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So, as you’re probably aware, the main reason why I started this column was because I am concerned with the representation of anarchists not only in the media but on the streets, and in this case, in court. As I’ve written before, anarchists tend to fall into the same semiotic traps time and time again, whether it’s the practically compulsory hyper-masculine all-black uniform at mass demonstrations, the déclassé “hobohemian” neurosis or the broken record that is punky punk punk fashion.
While these fashion choices are often portrayed as based on necessity, more often than not, they are nothing more than a desire to fit in and feel a part of a subculture. With such a diverse politic as anarchism, being interpreted and enacted in thousands of different cultures around the world, not to mention the contributions of anarcha-feminism and queer anarchism, it’s totally unacceptable to let one or two subcultures dominate the look and the feel of this movement. It’s not like subcultures don’t have their place and don’t have anything to offer to anarchist fashion, it’s just that we should be aware of how often we pigeon hole (wait, why is a pigeon in a hole!) ourselves and how exclusive these representations can seem to the uninitiated.
So, when Ariel approached Kate and I to see if the Free Boutique could help her dress for her court dates (stemming from these allegations), from my end of things, I felt inspired to help because it was such a good opportunity to subvert the media portrayals of anarchism and of course to help my friend look mahvelous!
For this first look, we decided to go for something more reserved, merging Ariel’s own punk aesthetic with something more formal and appropriate for court, while still maintaining personal autonomy and disregard for conservative court fashions. While elements of her love for le punk remain in the boots, and a little in the pants, we wanted to push the look into more experimental territory, confusing gender lines and creating an elegance that is unique and confrontational.
At first, I wanted to really go for this MMM inspired shiny black top with giant villain shoulders and have her wear this large circle-a pendant, playing off the whole anarchist villian/evil tranny thing, but Kate reminded me that when Marc Jacobs dressed Winona Ryder in court, his inspiration was, not surprisingly, “innocence” and that we should probably tone it down… like a lot. Which is what we did, as you can see, and I think it turned out beautifully. It gives her an air of a sophisticated bank robber, a classic classic look to be sure. As well, in this case, it’s obvious that the overdressed look is the only route that can subvert the sobriety and bad fashion that is seemingly demanded in court without reifying the court’s power over us and undermining our agency as adults. Transcendence by the Free Boutique.
It might be a little difficult to spot in these photos, but that lovely necklace there was made by my friend Madi and her jewelry project faht:::stik, and is a beautiful collection of found scrap metal interlaced with turquoise and copper wire. “Exquisite. Rare. Bricabrac. faht:::stik”
And this is just the first installment, her next court date is November 5th, Guy Fawkes Day ironically, and we are already thinking capes, capes and more capes!
Walking out into the media frenzy!
For more into about her case, email friendsofariel@riseup.net or check the Denver ABC for updates, also please donate some cold hard cash to help with her legal defense, it ain’t cheap you know!
Speaking of fashionable o.g. anarchists, I recently ran across these pics of Ba Jin. I particularly like this first pic, it’s a little blurry, but I think that’s a white trench over a white button-up, and of course, the round glasses are a classic. As you perhaps have noticed, I’ve been wearing my round glasses as of late; I wore them in junior high and decided to bring them back after finding them last week during spring cleaning. Since I’ve started wearing them again, I’ve discovered that there are a lot more fashion critics in the world than you might have thought… harry potter, a hunky, young orville redenbacher, harry potter circa germany ‘32, gandhi, and harry potter on his way to a carnival are some of the imaginative fashion comparisons I’ve received thus far. What I’m really going for, in case you budding sartorial critics are curious, is definitely something more in the way of Ba Jin in this top photo…
Anyway, Ba Jin was an amazing fellow. He was a participant in the May 4th Movement, is considered one of the greatest Chinese language writers for his Torrents trilogy, and was a survivor of torture and persecution by Maoists because of his anarchist affiliation. The only book of his I’ve been able to find in English is Family, but it is absolutely incredible. What I love about this book is the way he writes about the effect of the family on anarchism, and how politics are often derived from the personal experiences that we go through and the personal relationships that we form. I think that when we anarchists discuss the family, we tend to dismiss it as the most fundamental building block of the state, and in particular the homophobic mechanisms of the state, which I agree with. Because of legislation on the meaning of family, and zoning laws that only allow for a particular number of “family” members to live together, the state has decided what is and what is not a family, and most of the time that’s based on an erroneous concept of what is “natural” — the patriarchal nuclear family and the definition of family as relating to biology explicitly. But, when theorists dismiss the family outright it tends to leave radicals to fend for themselves in dealing with the complex interactions of familial love versus radical independence.
