Cat Call by Kristen J. Sollee

Author:Kristen J. Sollee
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781633411227
Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser

Feline Glamour (Magic)

Afeast for the eyes, felines are fashion’s eternal muse. Enviable coats, an evocative stare, sinewy grace on the ground, and a disposition for drama have made cats beloved by designers, stylists, and cat ladies alike. They inspire striking makeup and fabric patterns. Their elegant silhouettes and adorable mugs feature in countless designs. Few species have stalked the catwalks of couturiers, popped up in bargain basements, and adorned the backs of our ancestors like members of the Felidae family.

The crown jewel of feline fashion has historically been the cat print. Wearing the pelt patterns of wildcats signals strength and even an untamed streak. Tiger, leopard, jaguar, cheetah: these stripes and spots have become the mark of feral femininity.

As Jo Weldon explains in Fierce: The History of Leopard Print: “The desire to dress like a dangerous animal has a specific intention to it. . . . Those who chose to wear leopard print may not mean to say that they are predators, but they are definitely saying they are not prey.”

Leopard print, though worn by men and masculine people, has become predominately associated with femininity—particularly in the West. Weldon cites disparate, boundary-breaking women and femmes who have all shared a preference for wearing leopard print, from sword-fighting champion Jaguarina and the first female cabdriver in New York City Wilma K. Russey to pinup legend Bettie Page, actress Dolores del Rio, singer and Catwoman star Eartha Kitt, drag legend Divine, and first ladies Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama. These brazen babes may not have much in common besides leopard print, but none could be accused of being meek.

Feline prints are just as much about attitude as they are aesthetics. The bold femininity they represent isn’t likely to become outmoded. Leopard or tiger or cheetah prints may at times be trendy, but not a mere trend. Elle magazine affirmed that big-cat prints will “never go out of style” and are “forever chic.” “They may be more popular one season than another,” writes Harriet Stewart, “but, on the whole, they are forever pieces that form the cornerstones of our wardrobes.”

Cat fashion is by no means limited to wildcat prints, though. Designers have been envisioning even more ways to incorporate cats into our wardrobes as of late. Streetzie’s literal kitten heels feature a faux fur face—ears, whiskers, reflective eyes, and all—on the front of a flirty open-toed pump. Pop star Ariana Grande teamed up with Brookstone to create wireless Bluetooth headphones with cat ears on top that flash colorful lights and act as miniature speakers. And, for the fetishists, there are even butt plugs with plush cat tails attached to the opposite end for full feline play options.

As ever, cat-adjacent items run the gamut from coquettish to outright erotic. Wearing cat prints and cat accessories is a visible sign of heightened sexuality in untamed women that we’ve come to take for granted. The addition of actual cats only further elucidates the connection.

Cat’s eye makeup, whether done with liquid liner or eye shadow (or both), is yet another way humans have tried to appropriate feline beauty for ourselves.

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