FEATURED VOICES:
Queer Feature: Eloiza Sanchez
In Collaboration with Manhattan University Pride Center

I’d like to say that our clothes don’t define who we are, they are just an extension of us. But that's not entirely true. What I put out into the world is what I decide I want to be perceived as. To some of us it's a conscious and loud decision and to others, it's something quiet and more self preserved, an inkling to others of who you are but a silent but strong recognition to yourself. Clothing has that way with me. History has a way of telling who we are through your clothes and I like to use it like that. Even ancient Greek poet Sappho's references to women wearing flowers; violets, along with lavender and pansies, became discreet signals for queer women. In the 1950s pants became more socially acceptable as clothing for women and When women were allowed to express themselves and their individuality, fashion became a lot more nuanced. At first, these women tried to emulate the male personification to point out their orientation, but in reality, they were trying to become something of their own that hasn’t existed before. I’m proud to live in a world with improved equal LGBTQ+ rights: where self expression is fluid and there are spaces where you can dress according to your own identity. In this era, we start to dismantle the idea that clothing has to be binary and only for certain groups. Fashion has been and always will be who we are and nobody can change that. 

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