The Free Art Campaign

Guerrilla theatre is alive and well,
And it’s happening in Feminine fashion.

If you don’t know what guerrilla theatre is, allow Wikipedia to define it for you:

Guerrilla theatre is a form of guerrilla communication originated in 1965 by the San Francisco Mime Troupe, who, in spirit of the Che Guevara writings from which the term guerrilla is taken, engaged in performances in public places committed to "revolutionary sociopolitical change." The group performances, aimed against the Vietnam war and capitalism, sometimes contained nudity, profanity and taboo subjects that were shocking to some members of the audiences of the time.

I love fashion. I think it’s one of my favorite forms of self-expression. As little kids, we were taught to dress up and play pretend…. but somewhere along the line, we’ve all slipped into conformity in a dire need social acceptance.

There’s a lot here about patriarchy capitalism, and white supremacy, and the Huge Collective Trauma that was the fashion trends we saw growing up in the early 2000s.

Why did we let that inner child go? I feel like Millennials in particular have, on the rebound after those horrific Y2K days, dressed in a way that masks all our excellent weirdness.

But this year, I watched the TikTokification of NYFW unfold in real time on social media, and maybe I’m living in a bubble, but I felt like I just witnessed a huge shift. We have reached the point where the elitism of fashion can no longer thrive. Everyone can and will express themselves through their clothing exactly as they are. You can recycle old clothes or try new ones, styling things however you want and it’s a ‘fit… because when everything is trendy, nothing is. You don’t have to fit into any niche.

People are simply making themselves happy.

In a world that has always viewed femininity as a costume, meant to be consumed as a performance to the ever-present Male Gaze, social media is changing the narrative. We have a digital space now where every and anyone can just loudly be themselves. We take our own definitions of gender, of body positivity, of self-expression and self-love through fashion into the real world and say, “I AM HERE, and you can’t stop me!”

If humans, especially feminine ones, are “supposed to” put on a show, then let’s put on a show. If the costumes we don disrupt the status quo and force people to shift their perspectives, for better or worse, then this is guerrilla theatre. And it warms my little Dionysian heart.

This is an unveiling, but let me remind you. Fashion is and always has been a political statement.

In a world where the '‘Morality Police” can arrest, beat, and murder a woman for not covering her hair “properly,” it is imperative that the feminine people of the world — no matter their gender — rise up and show up in their authentic selves, without shame and without fear.

The powers that were (patriarchy, capitalism, white male supremacy, etc) are desperately clinging to their Old Ways because they think a shift in the scales will mean injustice instead of balance.

To that I say, divine feminines, rise up.

I’ve always had a hard time with the performative aspects of womanhood and femininity, but after hearing about Mahsa Amini, and realizing that I have not heard about the thousands of women who likely died before her for the same reasons, well. I know that what we wear is so much more than just our clothes. I’ve decided that I’ve spent a lot of time hiding, conforming, and dressing down because being small meant being safe. But it’s not my prerogative to hide anymore.

You should be able to cover your hair if you want. You should be able to wear it uncovered if you want. You should be able to express yourself however you want without anybody else arbitrarily deciding how you’re allowed to exist.

If you are a woman, if you are feminine, if you are nonbinary, trans, or otherwise identify as LGBTQIA+, I believe the time is now for us to show up loudly in our presentation. To me, this idea has always been so scary, because for so long I’ve felt confused and disgruntled about my own identity and safety. But if we continue to allow the divine feminine energy of the world to be suppressed, we will dive further into imbalance, destruction, suppression, and pain.

Time for some guerrilla theatre to bring about a bit of that “revolutionary sociopolitical change.”

That said, wear whatever you want. LET YOUR INNER CHILD PLAY!

If we’re going to be forced to perform for society, we might as well take control of it. Be the princess, the bimbo, the clown, the swamp witch of your childhood dreams. The world may not want to see it… but maybe it’s time we become NOT the hero Gotham needs, but the one it deserves… Or whatever Gary Oldman said in those Batman movies.

Self-love is the ultimate middle finger to a world that needs you to hate yourself in order to thrive. I dare you to stand up to it by being exactly yourself.

This also means we cannot judge others in the way they show up as themselves. But as you learn to accept who you are, you will find peace in the way others choose to be.

Remember, we are all here walking each other home.

Now go make an outfit! Be loud, be weird, and BE ANNOYING. Express your truth — even if you’re putting on something that would have gotten you burned at the stake 400 years ago!

Who cares anymore. It’s time to be the change.

And please, do a photoshoot! Post your OOTD! Show up! Be weird! Let’s take over the stage! Your costumes do not have to dictate your character, but our character can instead dictate our costumes. Just… be you.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!