Animal Print: Sexy She-Power or She-Degrades-Herself?

When I was about six years old (back in 1984) there was a woman in my apartment complex who would wear a leopard-print swimsuit to the pool. My mom told us that it was gaudy and degrading for a woman to wear animal print, and I believed her. There was something trashy about the look; it was overtly sexual, uncool and unfeminist. It reeked of trying too hard to get (particularly male) attention.
(Yes, I was six and thinking through such issues. I didn't like dolls or the color pink, either, because, by golly, I was a feminist and a rebel.) So when animal prints slowly came into fashion in the late 2000s, I had a hard time shaking that feeling that they were degrading and inappropriate. It's now almost 2014 and animal print has proven its staying power in popular fashion over the past five years or so. What's more, it's featured prominently in clothing for little girls.

If you think that animal print is sexy, you might make one of two judgements. (1) Our society has become more accepting of sexual expression, and the stigma behind overt sexuality as unacceptable is outdated. Now women can freely express themselves, embracing their power, both as feminine and sexual creatures. (2) Our society has become oversexed to the point where it has become publicly acceptable that fashion degrades women and reduces them to nothing more than sexual objects. Animal prints that make women look like cats or bunnies or other creatures dehumanizes them and turns them into a playmate for those who exercise power over women. Society hasn't "accepted" women's sexuality so much as it has attempted to make them feel that if they do not become sexual enough, for the enjoyment of men or society at large, that they will be worthless. And then there is a third option which divorces animal prints from sexuality. (3) Animal prints are no longer seen as sexual. Leopard, snakeskin, and other prints which used to carry a sexual edge to them are now no more enticing than other prints, and that renders them at least as harmless as other prints, such as hearts, stars and polka dots.

For me, the only animal prints I've been able to wear have been those that are extremely colorful and rather abstract. I have exactly four pieces of clothing that feature animal prints. Shoes and bags are another issue; snakeskin printed accessories are tres chic in my opinion. (Of the animal prints, I feel snakeskin is probably the least oversexed and the most classy.)  Interestingly, the Dolce and Gabbana label has been using animal prints in clothing since the 1930s and their style has always been that of an ultra-sexy sophisticate. 

The Clothing and Fashion Encyclopedia notes that animal prints have been seen at both ends of the extreme and that animal prints are thought to evoke the characteristics of the animal represented. "Their reputation ranges from classic and sophisticated in high fashion to cheap and trashy in popular fashion. Mainstream fashion articles have suggested that wearers limit animal prints to accents to avoid sending an overly suggestive message." In the images below, you'll see the gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor in an animal print swimsuit shot in 1954 and Nicki Minaj in a leopard bodysuit.



In thinking about what your stance is on this issue, it's important to explore why you feel attracted to or repelled from animal prints, and to ask yourself if people of the opposite gender may feel differently. It's also important to ask whether and to what extent it is right for us to sexualize the youth. In my exploration, I've found that animal prints do in fact seem to be overtly connected to sex, and this seems especially true of leopard prints. However, if we are interested in avoiding the sexual overtones expressed by animal prints, we might be able reduce the impact, as in all fashion, by not showing as much skin, wearing a chunky knit, and pairing the print with a more wholesome hairstyle, makeup pallette, and wearing flats instead of heels.

The Philosophical Questions: Does our focus on sexuality compete with our happiness and flourishing as whole people? How can we accept, respect, and love ourselves as whole people (including our sexuality) best? Is there a time that is too soon to introduce kids to sex and sexualizing clothing? If so, why, and if we are honest, do those same reasons also apply to ourselves and our loved ones? Is emphasis on sexuality limiting us in ways that might not be healthy for ourselves and our society in the long run? To what extent is emphasis on sexuality related to various kinds of repression?