How we dress / Yasmin Fradian - Haaretz

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Thu., December 06, 2007 Kislev 26, 5768

Israel Time: 18:54 (EST+7)

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How we dress / Yasmin Fradian

By Ilanit Shamia

Tags: dress, fashion

What will you do in the army?

"I am not allowed to say, but it will be in the field of research, and it's related to what I studied. I've just finished my bachelor's degree in Middle Eastern history and political science at Bar-Ilan University. I studied in a special track in ORT Holon, where the goal is to finish the matriculation exams in 10th grade and to go on directly to academic studies. I really want to continue studying, to do a doctorate, to teach at a university. I always say that teaching in a university is like being a rock star, except that you don't have to be cool for that."

I assume that you're used to surprised looks at this stage of the conversation.

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"I enjoy the interest. My appearance provides a reason for starting to talk to me, to discover me. When I walk down the street, I get stopped 90 percent of the time. Most of the remarks are stupid, but it's enough if 1 percent is interesting. People have an image in their minds of a little girl, and then they discover that I read, that I study, and therefore the amazement is greater. I have a large tattoo, and I want to continue tattooing my body ... In my opinion, if you're good enough, the way you look is less significant. In the final analysis people want to work with successful people."

Are you basing that on an assumption or on experience?

"I've been working since the age of 14, and not in McDonald's. I worked in an agency for mortgage insurance for over two years, and now I'm working at a magazine called Hasefer Hashahor [The Black Book]. It's like [the woman's magazine] La'isha, but for the Gothic community. I like to be independent and I like to have control over money. I get up in the morning and think how to fill up the next 12 hours. I also volunteer as the director of the alternative fashion forum on the Tapuz portal. It's a subject that has always interested me. Someone once told me that I'm proof that one can be preoccupied with clothing and still not be a superficial person. What is amazing in the forum is that there is more than one stream: There's emo kids, goths and fruits - which is what I connect with most: a lot of prints and colors; everyone gets ideas from the others."

How does it happen that in the end everyone looks like different versions of the same model?

"My father is a pediatrician, and he says that he feels that there's a kind of assembly line of children. That's true to some extent. There's a Web site called www.wikihow.com, which explains how to be gothic, or punk. Step by step. And you ask yourself - these are streams that are supposed to be outside the mainsteam? In my case, when I discovered fruits, I said: 'Here are people who are experiencing the same things I'm experiencing.' The origin is in Japan. There, culture is very oppressive and [these clothes are] worn only on weekends, and I think that for them it's an escape. For me, it may be an escape to a lesser degree. I live my life like a 30-year-old woman, and this is my way to remain something of a child in spite of that."

What are you wearing today?

"This style demands a large number of clothes, but not necessarily expensive ones. The items themselves are not really unique; it's more the combination of them. What I'm wearing cost between NIS 50 and NIS 100, including everything. I made the skirt, the shirt and tank top are from the Carmel market, and the belt and glasses are from e-Bay. The shoes are from the central bus station in Tel Aviv, and the bag is from the Bezalel market. The stockings are from a sex shop, because they simply had them in all colors, and the necklace was made by someone from the forum. The rest of the jewelry comes from 'Everything for a Dollar' stores and from the market. I don't buy such expensive things, but I buy a lot. You have to see my room. I have a double bed, and I sleep curled up because everything is covered with clothes. There's no difference for me between morning and evening, or even between winter and summer. In the summer I'm always hot because of all the layers, and in the winter I'm cold, because I don't wear pants."

How do you decide what goes with what?

"Let's say I feel like wearing a certain tank top. I'll actually sit and match each item to it. It's hard to explain, but I'll never leave the house if I'm not satisfied with the clothes. I get up in the morning at least two hours before I have to leave, and I'm already worried about what will happen when I put on a uniform, because without my clothes I feel a lack of confidence."

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