Sometimes, I wonder If dressing like a man will give me the authority that all men seem to acquire with no effort whatsoever on their part. By simply being men, they automatically get this dominance, like a superpower. No, I am not a feminist on a rampage. I’m just contemplating on the age-old question, “does the suit make the man?”
When it comes to men and women, there has always been a double-standard that people just can’t seem to shake. Men are expected to go to work while the women are expected to do the work at home. Men are out there being the breadwinners, while women stay in to cook, to clean, and to have babies—where’s the justice in that? For some reason, society has assigned men and women to these rigid patriarchal roles and everyone just accepts it. Yes, it would be easier for women to just get married and rely on their husbands for money, but what about the women who want something else for themselves? What about women like me?
Never in my life have I ever thought that I would end up married with kids. Not having a career was never an option for me. I’ve always wanted to earn my own money to afford the life that I want for myself. Some people would call this line of thinking as how a man’s mind works, but isn’t this how human minds work, in general? For me to say that I’d rather have a career than a family, does that make me a monster? A man? Or simply human?
One of the many challenges a woman faces in the workplace is being treated unfairly. If a man sleeps his way to the top, then people see him as “the man”. But if a woman sleeps her way to the top then people see her as a slut. And when it comes to salary, men are paid more than women for the exact same job. Can you believe Jennifer Lawrence’s salary for The Hunger Games film is lower than her male co-stars’ salaries? The movie is all about her character, but she isn’t the highest paid actor in the cast? This doesn’t even make sense.
Let’s talk last names. I have the best last name ever! Don’t you think? I love how “Adi Amor” seamlessly rolls off the tongue and makes me sound like a movie star. Why can’t I keep my name as it is when I get married? Why can’t the guy be the one to change his last name? Why can’t my kids get my last name? I’m talking as if I could actually change the way things are but, the truth is, I can’t. This is how things have always been and people just accept it without even questioning it—now that’s just sad.
Now, if you take all of these scenarios and replay it with the woman dressed like a man, does it end differently? Does the suit really make the man? You decide.
QUARTZ Watch | ALDO Rings | AEROPOSTALE Necklace | Vintage Blazer | TOPSHOP Leggings
Photography by Cam Datuin