How Gender Fluidity affected the Fashion World Today
The fashion industry encounters with embracing the gender spectrum and overlooks the stereotype of binary clothing
Fashion plays a significant role in all the social aspects of urban and rural life. It causes changes in socioeconomic and political landscapes, says Luciana Zegheanu. This means fashion effects social status, trends, and how clothes are even applicable to society. It stimulates and benefits society through the promotion of creativity. In fact, fashion is also taken into apolitical from the fashionable trends from today or the clothes we wear that defines us. The positive impact of fashion as an art is that it is a medium of expression. It enables people to reveal their identity, talent, and culture through statement choices. Although fashion reinforces gender stereotypes, fashion should not be taken into a wrong perspective regarding gender identity or how we even express ourselves on the clothing we put on. As for most fashion brands they want today's society to know that there's nothing feminine or masculine about clothing and within historical aspects shows that many people were trying to break that barrier on what men or women should wear.
When a woman dresses up in conventionally masculine clothes, she is given the labels of strong, boss lady, and other appreciative terms. However, when a man decides to dress in feminine clothing, the world begins to question the very reason for their existence. Despite being fluid and ambitious field, why does high-end fashion still adhere to binary clothing?
The model of fashion that we follow today, still, attracts the mass audience through macho masculinity and extreme ‘sexualization’ of the female form. For instance, the commercial video, “Dior Homme Masculino Eau de Toilette,” with Dior endorse men in suits wearing strong cologne find it easy to seduce women, the brands continue to give in to the capitalist culture of patriarchal values through heteronormative conditioning. In other words, heteronormativity happens when genders, men and women, having an only sexual orientation. An inspection of the top ten CEOs in the fashion world reveals that men lead significant brands. Nevertheless, why is the male gender subjected to hesitance when they wear feminine clothing or accessories?
In regards to historical aspects with gender stereotypes in fashion, it shows that it was the beginning of the destruction of stereotypes. From the 1920s women were allowed to wear pants in sports and other activities such as cycling and horse riding. The pants were continuously questioned by Elisabeth Hames in 1939, and by Richard Curle in 1949. When women decided to dress like men, they were labeled ‘sour spinsters.’ It took the Second World War to bring acceptance for women to dress in pants and get rid of their corsets. In the 1960’s era of gender politics and dismantling of gender stereotypes, fashion responded to feminists and gay rights. The Disco era of David Bowie and YSL’s ‘Le Smoking collection’ were monumental in the struggle against gender discrimination.
The subtle and tedious evolution of form, color, and use of garments brings a social change in the perceptions of society at large. While the media is becoming progressive and bridging the gaps between binary culture and spectrum acceptance. When James Charles, despite his shallow comments, was invited to the Met Gala and Lilly Singh became the first bisexual, brown woman hosting a late-night show, fingers were pointed, and eyebrows were raised about the social acceptance of individuals that broke the shackles of a non-binary existence. Along with media and binary culture is Patrick Simondac, a beauty vlogger who has a passion for makeup. He wants to get rid that only women can wear makeup and he also represents that by wearing feminine dresses at events or wearing makeup by representing who he is.
The unisex approach taken by the market, paired with the democratic human right consensus, is playing a critical role in abolishing gender discrimination. Since we belong to the postmodern era, we must look forward to new concepts, approaches, and terms such as gender-free, mix gender and gender fluid clothing. The fashion revolutionaries of the day are not bending over backward to feminize men or emasculate women. Instead, they aim to blur the division and contribute to the elimination of such labels. This has led to gender fluidity in runway through high street brands. The emergence of genderless collections is a gradual distortion in the everlasting line of traditionally gendered clothing. In 2018, Calvin Klein’s spring collection of virtually interchangeable clothes was a pivotal point in representing minimalist, yet slightly androgynous fashion at the New York Fashion Week.
“You need to push people to think in different ideas, not just different clothes”
— Alessandro Michele (Gucci Director)
Color is the most well-known stereotype in clothing by gender. When the socialization of gender happens through clothing, colors become the catalyst in the process of gendering. This has changed over the years as designers have now incorporated vivid colors in male clothing, which had not been seen much after the Renaissance and Rococo times. The deconstruction of colored gender stereotypes has been pushed forward by brands like Gucci. Gucci questioned not just the barriers of color but also broke the shackles of forms. The 2016 Gucci Catwalk presented a colorful collection of suits made with floral prints, loose silk, embellishments, bows, and what not! The genderfluidity of the collection proves how progressive Gucci is, as a high-end brand.
Fashion is a field of unusual. It allows the mind to wander beyond the norms of society and the barriers of culture. It plays a significant role in helping the mass audience accept and adapt to the rising number of non-binary individuals. It is evident that a Gucci inspired silk suit in vivid colors may not be seen but it can inspire men and women to be their authentic selves through the choice of clothes they make. When brands like H&M become the torchbearers of genderless fashion by introducing collections of loose-fitting denim lines, one can easily imagine a bright future of this industry.
The conversation today in the fashion world is no longer about the endorsement of masculinities or femininities. Nevertheless, they have moved on to appeal the emotions of the men in their target audience through showcasing more than the defined pectoral muscles and chiseled jawlines. The gender fluidity has continued to grow, and the expansion of the LGBTQI rights shows that the gender of the target audience is of little to no value. To switch into a culturally sophisticated and value-based concepts such as sustainability. Men like Eugene Lee Yang and Patrick Simondac dress up in feminine clothing, they pave the way for young millennials and the generations that would follow.
Fashion is evolving, like everything else in society. It is progressing towards the deconstruction of traditional barriers that transcend gender and emancipate fluidity.
