On feeling power(full/less)
During our recent seminar on bringing sustainability into being via our actions and practices, both individual and collective, we (my fellow humans and I) were discussing clothing and our relationships to and with it. One of those fellow humans mentioned how clothing makes them feel powerful in different situation, such as a classroom. Dressing formally and using makeup gives them confidence to walk into a classroom. While this person was sharing their experiences, I was contemplating my own relationship with power, clothing, and classrooms (and other similar spaces).
Since I started teaching, an important part of my practice has been to wear in a classroom exactly the same clothes I wear in my everyday life. Sandals, oversized shirts that have not been ironed, sweatpants, large scarves. Perhaps I am lucky that I've been teaching mostly in the Nordics, but this practice is so important to me that I would not choose to be in a space where I would be forced to change my mode of being. I've made several entries on my relationship with clothes in these autoethnographic notes. Via having a minimalist wardrobe, wearing almost only beige, wearing the same thing every day, I want to normalise comfort, deviation from following trends and avoiding overconsumption. There are of course more ethical and responsible ways to shop (such as second hand) but personally I don't welcome eco-consumerism. When I teach post-growth, I use my relationship with clothing as an example of a small-scale, deeply personal action.
Coming from an anarchist perspective, my relationship with my students is always non-hierarchical. I explicitly say it to my students that I am an anarchist, and that they should use their freedom in the classroom. Power is definitely not something I want to have over my students in any way. In fact, I don't want to feel powerful in a classroom. I want to empower my students with knowledge and tools to become agents of change and to grow as human beings. So via my clothing I only want to communicate comfort. It doesn't mean feeling power-less, rather simply relaxed and calm. Most of the students I've met here in the Nordics wear casual clothing. Wearing something formal would create division which I do not want. So far, I have not faced any judgment from my students in terms of what I wear. At times some have commented on my alternative teaching methods, feeling good in the classroom, and inclusion.