David Bowie — The Father of Modern Androgyny
By Anne Buescher
A flashy 70’s rockstar whose music took the world by storm, David Bowie wrote some of the worlds best glam rock ballads. His stage presence awed each crowd as he belted some of the most soul freeing music of his time. But David Bowie was much more than just one flower in the field of 70’s hippie rock stars, he was the foundation of androgyny and queer culture making its way into the public sphere. Without him androgyny would not have the stronghold on fashion, nor would it have the rock solid foundation it has today.
As Bowie sang his way into everyone’s home he brought queer culture with him. Other artists at the time may have been openly queer, but Bowie was a household name. He offered a visual representation for the LGBTQ+ community all over. He was known for sporting a groundbreaking style based heavily in flamboyant androgyny: a red feathered mullet, blue eyeshadow, heavy colored eyeliner, bright lipstick, and flashy clothes. Bowie took gender out of fashion, or maybe he used gender as fashion, to build the foundation for modern androgyny in the public sphere. He was a successful queer role model. A rich and famous artist who openly crossdressed on stage, dated outside of what heteronormativity expected of him, and was known to purposely go against the gender norms society had placed on him. As the first queer androgynous household name Bowie quickly became an icon for young queer adults, and stayed that way for over the past 50 years.
If you look at current day androgynous fashion you can almost always pinpoint inspiration by Bowie. Bright and flashy fabrics with heavy eye makeup, flamboyant clothing, and a feathered mullet are all currently quite popular amongst androgynously dressing individuals. But the Bowie inspiration doesn’t sit solely in the hands of alt nonbinary youth, even people who identify inside of the gender binary are taking part in androgynous fashion. More masculine people have begun wearing skirts and dresses, makeup and nail polish while more feminine people are sporting tailored suits, cargo shorts, and heavy eyeliner. And as more and more queer youth delve into 70’s inspired outfits, David Bowie continues to be an inspirational necessity to modern androgynous fashion. Cardinal red feathered mullets can be seen bobbing up and down the streets, men wear skirts to the Met-Gala, and graphic eyeliner frame eyes in each coffee shop.
If you compare photos of young David Bowie to a photo of a current young alt queer person it’s not hard to see the inspiration- the unintentional homage — to the man who made it possible. By being the first in the public eye Bowie paved the way for androgany to take over fashion, for young people to break gender norms, and for the conversation about LQBTQ+ rights to be brought into public light instead of being gossiped about behind closed doors. He truly was the father of modern androgyny.
About the Author:
Anna Buescher is a current junior at Butler university studying Biology and French. She uses she/they pronouns and identifies as a queer woman. She is passionate about LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, fungi and much much more. You can reach out to her at abuescher@butler.edu.
