Okay, So...Fashion Star...(Don't Judge Me)

Did you guys watch Fashion Star last night?

For those of you who don't partake in bad TV, Fashion Star is a new show on NBC about, well, fashion. Designers...design something...it goes down the runway...and buyers from Macys, H&M, and Saks Fifth Avenue make offers...or not. If your design doesn't get picked up by a buyer, then you are eligible for elimination. Make sense?

Okay. Now I have my gripes with the show. Basically, I want it to be Project Runaway (like the back in the day Project Runway) and it is not and I am heartbroken. Anyway, I watched it anyway despite several aspects annoying me.

My ears perked up though when I heard the arrogance of one contestant, Nicholas Bowes, when receiving criticism from John Varvatos. He was convinced his motorcycle jacket was the sh*t and that everyone would be dying for it. John didn't agree. Nicholas kept his jacket the way it was, sent it down the runway, and got criticism from not only John, but also Jessica Simpson and Nicole Ritchie.

Below are Bowes' responses to Simpson and Ritchie (courtesy of Reality TV World):

"I think it's a very fashion-forward piece. If you understood what was going [on] right now, you'd probably understand that that's what is going on right now with men's fashion," Bowes told Simpson.

"Look, everyone's got their own opinion. I think like John's advice from a guy's point of view is not bad, but it's very hard to understand the girls giving advice about men's fashion," he added after Richie's feedback.

His first comment seemed like a dig at Jessica Simpson. His second comment seemed like a dig at women in general. Most of the news articles I've read about it frames it as a clash between Bowes and Simpson, but really it was a clash between Bowes and everyone (since it wasn't like he was listening to Varvatos either...and offended every woman in his vicinity). Now, it should come as no surprise that sexism would be evident in the fashion world. Duh. But I was taken aback by someone just coming out and saying that women probably don't know anything about men's fashion...especially since this same guy probably wouldn't think to say that men have no idea about women's fashion. I don't think I'd ever really hear that from anyone actually. I've heard my fellow women say, "Oh, some designers (male or female) just have no idea how a real woman's body works..." and let's be real...that is the truth. Designer don't seem to understand that having a larger butt doesn't necessarily correlate to larger breasts. But...I digress...

Also, how can he not understand "the girls" giving advice about men's fashion? I'm going to be heteronormative here for a moment...I apologize...but many men dress well for one reason: to impress the women. I would venture to say that, in some respects, heteronormativity has nothing to do with it. Men and women, gay or straight or bi or trans or anything, give each other advice on clothing. We dress each other. We dress for each other. So, wouldn't you think women giving advice on men's clothing would be, um, important? For every man or two buying Bowes' jacket, there would be a girlfriend/wife/mother/female friend purchasing the jacket for a man in their lives. Right?

When I think of the fashion"greats" that I can name (which isn't many), my list includes more men than women. While most of the designers on the show were women, I get the feeling that that isn't always the case. Or maybe that the people that make it are often men. Am I wrong? Can someone who actually knows fashion answer this for me?

I thought maybe once Bowes was voted off, he would gain some perspective. I was wrong:

"It felt like a little bit of a slap in the face. But people who know what is current will probably be a little shocked that I got kicked off. I really liked my motorcycle jacket and I wasn't saying that girls don't have a clue when it comes to fashion, I'm just saying I don't think they understand high-end fashion," he said.

Oh. So we get fashion. We just don't get high-end fashion. This time he didn't even say high-end men's fashion. Oh no. We don't get any of it.

Granted, I don't get any of it, but that is because my fashion consists of flats, jeans, and maybe a sweater...and yoga clothes. My gender has nothing to do with it. And his gender doesn't mean he automatically understands it either. I'm no fashionista, but I swear I've seen the jacket he made in magazines already. So, while yes I am a woman, and while I don't get high-end fashion, I do get that the motorcycle jacket was old and tired and even Mr. Saks Fifth Avenue Buyer-man didn't think it was all that. And I trust him because when he popped his blazer collar, there was hot pink material underneath. Can you say awesome?

So. Yes. Fashion Star proved yet again that sexism exists...and it exists in a field that is supposed to be more "feminine" but has a boatload of the "masculine" sex working in it so....yeah. Surprise, surprise.