The Modern European Woman

Before coming to Europe, my idea of the modern European woman was filled with thoughts of semi stoic, smartly dressed women, always in a rush, and never someone you wanted to mess with. Partly this image comes from the European women in my family such as my aunt who lives in Amsterdam. She’s in her early 60’s but always leaves the house in full attire with pearls strung around her neck and bright red lipstick on her lips. Maybe she will add an ethnic scarf she would’ve picked up on her travels around the world, but mostly her attire would consist of black and white clothing. Very classy, and very simple. If you were to run into my aunt on the street, you’d be able to see why she is so classically European. She is passionate and stylish, and no matter what age she’s at, she can take care of herself completely. Since I was young, this is what I pictured whenever I thought of the modern European woman. Now, years since that image has been planted in my head, a new idea of who the modern European woman is, is being created.

Since my arrival in The Netherlands over a week ago, my perspective on all things European have shifted (in a good way I promise). But more specifically, my idea of who the modern woman is, has changed. Now that’s not to say that she isn’t still everything my aunt embodies, but I now have an idea of what a younger version of the modern European woman is, and all I can say is that I wish I was European.

Yesterday I started working at a swimwear and sleepwear brand called Cyell which is a fashion brand that is native to Friesland, The Netherlands. Before I ever stepped foot in the office, I had a pre-existing idea about the people I would see and meet here. My mind was thinking very Devil Wears Prada, full of stilettos and bitch stares. Now the reality of that was completely different. Stepping into the office building was like stepping into an Anthropologie decorated, Urban Outfitters aura, and Elle Magazine dressed world. Boards of designs, paper flowers hanging from the ceilings, scrumptious foods and coffee machines, and the obvious passion that was bursting out of every employee, no matter what their job was. Not only is being here an amazing opportunity and learning experience for my 16 year old self, but being here has solidified two things in my life. 1) I, without a doubt, want to pursue writing and fashion, and 2) I wish I was a European woman.

Obviously this is all coming from my 16 year old thoughts so we can’t expect them to be incredibly correct or even remotely true at all, but if there is one thing I know it’s that every opinion should be heard. So considering all of this, here is my opinion on the modern European woman.

The modern European woman is naturally stunning and needs little to no makeup (minus a strong lip or some eyeliner). Regardless of her age, her skin is youthful and bright, even more stunning than the skin of a 20 year old.

The modern European woman has looks that kill, and she knows it, but there is never a slutty or revealing outfit in sight. Jeans of all styles (some baggy, some tight, some ripped, and some cut), a slightly larger shirt (many mens button ups, some form fitting blouses), tennis shoes (yes tennis shoes, not stilettos), and a statement watch. By statement watch I don’t mean that the watch is necessarily decorative or bright, but by statement I mean large. Huge bulky watches with large silver bands, that slide around when you move your wrist. Less really is more, but at the same time, the larger the pieces, the better.

I also can’t stress how much I now wish I had brought my leather jacket with me, because everywhere you look you will see a tall gorgeous woman biking or walking in her perfectly worn-in leather jacket. And yes I’m probably the shortest person in the country considering everyone here is over 5’5. Maybe that’s just here in The Netherlands, but either way, legs are very long here.

Back to the main topic of discussion here; who is the real modern European woman?

The real modern European woman is so utterly confident in who she is as a person (I’m not talking about anyone between the ages of 14-20 who still have traces of self-consciousness) and this obvious confidence or even self approval, is so strong, that it inspires those around her to push themselves further, and work towards what they are passionate about. They have a certain je ne sais quoi (as cliche as that is to say, it’s true) and being in an office full of them (this I can speak of from experience) just makes you want to work harder and push yourself towards obtaining your dreams. That is who the real modern European woman is.

Now let’s cross reference that with who the modern American woman is, and the one word that comes to mind that really isn’t always true for the American women is class. Now I’m just as patriotic as George Washington was, but we have to face the facts: American women are not known as classy women as a whole. That does not mean that there aren’t many many classy women in America because there are many. What it means is that those who go around wearing the shortest crop tops, the shortest shorts (where your bottom shows), and let’s not forget the orange fake tans and Juicy Couture jumpsuit combinations (don’t forget the little dog in your purse) simply bring more negative attention to American women’s style than any other type of women do. That being said, I can’t get too hypocritical on myself considering I am a 16 year old teenage girl from California and my unofficial dress code normally consists of shorts and some sort of shirt. Keeping that in mind, all I’m really saying is, ladies, don’t be trashy. If you really want to show some cleavage, fine, just don’t show your stomach and the entirety of your legs (butt included) as well. Women could be considered weapons of mass destruction, and each of our assets (cleavage, legs, curves, waist, bottom) are just as deadly as the others. So pick your weapon of choice, just one please (if any), and let that do the talking for you.

I hope the many words above help you all to understand who the modern European woman is, and how different she is from the modern American woman, and why it's so interesting and eye opening to be amongst them!
Until next Tuesday! (If you click on the image it will give you the sites to purchase everything in the photo below)
xoxo, Paloma