Gender Fluid Clothing is Reinforcing Heteronormative Ideologies
When gender identities are thought of as trends, it only further harms an already marginalized community.
It is 11:26 at night and you are walking home alone in a rough neighborhood. It is dark and in the distance, you see a hooded figure, wearing baggy clothes, walking towards you. You can hear their heavy breathing and strong footsteps nearling closer and closer. Would you be scared? What would be your first instinct? Would you speed up? Most, people would, as we have been taught this (we have been taught.. cite). This would be an example of prejudice; a preconceived belief not based on reason. As the figure passes by, you realize she is just a pedestrian like you, whom you judged based on her appearance. Peoples’ appearances and how they choose to dress is a major factor in contributing to snap judgements. David Amodio, a professor of psychology at New York University elucidates that stereotypes are seen as a necessary mechanism for making sense of information. Humans are taught to automatically categorize information when one sees them. Since this capability is instilled during childhood it subsequently prevents children from discovering their developmental identities.
Prejudice Embedded in Fashion
According to Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis, the first distinction we make when we meet someone is whether they are male or female. Freud states that this negotiation is so deeply imbedded into the human instinct that one becomes, “accustomed to make the distinction with unhesitating certainty.” Freud further claimed that this distinction is often made between gender binaries based on masculine and feminine attributes such as clothing. When we choose our own personal style, we try and reflect our self-identity, and how we want to be perceived by others. Even when we are admiring someone’s outfit, we are judging them based on their clothing choices, whether than be negatively or positively. The need for judgement, primarily in the fashion industry contradicts the intent behind gender fluid clothing, which growing in popularity, specifically in high fashion. The goal of gender fluid garments is to blur gender in order to dissolve heteronormative stereotypes. However, according to Freud this task is not as easy as the label may suggest.
In the fashion industry impressionable consumers are often blindly adherent to current trends. The trend of gender fluid clothing is on the rise as it is seen on runways, celebrities, and in high fashion culture. To identify as gender fluid refers to an individual who chooses to have a non-binary identity that is not fixed to one specific gender and is capable of changing it over time.
High Fashion's Role in Gender Fluidity
The trend of gender fluid clothing is on the rise as it is seen on runways, celebrities, and in high fashion culture. The luxury designers Thom Browne, Vivienne Westwood, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Saint Laurent have held runway shows and launched campaigns promoting binary fashion. To identify as gender fluid refers to an individual who chooses to have a non-binary identity that is not fixed to one specific gender and is capable of changing it over time.
As high fashion companies and social media influencers increasingly adopt this trend of gender-fluid clothing, retailers hope to transfer this popularity into consumer fashion. According to the Fashion Marketing and Merchandising textbook, the trickle-down-theory believes that the elite are setting trends and pushing it down to the lower class or retail consumers.
Although the trend of gender fluid clothing has gained popularity, gender fluid clothing, stereotypical judgements based on appearance will continue due to inherent human nature to distinguish between masculine and feminine.
Despite the aim of gender fluid clothing of inclusivity in dissolving gender binaries, the rise of this trend in the retail industry has worked to further perpetuate heteronormative ideologies. This is the result of the entertainment industry’s distorted views on tolerance, false brand representation, and pre-existing stereotypes surrounding gender and sexuality, which in turn have had an effect on the sexual development of emerging youth.
Disconnect in Media Portrayals
Celebrities have since followed the lead of runway culture in adopting this style of dress, using it as a fashion statement. The demand of current styles and trends are a major part of many influencers’ jobs, providing consumers with information on what is up in coming. As high fashion companies and influencers increasingly implement this trend of gender-fluid clothing, retailers hope to transfer it into consumer’s daily lives. Many retailers have embraced gender fluid clothing into their own lines, giving retail consumers the opportunity to follow the same trends as celebrities to whom they look up to. However, as this style becomes increasingly prevalent in the retail industry, it is also creating impractical view of how gender-fluidity can be worn.
There is often a disconnect between the lifestyles of celebrities and that of consumers, creating an impossible standard for retailers and retail shoppers to meet. In a survey of 227 female university students, women reported that they tend to compare their own appearance negatively with celebrities. As celebrities have an elevated lifestyle, their wardrobe tends to be eccentric and glamourous. Due to the common avant-garde fashion of the socially elite, the style of gender-fluid clothing is perceived socially acceptable and is even idolized by the public for its unconventional and revolutionary style. Jaden Smith, a well known celebrity modeled for the 2016 women’s wear Louis Vuitton line, and was applauded for his avant-garde way of thinking but the public.
