Why we need gender non-conforming clothing.
Clothing is a way of expressing yourself and you can’t do that if you don’t have the clothing that represents who you are.
Gender non-conforming can be defined as “exhibiting behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits that do not correspond with the traits typically associated with one’s sex : having a gender expression that does not conform to gender norms” defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Gender non-conforming fashion refers to breaking free of gender barriers and creating clothing that is inclusive of all genders such as male, female, transgender queer and more. That could mean clothing free of any gender identifiers or feminine clothing that are available in men’s sizes as well as men’s clothing available in women’s size’s
In “Sizing up gender-fluid fashion: When skirts and saris are not just for women” an article published India Today. Vidya S (2019) asked the question.
“Can clothing be non-binary without addressing the inherently binary classification of sizes as men’s and women’s?”
People who are gender non-conforming want to see more representation of themselves in the fashion industry. The fashion industry has marginalized people who are gender non-conforming and this must change; more representation of a wide range of gender expressions is important. More representation ensures inclusivity, which will challenge gender stereotypes and ensure everyone feels like they are represented in fashion and the key solution to this is gender non-conforming clothing.
Why shouldn't anyone be able to walk into a store and find a piece of clothing that truly represents them?
The answer is they should.
There had never been a more open and excepting time in history than now for the LGBQT community and yet it seems like gender non-conforming fashion has been ignored. So why not be more open, accepting and inclusive of gender non-conformist as well? GLAAD (formery the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defemation) is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. They conducted a study and it showed that 12 percent of young people now identify as something other than cisgender (GLAAD, 2017).
While acceptance and understanding of gender non-conforming people has changed not enough change had occurred in fashion. We must see more representation of a wide variety of gender in fashion today.
People who are gender non-conforming have been ostracized by the fashion industry, they are made to feel like they don’t have a place in stores, nor do they have clothing made that truly represents who they are.
Historically Clothing has signified the gender of the person wearing it and dictated what jobs they can do, how they can act and be treated and limited their self-expression, but that is all changing. Traditionally stores cater specially to men and women and nothing in between. They show this by having a clear indication of a male and female departments. This however makes it very hard for someone who identifies as neither. They can be put in a very uncomfortable position when going to a store and having to choose between two sections, neither of which they identify. It has a negative phycological effect on the person shopping because they feel like the store doesn’t want them there because they don’t cater to them. The same thing is true if someone identifies as a woman, they may still appreciate more masculine clothes and want to wear them or vice versa; gender non-conforming fashion allows for this.
Sizing can often be an issue as well for people who are gender nonconforming because their sizes aren’t represented in the styles of clothing they are looking for. For instance, a biological man may want to wear heels or a skirt, but they don’t come in his size, he is forced to either go to a costume shop or have them custom made at a high price. In an article published by Them Christian Orlando (2018) discuss’s how”
“Shopping can be a special kind of hell for gender-nonconforming and trans people” They’re often left feeling uncomfortable choosing a dressing room in brick-and-mortar stores, and disappointed when those stores offer nothing affirming or properly sized for them to even attempt to try on.(para 5)
They are being marginalized by the fashion industry and made to feel like they don’t deserve the same things cis-gendered people (a person who’s identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex.) do. More and more companies are starting to adopt the gender non-conforming/ gender neutral movement and producing clothing for a wide range of gender and sizing.
In an article published in Fashion United, Vivian Hendriksz. (2019) discusses how:
“LVHM has revealed its shortlist for its 2018 Prize for Young Fashion Designers. “Half of the nominated designers competing for the 300,000 euro cash prize were focusing on gender-neutral fashion it seems as gender will play less of a role in the future of fashion.”
H&M made headlines this year when they announced they were introducing a gender-neutral clothing line. Many smaller brands have already had gender non-conforming clothing for a long time including Older brother, Tomboy X, Official rebrand and Olivia Oblanc. Unfortunately, most of these newer brands are jumping on to a trend and are not actually being genuine in what they are doing. These types of brands feel like gender non-conforming clothing means baggy shapeless clothing with little to no colors. They produce clothing that would be considered male styles such as pants, basic T-shirts and hoodies. These companies don’t make anything with any traditional female signifiers either such as skirts or dresses.
What fashion needs to understand about gender nonconforming clothing is that gender non-conforming clothing is not a trend.
Gender nonconforming clothing is a way of one expressing the way they truly feel on the inside. It doesn’t mean the person has no gender at all therefor should be put into baggy shapeless clothing in dull colors. That couldn’t be further from the truth, they want the same kinds of clothing that cisgender people want they just don’t want gender signifiers telling them which department to shop in.
Designers of these clothing need to understand the conversation happening around gender nonconforming clothing. Therefore, fashion needs to offer more variety in the clothing being made and the kinds of stores selling them. In an artitcle published in the Advocate. Anita Dolche Vita (2015) States that queer style is not simply an “of-the-moment trend” but rather a social movement.
They have been underrepresented and we need to see more change. Some solutions to this would be consult with people who are gender nonconforming to see what they actually want to see in fashion. Another solution would be to create more sizing that reflects the people wearing it. Gender free clothing needs to be offered in a variety of sizes to accommodate different bodies, including skirts and dresses to accommodate more than just the traditional female form. Introducing gender neutral changing rooms would make people feel safer trying on clothing and eliminate the stress of having to choose. Fashion is going in the right direction with gender nonconforming fashion but a lot of change still needs to happen.
Most importantly we need gender non- conforming clothing because equality matters.
Equality for anyone to be able to walk into a store and find clothing that matches their identity. Fashion can’t only offer men’s and women’s clothing and nothing between, because the truth is there is so much in between. The lines between female and male gender have been blurred and fashion must reflect this.
We must see more gender nonconforming clothing in fashion today in order to be accepting of all types of gender expressions. The fashion industry has marginalized people who are gender non-conforming and this must change; more representation of a wide range of gender expressions is important. Inclusivity will challenge gender stereotypes and ensure everyone feels like they are represented in fashion and the key solution to this is gender neutral/ gender nonconforming clothing. We need a wide variety of gender in fashion today because inclusivity is more important than it has ever been.
