Read Surveys (By Author)
Marta Ochnio
1. When do you feel at your most attractive?
When I'm laughing, singing or just listening to music
2. Do you notice women on the street? If so, what sort of women do you tend to notice or admire?
I usually notice women with cool gadgets/accessories (by "cool" I mean anything involving Loki from The Avengers, cats, owls). I also notice funny tshirts and interesting hair colours.
3. What are some things you admire about how other women present themselves?
How some women are able to walk gracefully in high heels!
4. Was there a moment in your life when something “clicked” for you about fashion or dressing or make-up or hair? What? Why did it happen then, do you think?
I don't think it has happened yet.
5. What are some shopping rules you wouldn’t necessarily recommend to others but which you follow?
I'm a UK size 22 and I'm ashamed to use the changing rooms because of all the negative comments I get from sales people so i buy stuff without trying it on and then just come back to return it if it doesn't fit. It's a hassle and I really don't recommend it.
6. What are some rules about dressing you follow, but you wouldn't necessarily recommend to others?
Try to make yourself look smaller, less fat, try to disappear
7. What is the most transformative conversation you have ever had on the subject of fashion or style?
In my family we don't talk about clothes, they are meant to cover you, not to be pretty.
8. Do you have a unified way of approaching your life, work, relationships, finances, chores, etc.? Please explain.
I'm struggling to handle adulthood, that's all I can say
9. Are there any clothing (or related) items that you have in multiple? Why do you think you keep buying this thing?
I have lots of t-shirts with funny pictures or messages on them, just for the fun and laughs. I have a lot of cardigans and stuff that I can use to cover my fat arms.
10. Have you ever successfully given someone a present of jewelry or clothing that you continue to feel good about?
Yes, I gave my sister a set of ballerina earrings and she loves them
11. Is there any fashion trend you’ve refused to participate in and why?
I'm up to date only with accessories, I opted out of following the other fashion trends because hey're created for thin girls
12. Can you say a bit about how your mother’s body and style has been passed down to you, or not?
I try to do exactly the opposite of what she does
13. Have you stolen, borrowed or adapted any dressing ideas or actual items from friends or family?
When my great-grandmother was moving to a retirement home she let me take her skirts because she wasn't going to wear them anymore.
14. Was there a point in your life when your style changed dramatically? What happened?
In junior high I switched from pink to black overnight.
Then after I was raped I started wearing a lot of baggy stuff
15. Is there anything political about the way you dress?
I have pins with political slogans on my bag but apart from that I dno't think there is anything political to my clothes
16. Please describe your body.
I stand at 5'1 and I'm overweight, I'm still able to buy clothes at regular shops but I'm running out of options. I have big hips, hanging boobs and a hanging tummy. I also have a lot of stretch marks.
17. Please describe your mind.
I'm very confused about how I should be. I feel very lonely
18. Please describe your emotions.
I'm very sad right now
19. What are you wearing on your body and face, and how is your hair done, right at this moment?
I'm wearing a long skirt and a t-shirt, no make up because my skin is a mess. I just got out of the bath an my hair is wet.
20. In what way is this stuff important, if at all?
I think clothes tell a lot about who we are or who we aspire to be. We get judged basing on that.
21. With whom do you talk about clothes?
Usually with my gay friend
22. How do institutions affect the way you dress?
I dno't think they do anymore
23. Do you think you have taste or style? Which one is more important? What do these words mean to you?
I have neither
24. Do you remember the biggest waste of money you ever made on an item of clothing?
shoes that looked perfect but made my feet bleed
25. Are there any dressing tricks you’ve invented or learned that make you feel like you’re getting away with something?
I'm not that smart
26. Do you have style in any areas of your life aside from fashion?
Not that I know of
27. Can you recall some times when you have dressed a particular way to calm yourself or gain a sense of control over a situation that scared you?
I always wear a chain wih a pendant shaped like the island of Corsica, when I'm stressed I play with it.
28. Would you say you “know what you like” in the area of fashion and clothing? If so, do you also know what you like in other areas of life, that is, are you generally good at discernment? Can you say where your discernment comes from, if you have it? Or if you don’t have it, why or why not?
I know what is safe for me. I know my comfort zone.
29. Did your parents teach you things about clothing, care for your clothing, dressing or style? What lessons do you remember? Or did you just pick things up?
My fmily only think that clothes exist to cover up your "dirty bits" and to keep you warm. That shouldbe the priority. Beauty comes not even second, probably 4th or 5th, after, practicality, price and so on.
30. What sorts of things do you do, clothing or make-up or hair- wise, to feel sexy or alluring?
I don't know how to do that
31. Many people say they want to feel “comfortable,” or that they admire people who seem “confident.” What do these words really mean to you?
Comfortable means that I'm not worried that something has rolled up or someting is sticking out.
Confident makes me think of "always" commercials
32. If dressing were the only thing you did, and you were considered an expert and asked to explain your style philosophy, what would you say?
Be yourself and don't push too hard
33. What is really beautiful, for you, in general?
Corsica
34. What do you consider very ugly?
fish
35. Are you generally a good judge of whether what you buy will end up being worn? Have you figured out how to know in advance?
I only buy stuff I will wear
36. When you look at yourself before going out, and you are trying to see yourself from the outside, can you describe a bit about what this “other person” is like? What do they like, dislike, what sorts of judgments do they have? Is this “outer eye” based on someone you know or once knew?
I don't do that. It would mess me up too much.
37. What is your process getting dressed in the morning? What are you considering?
It's pure chaos!