This style of fluid dressing, as portrayed by media and luxury brands is an avant garde fashion, which does not typically suit the average person’s lifestyle. When wore in a conventional setting, gender-fluid fashion is often a target for judgements. In my experience as a person with an average lifestyle, I often notice that when an individual is dressed in an unconventional manner others vocalize their speculations about the individuals sexual orientation and sexuality. This stereotype is a result of the previously mentioned psychological nature of humans. People’s tendency to make judgements on another individual based on their appearance and their clothing has played a major role in contributing to heteronormative stereotypes. As this trend of heteronormativity is continuously sustained the development of emerging youth is at risk. Many adolescent children and teens may utilize the trend that their admired celebrities are wearing. Thus making them vulnerable to others who may have negative opinions on their sexual orientation and or how they choose to express their identities, which is solely based on their visual perceptions. The discouragement of others affects how one develops especially in the early developmental stages of life. When people are persecuted for their fashion or lifestyle choices it influences how they see themselves and affects their future self-development. Consequently, putting mental constraints one’s identity and morphing it into what is seen as socially acceptable.
Repercussions of Retail Brands’ Failed Adaptations
The trend of gender-fluid fashion has been argued to be a promotional stunt by retail brands as a way to promote their brand image. Since support for the LGBTQ community has increased in recent years, retailers are using it as an opportunity to gain a fresh and young persona, in hopes of attracting more clients. Brands are creating campaigns and collections centered around gender-fluidity to advertise their brand as inclusive and trendy. Despite the companies’ intentions in reeping financial and social benefits, their attempts at gender fluidity have failed sparking backlash from the LGBTQ community, accused of reinforcing rather than advocating for this identification. In the attempt of creating gender fluid clothing lines many companies such as Zara and H&M have created unisex clothing lines. These lines that were promoted as ‘gender-fluid’ carried hoodies, sweatshirts and t-shirts which were designed from both men and women.
Link- H&M gender-fluid campaign photo
Though their intentions may have been positive, each collection contained only unisex clothing, clothing designed to be suitable for both sexes in order to make men and women look similar. This is repugnant to gender-fluid fashion; is meant to embrace both femininity and masculinity rather than to neutralize it. Through this confusion the brands have demonstrated their failure to research and represent what they were attempting to sell. Although people educated in the matter know what gender-fluid clothing entails, a large segment of the consumer market is not aware of the correct terms in identifying sexuality. As a result of this consumers that regularly shop at stores like Zara and H&M are being misinformed of what gender-fluid clothing mean and more importantly what it means to identify as gender-fluid.
Link- tweet
The misconceptions of what gender-fluidity that stems for these brands that are uninformed on the subject have unintentionally perpetuated heteronormative ideologies. Consumers lack of understanding on the true concept has made them believe that masculinity and femininity are still two separate matters in term of gender-fluidity. When in fact, unisex clothing disregards masculinity and femininity in order to compensate both genders and gender-fluid clothing blurs gender by combining both. The repercussions of young consumers having false grasps on the true definition of binary and fluid clothing have implications on those who identify as such. Without the proper knowledge on terms of sexuality the youth including millennials and generation z growth is stunted. They are being fed misrepresentations of what it means to be gender-fluid, which has a negative effect on the development of their sexual identities. Adolescence is an influential period in forming one's sexual identity. Major biological and psychological developments take place during adolescence.
The current fascination with the trend of gender-fluid clothing began in a positive light, stemming from high-fashion brands and social media influencers whose intent was to change binary gender norms in fashion. However, the adaptations into the retail industry have resulted in a complete alternation of the original intent. The wrongful adoption of gender-fluidity into the retail industry and a consumer base with wide lifestyle disconnections and innate human nature to distinguish based on stereotypical gender understandings has worked to derail the intentions of its high fashion founders. As a result the fashion industry as a whole has created a large scale platform to reinforce these heteronormative gender ideologies onto consumer society ultimately implicating discussions and inclusion for emerging youth.
