The Battle Of Dysphoria And The Right Clothes
Why we need more genderless and trans clothing lines
Buying clothes has never been easy for someone like me, an assigned female at birth non-binary person. The first half of my life were choices based on my assigned sex, what my mother picked out for me, what I thought I should be wearing according to others. The second half, including now, has equally been a mess.
I go into a shop and I go to the men’s section. With size F breasts, nothing fits. It’s all made for the flat chest I want but don’t have, and can usually cause more gender dysphoria, the affliction of feeling in the wrong body, if I don’t get the biggest size and walk around like I just draped some fabric around me.
I go to the women’s section. Clearly things like trousers are manageable and can be considerably androgynous depending on the fit. However, the skinny cut jeans can be unbearable, and for larger trans people, a struggle. The hips are accentuated, and seeing all the feminine curves can spiral into a really bad day.
At the moment, all I can do is mix-and-match but sometimes when I get home again, I realise the comfort isn’t there and I picked clothes solely based on dysphoric aesthetic. From many conversations within the trans community, this isn’t just my problem. Many trans masc and non-binary AFAB people suffer the same experience, but trans women may also face issues with clothing. Dresses and feminine shirts with too narrow a shoulder or too wide a hip on skirts.
So what can we do?
The fact clothes are still classified by gender is already a bore at this point. Proven through centuries worth of history, wearing clothes outside of gender norms is more than common, so why is it also so regular to be stuck on a binary shopping experience?
First of all, sexism. Within the binary clothing system we already have, sexism is ripe. From tiny pockets on women’s trousers that don’t even fit spare change, to marketing techniques that make women feel they need to buy certain clothing and look a certain way, to the structure of the fashion industry itself.
A New York Times article, aptly named Fashion’s Woman Problem, researches that in all the major New York fashion institutions and colleges, over 80% of graduates are women, but only 14% of major fashion brands are run by women.
If the fashion world is already sexist, trans identities that play with gender or question it, find it much harder, unable to find the desired look due to body shapes and the lack of companies catering to trans and non-binary people.
When fashion does cater to trans people, it always appears to show bodies that are “fully transitioned” despite this being derogatory to other trans bodies. Yes, it’s brilliant that there are now wonderful trans models displaying clothes from multiple companies but only 25–30% of people with gender dysphoria actually undergo full gender reassignment surgeries, therefore only a quarter of trans people appear to be catered for.
Fashion may be affecting trans mental health too. As gender dysphoria is the main problem trans people face, clothes can seriously affect the well-being and validation of trans bodies. Unless trans people undergo complex and sometimes expensive transformations in order to “pass,” dysphoria caused by both the body and society around us can cause extreme mental distress, hence why one in four trans people attempt suicide a year, nine in ten consider it, and over 70% attempt self-harm. This is the very reason fashion companies need to aim to cater to all sizes and all bodies, in order to alleviate pain, mental strain, and possibly even save lives.
There have been small changes to the industry lately that look optimistic. New and innovative brands are adapting more fashion catered to trans people and an androgynous style. This includes amazing brands such as VEEA, which provides services such as home try-ons that you can return if the fit isn’t correct; Androgynous Fox, that specialises in AFAB clothing for butch and trans identities; and En Femme that caters to trans femme clothing to fit in all the right places. We need to continue this trend onwards to be more inclusive in the fashion world.
Some final thoughts…
It’s clear that the world itself needs to transform its image of gender, and the fashion world could be a pivotal catalyst for this change. The more fashion — and its subsequent advertising — allows room for fashion outside of the binary, the more trans people can be not only accepted, but increase well-being around dysphoria, and feel comfortable.
I know for me when I find a shirt that conceals my top half better, or other forms of masculine clothing that fits and looks amazing, it creates such euphoria and is the source of a constant mood boost. Especially one that caters to my body despite its chromosomal differences to the body I want.
It’s time to make the changes within fashion. Changing something like fashion and the way clothing is produced could ultimately change the societal view of trans bodies and their representation in everyday life.