38. What are you trying to achieve when you dress?
Invisibility
39. What, for you, is the difference between dressing and dressing up?
Dressing is just covering your nakedness.
Dresing up is making a statement. Or just trying to be someone you are not.
40. If you had to wear a “uniform” what would it look like?
"little black dress" and cardigan
41. What would you say is “you” and what would you say is “not you”?
I don't know anymore
42. What is your cultural background and how has that influenced how you dress?
My parents are catholics from Poland. I was born in Australia but we moved back to Poland.
Poland is very... grey. If you stand out you get called names. If your clothes contain a political message you can get attacked. It's better not to stand out. As a woman I get called either a slut or a slob depending on what I wear. THere is no inbetween, it's either slut or slob.
43. Do you remember a time in your life when you dressed quite differently from how you do now? Can you describe it and what it was all about for you?
That was when my mum was buying me clothes. Her word was law and i didn't get a say.
44. What sorts of things do you do, clothing, make-up or hair-wise, to feel professional?
black skirt and tights, high heels.
45. How do you conform to or rebel against the dress expectations at your workplace?
I conform
46. Do you have a dress code, a school uniform, or a uniform that you wear for an extracurricular activity?
Nope
47. Are there ways in which you conform to or rebel against these uniforms?
I conform but I hate it
48. Do you find it comforting or constraining to have a uniform?
constraining
49. What is an archetypal outfit for you; one that you could have happily worn at any point in your life? What do you like about it?
really just anything that involves a skirt or dress
50. Do you ever wish you were a man or could dress like a man or had a man’s body? Was there ever a time in the past?
When i figured out that men and women are not really equal in society and that we still need feminism
51. If there was one country or culture or era that you had to live in, fashion-wise, what would it be?
Italy at any given moment save for the Mussolini times
52. Do you consider yourself photogenic?
Hell no
53. When you see yourself in photographs, what do you think?
I look fat, I stand out
54. Are there any figures from culture, past or present, whose style you admire or have drawn from?
Severus Snape, Pasquale Paoli, Lawrence of Arabia
55. Have you ever had a dream that involved clothes?
no
56. What would be a difficult or uncomfortable look for you to try and achieve?
Any haute couture look
57. If you were totally comfortable with your body, or your body was a bit closer to what you wish it was like, what would you wear?
Dolce and Gabbana!!
58. Is there anyone that you are trying to attract or repel when you dress?
I think I'm trying to repel men
59. Are there any dressing rules you’d want to convey to other women?
no
60. What do you think of perfume? Do you wear it?
never, it's a waste of money and resources
61. What are some things you need to do to your body or clothes in order to feel presentable?
lose weight
62. How does makeup fit into all this for you?
I haven't worn any for years now
63. Is there a certain look you feel you’re expected to like that you have absolutely no interest in? What is it? Why aren’t you interested?
I'm expected to look like a cover model and I hate that
64. Can you describe in a basic way what you own, clothing and jewelry-wise?
tees, skirts, earrings, stuff with animals on it
65. What is your favorite piece of clothing or jewelry that you own?
my Corsica pendant
66. Tell us about something in your closet that you keep but never wear. What is it, why don’t you wear it, and why do you keep it?
I keep a few ees that I'm too fat to wear, hoping I will lose the weight
67. Looking back at all your purchases over the past five to fifteen years, can you generalize about what sorts of things were the most valuable to buy?
Not really
68. Is there an item of clothing that you once owned, but no longer own, and still think about or wish you had back? What was it, what happened to it, and why do you want it back?
I don't think about stuff like that
69. If you had to throw out all your clothes but keep one thing, what would you keep?
my Corsica pendant
70. Building up your wardrobe from nothing, what would you do differently this time?
I wuold choose more colours
71. What’s the first “investment” item you bought? Do you still own or wear it?
a winter coat which I still wear
72. Was there ever an important or paradigm-shifting purchase in your life?
not yet
73. What item of clothing are you still (or have you forever been) on the hunt for?
the perfect bag
74. What are your closet and drawers like? Do you keep things neat, etc?
it's a mess!
75. Were you ever given a present of clothing or jewelry that especially touched you?
not yet
76. Did you ever buy an article of clothing without giving it much thought, only to have it prove much more valuable as time went on? What was the item and what happened?
never
77. How and when do you shop for clothes?
Do I sound like a person with a plan?
78. Do you like to smell a certain way?
just to smell clean
79. How does how you dress play into your ambitions for yourself?
I don't think it has much to do with it
80. How does money fit into all this?
I'm careful about spending
81. Is there an article of clothing, a piece of make-up, or an accessory that you carry with you or wear every day?
my Corsica pendant
82. Did anyone ever say anything to you that made you see yourself differently, on a physical and especially sartorial level?
no
83. Do you remember the first time you were conscious of what you were wearing? Can you describe this moment and what it was about?
No
What’s your birth date? Where were you born and where do you live now?
9th June 1993 Sydney, now living in Warsaw
Say anything you like about your cultural/ethnic/economic background.
Polish-Australian atheist, born to catholic parents
What kind of work do you do?
I just lost my job at a call centre
Are you single, married, do you have kids, etc.?
it's complicated
Please say anything you like about yourself that might put this survey into some sort of context.
I really love Corsica. I'm trying toput myself together after being raped
How do you feel after filling out this survey?
I need to think about it.
Bio
I'm 23, I like animals and travelling, especialy to Corsica. I speak 3 languages. I'm a proud cat-mum.