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RollsRoyceRevenge
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
She looked fab on that magazine cover with the red chocolate foil lipstick treatment but the style in the pic above does little for her in my opinion. It's just too barroom brassy regardless of her body type. #bethditto
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CherriSpryte
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
I was thisclose to dressing as Beth Ditto for Halloween. But standing in an American Apparel dressing room, looking at myself in a lame microdress that left NOTHING to imagination (she wears similar things all the time), I realized I didn't have the guts to go out dressed like her.

So hats off for Beth Ditto, for being way braver than I will ever be. #bethditto
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hej hej
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
I love Beth's look in this interview. She looks like a character in a John Waters movie brought to life.
She could totally hang around Turkey Point or rock out on the Corny Collins Show in that outfit. #bethditto
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Everything MidnightBikeRide does is a balloon.
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
I liked hearing her talk about how she felt like fashion was out of reach when she was young, and how that prompted her to find her own style and stand out. It seems like the people who grew up without access to the means of looking good turn into the most well-dressed and creatively dressed people, while those girls you thought were sooo trendy and fashionable in the sixth grade rarely seem to stay that way. Maybe if plus-sized fashion were really given an opportunity to take off, it could start leading in trends-- because people who've spent a long time dreaming about great clothes but have never been able to find them always have the best ideas. #bethditto
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divinelioness
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
I like her confidence, but I *whisper* don't like the clothes she wears....

But I think that's because I'm more "classic" dresser...vs the trendy, 80's redux that's going on right now... #bethditto
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colormeroutine
11/03/09

@divinelioness: Yeah I have to agree. I think it's great that she's comfortable with herself and owns her style, but I also happen to think her style is terrible and wouldn't look good on anyone regardless of size #bethditto
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divinelioness
11/03/09

@colormeroutine: I know! And I feel weird and bad, because I know I'm supposed to like it, cause all these high fashion people decided she's the *one* acceptable person who is not model thin; and all these other women feel like she represents them, a real sized woman who is considered cool and fashionable on her own terms.

But I feel like it's not a coincidence that the larger woman who is considered "ok" by the fashion world says she likes to dress "like a clown"...

I'm not articulating it correctly...but like somehow her body type is acceptable because she has outrageous get-ups. Like somehow, she is an oddity....A half joke. A token figure. I just think there wouldn't be the same reaction if she wore more "sophisticated" wear. #bethditto
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colormeroutine
11/03/09

@divinelioness: Yeah, I get what you mean. I'm looking at the picture with this article and I keep thinking that if a thinner person was wearing that exact outfit and hair and makeup, we'd be mocking them #bethditto
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LisaMc
11/03/09

@divinelioness: She fronts a band, so her style is going to be more intense than the average person. I don't think you have to like it. But I do think it works for her personality and creative expression. #bethditto
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MerlotWinters
11/03/09

@colormeroutine: Dunno. Lady GaGa seems to be doing pretty well these days. #bethditto
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colormeroutine
11/03/09

@MerlotWinters: ....Point. #bethditto
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whynotshesaid
11/04/09

@LisaMc: Yeah, I thought one of the benefits of being a rock star is getting to dress all crazy-like. Like David Bowie!

I mean, I love Nirvana and Pearl Jam as much as the next late 20/early 30s lady, but jeans, flannels and a ratty cardigan are not exactly rock star clothes, you know what I mean? #bethditto
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LisaMc
11/04/09

@whynotshesaid: I know what you mean, jellybean. Dressing up is part of the job description as far as I'm concerned. She's vibrant and she expresses it well. #bethditto
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JerseyGrrrl
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
Sometimes when Beth Ditto appears in these mainstream, high fashion avenues, I feel concern that she's being made into a sideshow or a gimmick by people whose lives have revolved around keeping women like Beth marginalized. Look at the fat girl talk about style! Look at all that eyeliner!! BREASTS!

But then, watching this video or appreciating what she's saying in an interview, I realize that even if that's the case, Beth is taking charge of the platform she's been given and not allowing herself to be the specimen they may or may not be intending to make her. Am I making any sense?

It's not like we're seeing a lot of larger women. We just keep seeing Beth (which is awesome--lots of Beth is amazing!) but ... I don't want her to be the mascot for high fashion. I want her to be the beginning of a new reality. You know? #bethditto
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Jessysaurusrex
11/03/09

@JerseyGrrrl: Yes! I feel the same way-- especially with the way a night out with her and Kate Moss, Sienna Miller or Kiera Knightley gets covered. All of the pieces have mention of the contrast between the twiglets and the big girl, and how "fashion" made this okay because it "brought them together." Vom. #bethditto
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Kivrin
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
I find it interesting (but unsurprising) that the fashion world seems to be going to the other extreme with its purported embrace of Beth Ditto, who is unambiguously "plus-sized." So you can always be thin and fashionable, and you can sometimes be heavy and fashionable. Somewhere in the middle = booooring, I guess. /rambling

(Not that the Ditto love is a bad thing, mind you! I'm not saying that at all. Just musing on the apparent love of extremes in the world of high fashion.) #bethditto
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prismatism
11/03/09

@Kivrin: She's not really that extreme. She just isn't six feet tall. She's a sort of petite girl, which is already something we rarely see, and weight rests differently when you're smaller overall.

& I don't know, I think it's kind of insulting to Beth to think that her involvement in fashion has anything to do with tokenism or exoticism, or making a show of political correctness & inclusion. I really believe that she is so cool, so unique, that she so exudes fashion from every fiber of her being, that the fact that she is plus sized isn't enough to keep her from being exactly where she belongs. #bethditto
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Kivrin
11/03/09

@prismatism: "I really believe that she is so cool…that the fact that she is plus sized isn't enough to keep her from being exactly where she belongs."

I hope you're right! #bethditto
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LisaMc
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
"You have no swagger. Just wear flats!"

My hero! #bethditto
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Menouthis
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
I really don't think the idea of 'fashionable = thin' is beginning to break down. The only way that would happen is if New York, Paris, Milan, and other fashion capitals were to implode. #bethditto
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bluebears
11/03/09

@Menouthis: true. very true. I mean give me a break. #bethditto
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viklane
11/03/09

In reply to Beth Ditto Is Breaking All The (Fashion) Rules
I always thought she was British! #bethditto
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jaydock
11/03/09

@viklane: She's from Arkansas originally, and now Portland, OR.

Pretty much The Gossip is more famous in Europe because they're more aware of what good things are. #bethditto
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FontWhore (the Great Nubling Hope)
11/03/09

@jaydock: They used to be more of a dirty bluesy punk band back in the day. I liked them then and was surprised when they got to be famous - until I heard them and realized they sounded 110% different than they used to.

Oh well, I don't like their music anymore, but I still love Beth! #bethditto
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whynotshesaid
11/04/09

@FontWhore (the Great Nubling Hope): I used to love their bluesy stuff. I mean, I like their new stuff okay, but their earlier stuff was amazing.

And now I feel like such a hipster cliche... #bethditto
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