Effy Stonem Style Analysis: The Psychology of the Glamorized Modern Femme Fatale

[Music] effie elizabeth stone is the most iconic character of the show skins known for her magnetic personality and looks she plays up her allure and dreamy vibe but also her personal fashion making her the most admired skins character both in the show and in real life though each character is specifically styled to be identifiable and distinct effie's look is the most recognized and associated with the series because her fashion is the embodiment of the rebellion beauty and mystery that the skins franchise holds captured on screen throughout the course of her life effie is charismatic intelligent rebellious manipulative and highly cunning much like her older brother who she admired greatly and was one of the only few who ever truly saw her for who she is unlike her brother effie is a genuine and caring person why bother with what caring about people you don't fool me effie stolen despite not wanting to admit this to herself often seen as the cool mysterious party girl on the surface effie has much more depth to her character as she is someone who is very aware yet fragile because she has endured severe repressed guilt trauma and heartbreak alongside mental illness this side of her is masked by her captivating exterior and to hell with it all attitude that gives her the illusion of a carefree seductive girl that only a few can really piece together her personal style does evolve with her as a person always remaining very unique and individualistic her experimentation and objection to proper coats of dress creates her very distinctive look we can see that her fashion is very genuine it aligns with her interests and she's drawn to these looks yet her act is more of a facade her fashion being so collective contributes to the facade and combines so many variables and aspects of herself it's linked to her mental state that takes many turns throughout skins meaning that effie's fashion is very authentic she first appears as a minor character in earlier seasons leading a double life as she pretends to be a shy school girl and her attitude adapts to this clean and proper look she had exceptionally high cognitive abilities and was a force of nature even in the eyes of her own family as a young girl she didn't talk much as she grows older she still speaks less than those around her don't you speak cathy does nobody ask you why it must mean something doesn't anybody care but in reality is a party girl and amused by how others are mesmerized by her just in her preferred style to party which sets the tone of her personal fashion that darkens and matures throughout the show her go-to fashion consists of leather jackets flannels short dresses t-shirts shorts and jeans as staples that are paired off of edgier accessories such as fishnets heavy jewelry and very masculine garments that have heavier essences typically her clothing will have an undone element such as distress aspects or tougher materials that are matched with very feminine ones such as lace or intricate patterns she plays with this duality both as a teenager and an adult when effie speaks there's usually an underlying meaning that is captured in a few words it's very selective with what she says and ultimately creates power through this much like how effie's demeanor an image is carefully curated despite the whole i don't care facade typically holding a cold stare or her trademark smile due to this she takes on the character trope of the stoic which is one who rarely acts emotionally even in highly emotional or tense situations their demeanor remains detached from the situation even if they are fully engaged internally her fashion contributes to this detachment that she shows throughout the series effie's experimentation and combination of alternative fashion such as sub-genres like indie grunge and punk create her look that sets her apart from other characters her look offers different coats of aesthetics that challenge the normally coveted ideals of aesthetics and beauty due to how alternative fashion varies greatly and doesn't have one specific look but similarities can be found across numerous subgroups whether that be visually or conceptually fa's combination of numerous alternative subgroups references the ideals that each values ultimately giving a look that is constantly evolving hence being very intriguing yet distant usually the stoic will have a look of boredom or disdain but when they do show genuine emotion it tends to be very intense or even explosive or very subtle hinting that there is more beneath the surface in the third series effie becomes a main character and falls into the archetype of the femme fatale which is a woman who is very mysterious attractive and seductive who uses her beauty allure and wit to intrigue men capturing their hearts then often leading them into compromising situations or ultimately their downfall the look associated with the trope is typically in film noir interpretations but does exist in many forms within folklore and myths as well as modern culture and media for example of a skin's tape effie's first look of series 3 consists of heavy eye makeup and undone hair her top is oversized yet flowing outlining her figure of a blue gradient she adorns herself of numerous bracelets and necklaces they're very eclectic rather than cohesive she pairs us off with fishnets and black boots combining very masculine and feminine traditional essences constantly offsetting every nature of every piece effie's beautiful and elusive nature is a combination her look and personal style have made her a modern femme fatale direct references are made in an alternative execution effie holds typical attributes of the archetype such as darker color schemes than clothing and makeup but applies these concepts in a very modern way that creates the same sense of mystery around her she has that same intent of using her looks to attract attention but never give too much of herself just the pieces that she deems acceptable to share her cool demeanor and i don't care lifestyle is depicted in her over-the-top yet understated style meaning that she can draw people in just enough but still keep her distance for instance effie catches the eye of cook freddie and jj who are all instantly infatuated her look and seductive behaviors capture their interests and she uses this to amuse herself the femme fatale archetype is typically categorized as villainous due to the moral ambiguity bunnies and mystification around the character but like in effie's case this isn't always true effie's moral ambiguity is a result of coping with insecurity and unwell psychological health rather than having ill intent when she is young she is manipulative for enjoyment and pushes boundaries she doesn't feel easily without doing so so rather than facing her own emotions because she's too scared she acts out in different ways like how she develops feelings for freddy but decides to push them aside instead she turns to cook for fun because he allows her to not be vulnerable effie's fashioned during this time is much brighter and more colorful she does