Who Wears The Pants?

In the #MeToo era, the pantsuit symbolises not only how far we as women have come, but also how far we yet have to go, writes Phyllida Jay, as she dissects why this power statement is still a fashion choice laced with provocative, subversive meaning—even at the end of 2018.

- Phyllida Jay

When Lady Gaga chose to express an experience that had set her on a journey of extreme pain, anger and then power at the ELLE Women in Hollywood awards in October, she wore a voluminous Marc Jacobs pantsuit. Its outsized proportions seemed somehow emblematic of both her vulnerability and strength as she spoke of her survival of sexual assault and her solidarity with the #MeToo movement.

Girls are all too often brought up to believe that being female equates with being sweet and assenting; always mindful of others’ feelings over one’s own. This all too often segues into women being submissive, dominated and repressed.

But, no longer.

Over the past year, #MeToo has swept across the globe, with women sharing their experiences of sexual assault, harassment, and everyday sexism. Women are refusing to continue to contain their anger at the daily avalanche of micro- and macro-aggressions that assert the inviolability of male power in ways that are pervasive and insidious. Social media has given women a way to recognise and share each other’s experiences, and find pathways to truth and justice.

How could women visibly express this new-found collective sense of self? How could they signal the desire to reclaim their bodies, space and power?