIEW. These parts especially stood out to me:
While writing this post, I vaguely remembered an interview I read last year that outlined many similar feelings I have towards fashion blogging. After some deep searching, I finally found the source, Jenny Zhang of the defunct Fashion For Writers, interviewed by Helen Zou of Chictopia. Upon rereading, I found myself screaming (in my head, mostly), "YES! YES!! YES!!!" over and over again throughout the interview. If you have 10 minutes to spare or can't beat your current level of Candy Crush, READ THIS INTERVIEW. These parts especially stood out to me:
"It’s tiring and potentially annoying to think about it all the time and I get that sometimes you just want to enjoy something that you find aesthetically beautiful without having to think about race or cultural appropriation or whatever. At the same time, I don’t have a ton of sympathy for people who dismiss or belittle attempts to create dialogue about the role of race in fashion."
"As much as a fashion magazine or an ad is always trying to sell something to us, it feels more and more like big fashion blogs are also “selling” something, and it works so magnificently because it doesn't necessarily feel like we are being sold anything. And yet we are, aren't we? Aren't we being “sold” on a lifestyle that seems charmed and beautiful—one where you get to run around in exquisite clothes in the scenic locations while your hetero-male partner takes adoring, flattering photos of you?"
I want to find the balance between the superficial and political here at Within Color. I want this space to be readable, fun, relatable yet critical and sharp. And you know what? It's absolutely fine if Within Color is or becomes your own safe space to unwind from the bigotry of the industries where you can just look at a bunch of stylish babes because hell, sometimes I just want to aimlessly look at pretty shit on the Internet, too. However, I truly do encourage future discussions, critique, questions, and posts related to these matters. I encourage evaluating and challenging why, how, and who influences our purchases. I encourage supporting other POC fashion blogs wholeheartedly. Most of all, I encourage writing candidly to promote the growth of this project and, quite frankly, because it's about damn time more fashion bloggers address these topics simply and honestly.
