How Society Polices Women's Clothing (No Matter What We Wear)

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Have you ever stood in front of your closet, worried about what you’re choosing to wear because you know that no matter what you pick, someone will have an opinion about it?

Whether it’ll be pegged as too revealing, too dowdy, too shabby, or just “too much,” it boils down to the same problem: Women’s clothing choices are constantly under attack. This comic shows how.

With Love,
The Editors at Everyday Feminism

Click for the Transcript

Panel 1

A woman wearing a crop top and shorts.

Text: “That’s too revealing, don’t you have any self respect?

Panel 2

A woman wearing a turtleneck and a floor-length skirt.

Text: “That’s too dowdy, don’t you have any self-esteem?”

Panel 3

A woman wearing a collared shirt, vest, tie, and slacks.

Text: “You look too masculine, wouldn’t you rather be pretty?”

Panel 4

A woman wearing a ruffled dress with bows, a large bow in her hair, and with big, styled hair.

Text: “That’s too feminine, don’t you want to be taken seriously?”

Panel 5

A woman wearing no makeup.

Text: “Wearing more makeup would make you seem more professional.”

Panel 6

A woman wearing heavy makeup.

Text: “You’re wearing too much makeup and it’s too bright – it looks unprofessional.”

Panel 7

A woman wearing a high-cut shirt.

Text: “You’d pass better and look nicer if you showed more cleavage.”

Panel 8

A woman wearing a low-cut shirt.

Text: “You’re showing too much cleavage and it’s distracting – cover up some more.”

Panel 9

A woman wearing a short, low-cut, tight, sleeveless dress.

Text: “You shouldn’t show off so much of your body.”

Panel 10

A woman wearing a horizontally striped shirt and cargo pants.

Text: “You should wear clothes that do more to flatter your shape.”

Panel 11

A woman wearing a fancy outfit and heels, walking with shopping bags.

Text: “You care too much about fashion, it makes you seem really vain and shallow.”

Panel 12

A woman wearing a tee shirt with her hair unstyled.

Text: “You don’t care enough about what’s in style – it makes you look shabby.”

Panel 13

A woman with short hair.

Text: “Your hair is too short – it makes you look like a lesbian.”

Panel 14

A woman with very long hair.

Text: “Your hair is too long, you look like some kind of prairie wife”

Panel 15

A woman with black lipstick, and spiky hair wearing a corset and very high heels.

Text: “I know you want to show off your personality, but isn’t that outfit a bit too much?”

Panel 16

A woman wearing a grey sweater, slacks, and loafers.

Text: “I know your clothes are practical but don’t you find that look a little boring?”

Panel 17

A woman wearing a tight-bodiced a-line dress with pumps, and pearls, and highly styled hair curtseying slightly (thereby showing a petticoat).

Text: “The implicit translation of all such criticisms is: “This (and only this) is what society finds attractive and acceptable, but isn’t it great how far we’ve come and how many choices you have?”

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Alli Kirkham is a Contributing Comic Artist for Everyday Feminism and blogger, cartoonist, and intersectional feminist. Alli earned a BA in English Literature from Cal Poly Pomona in 2011 and uses it as an excuse to blog about books while swearing a lot. When she isn’t cartooning for Everyday Feminism or cursing at popular fiction, she posts cartoons and other silly things on her Tumblr. Check her out on Twitter @allivanlahr.