I'm not sure if the title is the most apt way to describe what I'm trying to say but it's the only thing I could think of that would come closest. Anyway, here's the deal: I've been into fashion for a little while now but obviously you more seasoned followers/contributors might be able to bring different opinions to the table, but there are certain "fashion faux pas" that I find to be extremely irritating and reek of ethnocentrism.
Hips
For instance, I was watching the Fashion Police on E! (rarely do the people in that room know what they're talking about), but one thing said by George Kotsiopoulos (who I typically agree with, probably because he at least is in the fashion industry unlike those other hacks) really annoyed me. They were talking about Tyra Banks or somebody and he said that she needed different kind of jeans to hide her "wide" or big hips. Now, as a black person, in the black community larger hips are accentuated and celebrated, not hidden. This isn't the first time I've heard or read comments about hips too. And certainly, this attribute is not confined to one race. White actresses, Rachel McAdams springs to mind, have wide hips. I once read a comment on her thread which was something to the effect of her hips are too wide and she needs to cover that up. Seriously?
Height
This is a bit more complicated I guess because models are notoriously tall, but this is something that I can't quite understand either. Height, or even looking short when you are short, is also considered a faux pas. This is something I have more trouble explaining, but I guess it's just when people wear certain boots or jeans, they "cut off their legs" and although sometimes I can see where it looks off, there are certain instances where it honestly looks fine. They simply look shorter and I don't think that should be considered a problem. I know tall is seen as being more elegant and model-esque, which I get, but I can't get behind the banning of short women from certain dresses, usually long gowns. Now wearing something untailored is different from wearing a long gowns. My examples of short women who make it work:
raihipurcell.blogspot
zimbio
Hips
For instance, I was watching the Fashion Police on E! (rarely do the people in that room know what they're talking about), but one thing said by George Kotsiopoulos (who I typically agree with, probably because he at least is in the fashion industry unlike those other hacks) really annoyed me. They were talking about Tyra Banks or somebody and he said that she needed different kind of jeans to hide her "wide" or big hips. Now, as a black person, in the black community larger hips are accentuated and celebrated, not hidden. This isn't the first time I've heard or read comments about hips too. And certainly, this attribute is not confined to one race. White actresses, Rachel McAdams springs to mind, have wide hips. I once read a comment on her thread which was something to the effect of her hips are too wide and she needs to cover that up. Seriously?
Height
This is a bit more complicated I guess because models are notoriously tall, but this is something that I can't quite understand either. Height, or even looking short when you are short, is also considered a faux pas. This is something I have more trouble explaining, but I guess it's just when people wear certain boots or jeans, they "cut off their legs" and although sometimes I can see where it looks off, there are certain instances where it honestly looks fine. They simply look shorter and I don't think that should be considered a problem. I know tall is seen as being more elegant and model-esque, which I get, but I can't get behind the banning of short women from certain dresses, usually long gowns. Now wearing something untailored is different from wearing a long gowns. My examples of short women who make it work:
raihipurcell.blogspot
zimbio
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I was kind of afraid I might get jumped on for not understanding the fashion world. But the height thing is pretty close to me, since my mom is short (and the first people who inspired me to love fashion) and she's in her fifties and STILL wears heels. She still works it though! 
But I feel like you guys as well. I think fashion is something that should be considered relative, and judged depending on the person.
). I do think about not wearing dresses or boots that "cuts" my legs, because it makes my legs look short and thick. Not because I want to look tall, cause I never will.
.. now that I've grown out of that (the phase + magazine), I just find that so ridiculous, that's why I never even watch these shows either, I cannot take them seriously and I hate that they capitalise on the insecurities of women, on even creating insecurities!, it's too much about what color works for you, what neckline, how to hide parts of your body, how to accentuate 'what's left' (oh because they'll make it sound like there are only a couple things right about your body), blah blah, whatever happened to personal expression? spontaneity? individuality?, I do think some things are more flattering than others but the precision and strictness in which some things are ruled out for certain bodies is really a negative influence.. it all comes down to proportions and textures for me and obviously the right shades and most importantly, confidence!.. I believe that once you get that right, you can wear anything, even green and red 
