Last Thursday in the Queen’s Centre a small group of students made an alternative fashion statement with “Rogue,” a fun and fearless show designed to challenge mainstream norms of body image and gender identity, among others.
The event was inspired by a similar show at York University and was created to speak back to representations of fashion, identity and the body portrayed in performances like Vogue Charity Fashion Show.
Rogue participants were quick to say their guerilla-type exhibition wasn’t intended as a specific attack on Vogue, but as a critique of the larger culture of conventional fashion.
Rogue was successful in its attempt to create a positive fashion statement and to raise important ideas like pride in one’s own unique appearance and identity. Rogue is a sterling example of student initiative being channeled into something impactful and different.
Rogue’s response to mainstream fashion is pointed and valid. In productions where a selection committee decides which models fit with their image, there’s little opportunity to create an inclusive space.
Rogue’s mandate to promote different standards of beauty at Queen’s speaks to the fact that many students feel excluded from what is considered normal.
Rather than setting a negative tone, Rogue established a spontaneous, feel-good spirit. The demonstration included some direct mockery of mainstream fashion trends like Lululemon pants and Ugg boots, but this was done in a satirical, tongue-in-cheek way.
The clear wordplay in Rogue’s name easily invokes the Vogue show, but it’s unfortunate many Vogue supporters are taking offence rather than seeing the ensuing dialogue as constructive.
It’s important to recognize Rogue was intended as a dialogic response to normative fashion culture rather than a malicious attack on Vogue’s charity initiatives.
Vogue is the most popular and visible fashion show at Queen’s, and as such it received the brunt of Rogue’s passion. Responding in a divisive way to such a positive display is an unproductive response to an initiative whose very mandate is inclusion.
Rogue was a great use of the Queen’s Centre and one of the most celebratory and upbeat demonstrations the school has seen recently. Its participants should be applauded for their brave new beauty.
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