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The phrase 'fashion police' has no place in Style and Beauty - discuss!

54 replies

HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 11:55

It's seriously getting on my nerves.
It's quoted more and more.
It's boring and unoriginal.

This is a Style and Beauty forum. It relies on opinions! Opinions are sought! Some people are blunter and more opinionated than others. So what? Without individual opinions there would be no point to it..

So.. Can people PLEASE stop churning this phrase out the minute anyone voices a negative opinion on anything?

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SoupDragon · 04/05/2015 11:56

There is a difference between voicing an opinion and the Fashion Police proclaiming it as fact.

HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 11:57

OH GOD... I GIVE UP

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SoupDragon · 04/05/2015 11:57

Opinion: I don't think X looks good with Y
Fashion Police : You can't wear X with Y!

SoupDragon · 04/05/2015 11:58

So, what did you mean by the word "discuss" in the thread title? Confused

Behooven · 04/05/2015 12:02

Oh the irony.

Fine to give an opinion where it is sought. E.g. What tops can I wear with leggings?
Not fine to then answer, 'long tops and leggings are for fattys and look shit'

There's a difference

HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 12:03

Grin I think that's just people's way of phrasing it. Obviously they can't actually stop anyone...

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HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 12:05

Oh no, we're back to the leggings and dresses thread aren't we? Smile

Obviously people shouldn't be rude, I don't think that's the same as being the 'fashion police', a term continually rolled out just now it seems..

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SoupDragon · 04/05/2015 12:05

A recent thread on wearing dresses with leggings is a prime example of Fashion Police v personal opinion.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 04/05/2015 12:05

It's just a phrase. 6 months ago the word branded about on S and B was 'frumpy' and next month it'll be another phrase or word.

HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 12:10

But it's still personal opinion? Someone saying they don't think you should wear leggings with dresses (for example) is surely their personal opinion? Confused

Agree re rudeness and nastiness but that's another issue surely..?

It's got to the point that I've sent people give an opinion on something they're being asked to and starting it 'well I'm not the fashion police, but...' I mean WTF.

It's all just so boring and overused.

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Twitchcoco · 04/05/2015 12:11

I'm always baffled when people post a link and ask opinions on an item. I understand if someone says how shall I wear it and what with, but to just say is this ok or not will always divide opinions and open the FP floodgates.

Mind you, I started a thread asking how to put an outfit together so what do I know? Every time someone posts a link to something baggy I feel faint. Grin

HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 12:19

Grin twitchcoco

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Judydreamsofhorses · 04/05/2015 12:20

I'm relatively new here, and think the wide variety of voices/opinions is great, but I also think there seem to be "rules" which I don't know, and they kind of baffle me. The leggings/dresses thread (again) was quite rude in parts - I can understand people saying "I'm not very keen on that look", but I don't get people wading in to say "don't wear that, it looks shit". I generally subscribe to the idea that if you've nothing nice to say, say nothing.

HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 12:24

Agree re rudeness Judy but a range of opinions, positive and negative, is the point of all this..

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Coastingit · 04/05/2015 12:46

Totally with you OP! This is a fashion topic and there are do's and don't's. Usually tongue in cheek when people say 'you cannot wear...' but hang around here long enough and you will realise it's not personal.

It's so annoying when people take it personally - no one on here (who posts regularly) will insult a fat person or a skinny person or an older or younger person, but they will tell you in no uncertain terms what will not look good. Much more useful than 'your body, your rules hun' - it's MN, you should expect honesty. And fashion, like it or not, has rules - made to be broken and discussed etc, but don't expect your opinion on an outfit not to be dissected.

I posted a pregnancy jumpsuit which I honestly hormonally thought was lovely and I was swiftly talked out of it and offered alternatives.

Judydreamsofhorses · 04/05/2015 12:47

Of course - I just think people could phrase their opinions in a kinder way sometimes. There's a huge difference between "I think it might look nicer in a different fabric" and "it looks cheap and nasty"!

HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 13:15

Exactly coastingit - you get what I'm saying. Sure some people are more dramatic in the way they express their opinions. Ok ok I admit to saying 'please don't wear leggings with dresses....' on the now notorious thread but it was my opinion! And you're right, it was pretty tongue in cheek, clearly I can't stop anyone from doing it... If only.... (joke!!!).

But does that make me (or similar posters) any more 'fashion police' that those declaring (as fact) that it looks fine? It doesn't btw Wink

But joking aside, without honest and sometimes strong (but not rude for the sake of it) opinions then what's the point of this?

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Coastingit · 04/05/2015 13:19

But Judy if you have one person on a thread saying a dress looks cheap and nasty, and ten saying it looks great - you can safely ignore the person saying it looks cheap and nasty, no?

Whereas if you post a link and the majority say it looks cheap and nasty (and ime post helpful links to more suitable things) then that's helpful, no?

At the end of the day, if you love the item you'd buy it anyway but at least you'd know that people in the street may not be as enamoured with it as you might like. An informed decision, if you will.

Twinklestein · 04/05/2015 13:23

I'm a style Nazi out and proud - fashion and style are not the same thing.

Twinklestein · 04/05/2015 13:24

But fascism is pretty much the same wherever it manifests... Grin

Twitchcoco · 04/05/2015 13:26

I don't want to dress for people in the street! That's a bit bonkers in my book. Maybe that's where I'm going wrong, I'm clearly on the wrong board Grin

Coastingit · 04/05/2015 13:37

But then why ask for opinions at all? MN's forthright posters are just saying what people in the street are thinking. If you love an item and don't care what people think, don't post inviting opinions. Not complicated, no?

Twitchcoco · 04/05/2015 13:41

Er, as I mentioned up thread I don't understand why anyone asks for an opinion. Confused

Twitchcoco · 04/05/2015 13:42

And no, you're right. It's not complicated.

HappyGirlNow · 04/05/2015 13:45

Well if they didn't, there'd be a lot less threads and posts on Style & Beauty...

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