“Well, put some skates on, be your own hero.” – Maggie Mayhem, Whip It
In the sport of roller derby, the Jammer scores points by lapping opposing team members. The Whip swings the Jammer forward, transferring her some of her speed and momentum and helping the Jammer pass players from the other team. If we compare fashion to roller derby, we are the Whips and our style preferences the Jammers. We are there to push our self-imposed limits, our habits, and our fashion selves forward. Fashion is inherently forward-thinking; it’s rooted in momentum and change. In the same way, your sense of style isn’t etched in stone – you can “whip it” into shape. Be daring, be creative, be strong – you can rewrite your own fashion battle and make yourself the hero.
Within every battle lies a hero. Whether in battles real or imagined, heroes emerge triumphant, if sometimes a little worse for the wear. In their free time or in their line of work, our heroes do things we can only dream of doing – or are absolutely terrified to do.
What do all heroes have in common? They do something truly astounding; they take a risk; they leave their comfort zones; they put themselves out there. In Whip It, the battle was fought in a roller derby rink. In BattleShop, it will be fought online in the world of fantasy shopping. Every day, battles are fought on ground much more and much less serious than these. But no matter where your battle is fought, you can emerge the victor – and in someone’s eyes, you may already have. Someone in your life sees you as a survivor, a role model, a leader, a risk taker, or….a style icon. And it’s a more serious title than it sounds – the way we dress is our coat of armor against the world. It can be the outward expression of our personality, or the place we hide from our fears.
For many women, fashion can be intimidating. If you’re like me, you’ve often shied away from anything too bold, too risky, or too different from what I’m comfortable in. Yet sometimes, reward and risk are two sides of the same coin and without one, you can’t have the other. This is what we want you to explore as you BattleShop: take risks, find your inner fashionista, push the limits of the style you’ve always known and try a new fashion identity. You’re never too thin, too fat, too tall, or too short to look awesome; and you never know half the things you’d look awesome in until you try. Since this is a game about fantasy shopping, feel free to take it literally! Experiment with your choices – try new patterns and shapes, colors and textures. Move out of your comfort zone.
You don’t need to be ready to walk the runway at fashion week. We just want you to strut your stuff with your friends, at the grocery store, or when you’re alone having a private dance party while eating a pint of ice cream and blasting Lady Gaga. We want you to feel fashionably empowered.
In the words of David Bowie, “we can be heroes just for one day.” So get out there . . . and whip it.
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