Sukhmann+Aneja+RP+Post+1

I. Presentation of research findings

For now, I am planning on writing a position paper, which will allow me to play in active role in the fight against gender bias in the fashion media. I do feel, however, that my findings can also be presented in the form of an informative explanation. This leads me into my main question: am I allowed to write a paper that combines two forms? While I do want to present my research in clearly opinionated manner, I also want to write an informative explanation to appeal to those who may need further explanation on the topics at hand. The functions of my desired approach include providing background knowledge and also responding to various accusations regarding gender stereotypes.

II The pursuit of new knowledge

__To what extent do gender stereotypes impact gender-based clothing designs?__ To what extent do our clothing choices influence the way we are treated?

III Background and early knowledge IV The Rationale
 * What I already know
 * As a female who wears clothes, I've had a lot of experience dealing with the correlated issues of clothing and gender. Walk into any clothing store in nearly any commercialized part of the world and compare the male and female sections. You will find, nearly every time, the same types of differences: women's clothing tends to be smaller, tighter, and made up of thinner fabrics. Don't get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with women who wear these types of clothing. The issue comes not with the fact that these wearing these clothes is an option, but that it's the only option. This gender bias, in turn plays a significant role in the way that women are treated in society, in that 1) women tend to be more objectified in society than men are, and 2) women are often blamed for this objectification, as if their clothing is to blame whenever they are the victims of sexual assault. (ex. "Slut shaming" and "she's asking for it")
 * Early findings
 * Designers and manufacturers are not the only ones who base their products on gender stereotypes; some advertising agencies often do the same, thus strengthening the same stereotypes.
 * “Fashion rules” have changed profoundly in the last century. For example, while bright pink hues and frills were once associated with females, the reverse was true in the 1960s.
 * The fashion media tends to base its designs on the assumption that everyone is either strictly male or strictly female. It rarely acknowledges complex gender issues, such as cross dressers or transgender people.

If there's one thing that school has taught me about research, it's that you should always pick a topic that makes you angry. That way, you'll have a lot more to say in response to the issue. The evident bias between male versus female clothing in relation to gender stereotypes, quite frankly, pisses me off.

My motivation is based primarily on personal experience and exposure to the media. My friends and I have often complained about the limited styles of clothing that women’s clothing stores offer (many of my friends even shop in the men’s section as the clothing is more comfortable). On a broader level, people often defend rape (unfortunately) by saying that the woman was “asking for it” with her clothing choices.

This is a relatively broad topic, so I guess it could go in a number of directions. I could talk about clothing throughout the ages. I could talk about clothing in various parts of the media, such as on TV or in video games. I could even talk about cross dressers or transgender people if I adjusted my frame of research accordingly.

I'm a little bit worried that I might end up having too much information to work with, which might lead to using information that is on a similar topic but isn’t necessarily answering the same question.

I care about this topic more than I care about my laptop. And dear god, I //love// my laptop.