have many bold eye-catching patterns and graphics that plaster her outfit in comparison to her own looks they have a lighter nature that is more carefree and youthful while this point in her life is enjoyable effie begins to face many issues in her personal life on top of her very rough past she feels that attachment and vulnerability make her weak so she has to stay in control in every situation that she is involved in she can only really let go of that control when she feels safe of another person throughout these hardships one of the only true sources of comfort was her friend pandora pandora's colorful look stress effie's darkness the visual contrast between them is very apparent they play off of one another's traits as well effie is cold and composed while pandora is warm and childlike she has that innocence that effie lost too young though when they interact effie is less snarky and more genuine hinting at while they are both so drastically different on the surface they are both very similar internally she is one of the few characters that effie's softer side comes out around as she is someone that effie can actually be vulnerable with come on let's go their friendship is one that allows for effie's curated behaviors to diminish giving viewers a glimpse of her true thoughts and feelings that's hidden behind her image buffy becomes highly distressed during this period of time after actually coming to terms with feeling and then being rejected alongside with the past events of her life that have stunted her emotionally she begins to struggle greatly with each passing episode effie's looks darken and become more distressed her makeup becomes heavier and her hair is in a constant state of disease and effie's episode of the series beerus received more insight into her headspace sporting a graphic white top with a black bra peeking out from under paired off with ripped jeans and staple jewelry there is a high degree of comfortability and vulnerability that we used to see more as a constant but is now only seen in private when she's around others at one of her lower points she is back in her fashion that she finds gives her strength and protects her she uses clothing to self-soothe which we can see in this look here where she has a highly layered outfit consisting of a leather jacket dress sweater leggings and boots the sweater is a deconstructed oversized knit and the lines grapple together it's so intricate and complex much like her headspace her clothing acts as shelter as she undergoes numerous troubling events for the rest of the series for series 4 she's at the end of the first episode looking much more put together her looks at the start of the season are back to being cleaner and her state of mind is in a more composed place again she falls back into her mysterious party girl looks with more glam and rock references being made this series though things look well on the surface effie begins to unravel in freddy's episode we begin to see her erratic behavior surface and she's no longer able to keep up this image she trusts him and you can see how unwell she is despite all her attempts to hide it the moment i saw you can you be the closest i'd get to being close i didn't know what to do with that feeling effie is really only valued and loved by a majority of the other characters when she is inebriated or when people view her as someone to look into because of the mysterious facade that hides her emotions only the few people close to her genuinely care and see past this facade please just just drop the dark [ __ ] okay it's me okay me and this is me progressively it becomes clear that she is in need of help and goes to a hospital to be treated for psychotic depression which is a mood disorder in which one will experience psychosis along with the symptoms of depression with a psychotic case of depression hallucinations and delusions will usually focus around themes of hopelessness loss of meaning and failure it makes functioning very difficult this can be hard for others to see depression doesn't have a single look as everyone has a very different experience and levels of energy that go into different parts of their life there is not a direct correlation between physical appearance and depression you think you're going mad so you came to see me to see what a mad person looks like no no no yes research suggests that when people are struggling with their mental health they will often dress for happiness whether that means wearing an outfit that they feel looks good or dressing for comfort there is a link between wearing clothing that we associate with happiness that can help boost moods even if you're still feeling low it aids with self-soothing while in treatment she can often be seen in freddy's hoodie psychologists have found that wearing your partner's clothing can lower the amount of stress hormone cortisol in the brain making wearers feel more calm comforted and secure after her release she carries on with this galactic fashion but it's executed differently like when she goes to visit freddy again she changes into a green and blue flannel with a blue vest top under she's wearing her boyfriend jeans which is his dark difference from her usual shorts or skin type choice of bottoms she is no longer pushing the seductive mysterious look and has had a shift in her mental state effie begins to build a life for herself as we see in skin's fire effie's looks here are much more clean and sophisticated she has matured greatly and her clothing now consists of stronger silhouettes with clean lines she still has head head-turning patterns and detailing that are much different than the typical office look she is no longer spanning across a multitude of fashion subgroups though her fashion differs greatly now her approach is very similar it's a more mature take on her earlier style that is fitting for a woman striving to move up in the workplace she no longer upholds the mysterious cool girl look unless the occasion suits for this effie internally is still the same very charming and manipulative effie was a person that was too beautiful for her own good with a magnetic personality and high intellect that capture the heart of those around her often making a very romanticized or viewed in an idealized way but she's actually representation of youth who have trouble seeing their own worth facing mental illness on their own acting out in order to feel something other than a negative emotion and allowed for her to have self-expression using pieces as armor or in order to self-soothe both in moments of weakness and strength i hope you enjoyed this video if you did please subscribe like turn on notifications and comments thank you so much for watching

Channel: Clever & Chic

Views: 377,242

Rating: 4.9444647 out of 5

Keywords: Effy stonem, skins, skinsuk, effy stonem fashion, effy stonem style, fashion, fashion psychology, psychology, james cook, freddie McClair, tony stonem, effy style, effy fashion, femme fatale, archetype, the stoic, style analysis, fashion analysis

Id: 9y47PF_pXuQ

Length: 16min 14sec (974 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 13 2020