Clearly situations arise when dealing with family, when you ought to cut your losses, before wasting a lifetime feeling oppressed and unable to live your own life. But in many other situations, family can offer a support network that helps us learn a great deal about ourselves and helps to deepen our politics. Especially given the fact that family, contrary to the state’s definition, isn’t based on biology, but rather on the bonds that are created and reinforced through our formative experiences as we grow older, and thus our idea of family may extend out to include or completely rely on other members of our community. These formative experiences can happen anywhere, but only in a community that’s inclusive of a wide variety of ages, because as social beings we need those reflections of ourselves as youngsters and oldies to feel whole. The problem is that these experiences almost never happen in the “i’m gonna live forever” 18-to-25 year old anarchist culture. That type of youth culture will always end up feeling hollow and fleeting, because at the end of the day, we need those deeper community bonds, otherwise we will end up ‘growing out of it’ eventually.
Which is why a book like Family is so important. If we aren’t thinking about families and understanding them through the lens of anarchism, then every graduation, birthday, holiday or what-have-you will be weirdly guilty from an anarchist perspective; which they needn’t be at all, given that these can all be community building experiences that offer potential for radical growth. Aside from my experiences with anarchist youth culture, I feel like I personally became an anarchist through the influence of my family, especially my mom, who has always worked to create a family based on community rather than biology. She has always been both a diligent neighborhood organizer and a radical therapist for me, my dad and sister, our extended relatives, her best friend and her best friend’s kids and anyone else who fell into her spider’s web of motherly love! Growing up in this environment has taught me everything I know about community organizing and feminism, and I’m proud to be her sunny son!
Yay! Ba Jin! And happy birthday mom!
Excerpt from Emma Goldman’s Living My Life:
He arrived in the afternoon, an exotic, picturesque figure with a large black cowboy hat, flowing silk tie, and huge cane. “So this is the little lady, Emma Goldman,” he greeted me; “I have always wanted to know you.” His voice was deep, soft, and ingratiating. I replied that I also wanted to meet the curiosity who believed enough in free speech to help Emma Goldman. My visitor was a tall man with a finely shaped head, covered with a mass of black curly hair, which evidently had not been washed for some time. His eyes were brown, large, and dreamy. His lips, disclosing beautiful teeth when he smiled, were full and passionate. He looked a handsome brute. His hands, narrow and white, exerted a peculiar fascination. His finger-nails, like his hair, seemed to be on strike against soap and brush. I could not take my eyes off his hands. A strange charm seemed to emanate from them, caressing and stirring…
These o.g. anarchists sort of depress me, now take this fellow: here’s a mansy that besides being a snappy dresser was * l i t e r a l l y * a hobo doctor (wtf!), went around curing prostitutes of the clap, wrote Boxcar Betty, helped start the Dil Pickle Club (anarchist cabaret in Chicago), traveled around the country as an anarchist agitator at times being tarred and feathered, and was Emma Goldman’s lover to boot, and that’s a very short list. Really? It’s too much. I can’t stand reading Living My Life for that exact reason, every page is a plethora of unbelievable actions in the face of intense violence from the state, lynch mobs etc etc. It really puts things into perspective I have to say! But it was definitely a different time. I guess that the reason anarchy was so hot in the late 1800’s to 1930’s was that people hadn’t become so accustomed to the nation and advanced capitalism, it was such a new idea in those days that people at the very start saw it for what it was, a system bound to fail. I mean, at this point we anarchists have trouble even explaining how alienated we are and how much we’ve lost just in terms of our imagination, having been born in a prison, to quote Yoko. Try to elucidate a more complex anarchist idea, about cultural appropriation, patriarchy, heterosexism, or any other the tools of nationalism and capitalism, and it’s like you’re from another planet. Oh well, the beat goes on. Yay, Ben Reitman!
