What is the new femininity about?

Curvaceous Scarlett Johansson, the bright attractiveness of Angelina Jolie, sophisticated sex apreal Dita Von Teese – today, celebrity femininity seems to be freed from unisex, which until recently was considered the norm of good taste. Minimalism, no frills, fresh undertones, a style without explicit manifestations of gender have gone from the forefront of fashion.

Now clothes have regained gender, and we are ready to declare it with the help of our own appearance. “In recent years, pop stars such as Lady Gaga or Rihanna have had a huge impact on youth fashion – their style was sometimes not just on the verge, but also beyond the foul,” reflects Daria Anichkina, fashion director of ELLE magazine. – And there was a feeling that such incredible outfits are directly responsible for the success of this or that artist. It is natural that after that period we are now seeing a return to an elegant feminine image. And this ‘break’ into traditional femininity feels like a breath of fresh air for the entire fashion industry.”

Freedom to try

Over the past half century, women’s attitude to their own image and body has changed greatly under the influence of feminism. In competition with men, women first mastered the external signs of the male. Then came the turn of a neutral style of clothing, devoid of explicit gender characteristics. And just recently, we returned to femininity – bright, boldly declaring itself. Does this mean that now, against the backdrop of a craze for the super-feminine style of the 50s, we are implicitly returning to the attitude towards a woman as a sexual object? It is unlikely, because today’s fashion is no longer as straightforward as before: it does not dictate a style that is mandatory for everyone, it allows you to choose.

The current emphasis on femininity is a way of saying “I am a woman,” but in a playful, indirect way. “At one time, women needed a unisex style in order to get away from the inequality of the past, to declare themselves as full members of society, to gain respect from a man,” says Gestalt therapist Maria Andreeva. “Now, when a woman emphasizes her gender with clothes, she does not cease to be an equal business partner, who is treated seriously and with respect. This style is a sign of self-confidence, that she can afford it without the risk of undermining her reputation and seeming “frivolous”. She no longer needs to prove that she is no worse than men by dressing in “their” clothes for this.

“Recently, I started to wear a tight skirt from time to time and paint my lips with bright red lipstick,” says 34-year-old Alla with a smile. – The first time I was very uncomfortable, the sensations were unusual. I was afraid that colleagues in the office would treat me derisively, because before that my style was rather inexpressive. However, no one was ironic in my address. On the contrary, my gesture was appreciated, and since then I no longer feel embarrassed when, instead of a trouser suit, I sometimes put on such a slightly provocative outfit. In it, I look like a real “vamp”, although I’m not a femme fatale at all.

It is in this shade of healthy self-irony that the difference between our contemporaries and the generations of our grandmothers and mothers lies. What for them was following the dictates of fashion, which at that time did not imply deviations from the “general line”, for us becomes our own choice and an opportunity to express ourselves.

“A woman, together with a short skirt and heels, tries on a new role that allows you to weaken the internal barriers, consisting of ideas “it is possible – it is impossible”, “it is permissible – it is unacceptable”, “acceptable is unacceptable,” says psychologist Olga Lovi. – And gets the opportunity to hide in this role from the possible painful disappointments of new experience. This phenomenon has been repeatedly described: when a person plays a role, he is not so afraid and ashamed to fail, as if he acted “for real”. So he is more willing to try new things, expand his experience.

The main task is to please yourself

“In high school, they explained to us: the one who wears makeup and wears a mini is a bad girl, she will not be able to get an education and will end up as a loser,” recalls 36-year-old Tatyana. – As a teenager, I didn’t really worry about how I dress: it was important to go to college right after school, and it occupied all my thoughts, as now all thoughts are occupied by work. But a year ago I became interested in dancing. Along with the desire to move beautifully came the courage to dress brighter. Now I want to wear a dress or a bright skirt, high heels, make-up and hair – I know that by doing this I will not jeopardize my professional viability in any way.

Unlike the magazine beauties of the 1950s, today’s feminine women are not going to give up their achievements and independence. For many of them, emphasized femininity is, first of all, a way to please themselves, reminding themselves and others that they remain women, although they have long been achieving career heights along with men and arranging life on their own.

However, those who dress overtly feminine—wearing skirts and heels, flattering their figure, using bright color contrasts, wearing noticeable makeup—are often suspected of manipulating others, provoking their inherent desire to dominate in men and relegating themselves to the level of sexuality. object.

Meanwhile, striving to “look like a woman” and be desirable, such a woman does not at all position herself as a prey or as a passive attachment to a conquering man. Because she knows that this emphasized (sometimes even too) feminine image that she tries on herself is just an image that can be played with. “We live in an era of continuous cultural and social change,” says Olga Lovi. – The old images are outdated, the old norms do not meet the current moment. Consciously playing with different roles is one of the best ways to develop a new identity.”

Find your individual style

“All my life I wore jeans with pullovers and jackets, and now I want to put on a light dress, shoes, an elegant jacket,” admits 46-year-old Ekaterina. – I used to barely put on makeup, trying to look natural, but now I no longer go out without lipstick. I find that with age, the “natural” look betrays a lack of youthful freshness, and the image of the “elegant lady” makes me attractive again. In addition, feminine clothing emphasizes the dignity of the female body.

In this new super-feminine trend, says the philosopher Isabel Queval, there is a protest against the ideal of a flawless, “dietary” body that has dominated the minds of the past decades. And also our desire to accept our body as it is: after all, the new style only shapes it, but does not try to change it.

“This fashion does not leave indifferent young women, too,” she writes. “Including because they do not want to follow in the footsteps of their mothers, who are always worried about their weight.”

But if a woman lives in harmony with her femininity, does she need to dress up? Psychoanalyst Isabelle Korolitsky sees in the desire to flaunt the signs of one’s gender some inadequacy of a person to his own “I”. “This sounds like a rather infantile motive for dressing up, it is more likely to show the world a“ fake self ”and not to demonstrate their true desires,” the psychoanalyst expresses doubt. “Following ready-made codes, we lose the opportunity to seek and express our individuality.”

Looking for Gender Differences

The phenomenon that Americans call “regendering” – the redefinition of gender roles – may also mark the emergence of new ways of building relationships between a man and a woman.

“A lot of women over 30 come to me looking for really manly men,” says Isabelle Korolitsky. “They expect these men to bring their masculinity to life as they actively embody their femininity—respecting both the difference and the equality of the sexes. They seem to declare: “I want to see a real man next to me, because I am a real woman!”

These new notions of femininity are met, as if in a mirror image, by some men who are re-aware and demonstrate their own masculinity. Two famous couples – Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who, alas, are no longer together. Two extremely feminine women, in whom strength is clearly felt, and two extremely masculine men, in whom sensitivity is guessed.

It is, of course, a beautiful image. However, the reality is always – and fortunately – not so unambiguous. After all, we redefine new, modern features of both femininity and masculinity again and again – constantly changing our roles, realizing desires that are always far from simplified schemes and caricatures.