Placid The Gender Issue
Emma
Anthony
“I dress the way I do for myself, not anyone else.
However, it has clearly diminished the amount of men who have approached me, but certainly hasn’t gotten rid of them” Lily Olsen Ecker
“I realised it had a sense of fearlessness that I desired for myself. I didn’t want to be afraid of what other people felt.
I wanted to be
immune Lily Olsen Ecker
to it.”
Androgyny: lets switch teams by Stephanie Johnston
In a world full of gender stereotypes, social norms, and binary boxes, is there room for diversity? We discuss with Brooklyn blogger and sculptor Lily, her take on androgyny, why she strives for gender equality and her thoughts on the fashion industry’s portrayal of androgyny. Our clothing initially informs the outside world of who we are. Clothes let us be playful and experiment with our exterior image. The only issue; it invites critisism. The unique beauty behind the blog switchteams’ expresses that she was “bored of the average style that everyone was sporting, it was like a developing fashion awareness type thing for me. I realized that although people found me to be so ‘pretty’ and ‘beautiful’ when I would wear dresses, I found myself bored or thinking, “well of course you’d think it’s pretty. I’ve catered to you.”
“I realized that although people found me to be so ‘pretty’ and ‘beautiful’ when I would wear dresses, I found myself bored or thinking, “well of course you’d think it’s pretty.
I’ve catered to
L
you”
Lily Olsen Ecker
F
ashion undeniably has a vital role in establishing and epoitomising our gender roles in society. In a society where long hair is deemed feminine and ties are deemed masculine, it isn’t a shock that androgyny was formed to break this preconceived notion. “So, I started wearing bras, and my pants would sag below my waistline, and it took some getting used to but the more I did it, the happier I became. I started feeling like I was catering to no one with my style.” She quotes. Whether it causes a spectacle or is a celebration of diversity, androgyny is vastly becoming a gender-bending tool in which fashion designers use to shock and excite. Jean Paul Gautier and Helmut Lang are known for pushing boundaries, and exploring gender fluidity and ambiguity. Despite controversy, elements of the fashion industry do aim to fade stereotypical gender roles and ideals. Whilst encouraging you to express your personal style. Lily is an active member of the LGBT society and comfortable in her gender identity and style, but stresses that neither are indicative of her sexual orientation. Lily communications, “I dress the way I do for myself, not anyone else. However, it has clearly diminished the amount of men who have approached me, but certainly hasn’t gotten rid of them” Constant exposure to insensitive comments regarding her sexuality has left her questioning why people are still so naïve and quick to judge. “My style does, however seem to scream ‘gay.’ Dressing the way I do as a queer woman also has its downsides. It has let other people, who do not agree with my lifestyle, know that I am gay, and then feel they can approach me with the word ‘faggot’ instead.” Lily believes in the importance of comprehending gender expression holistically, and that it shouldn’t be hidden if a person is ashamed of the gender identity they were assigned and do not fulfil.
Despite the efforts of Lily, numerous other bloggers, models and activists, there is still a hidden discomfort towards the essence of androgyny, although she states;
�I think there are some areas where androgyny excels. The fashion industry for example it very queer, and you could say they started the whole style of androgyny. They are very accepting of different types of self expression, but only parts of it.�
Placid The Gender Issue