Skirting around
the issue
“Why can’t men wear skirts?” I’ve seen men squirm just at the proposal of a man in a skirt. For centuries men have worn skirts. The most prominent figures have normalised female attributes such as Ziggy Stardust stomping his way through the 70s in platforms that only provoke the feeling of jealousy. Whilst fashion is tackling the issue head-on, the majority can’t seem to accept a man in a skirt.
In July of last year, an article by the Daily Mail popped up on my Facebook plastered with the title SKIRT SLEEVE ORDER. A “crossdressing protest” was carried out by school boys who weren’t allowed to wear shorts, so looked to accepted parts of the uniform instead. Cross dressing? I’m sure many readers had mental images created that resembled a Tim Curry like figure strutting to Sweet Transvestite, but this isn’t the case. They’re literally boys in skirts. The fact that people still refer to a man wearing any article of clothing supposedly only associated with women as a transvestite displays the outdated approach certain social groups have to men in skirts.
Despite this, there is a rapid, thought provoking movement of new, “non-demographic” brands. ATARAXI, a unisex brand created by Rebecca Haddaway, challenges norms and strives for diversity through fashion forward collections. “I see our generation (millennials) as people who are striving for ultimate equality where LGBT, race, gender and religion is nothing more than a meaningless label. But, and this is quite a big but, on the other side of the fence there is this ignorance, maybe even fear and hatred that is prevalent in society too, and that’s what I want to challenge and educate,” says Rebecca. To overcome an issue, you need to see it existing in the first place, like ATARAXI has.
“Obviously our clothes give off certain social cues and this is a challenge to overcome, because the majority of society is programmed to see an individual dressed in a certain way and make a long list of assumptions about that person. That is the biggest barrier to overcome as it’s applied to us from conception, before we’re even born, the doctor tells our parents our sex and they start buying clothes that fit the gender stereotypes. A lot of people don’t realise that your biological sex, your sexuality and the gender you identify with are all separate.”
“Persistence in challenging stereotypes and educating individuals from an early age. It’s slowly bubbling up into the main stream. I saw in the Tesco gift guide a girl dressed in a Stormtrooper costume, 3 years ago that never would have happened! You’ve got children going viral asking why girls’ and boys’ clothes are emblazoned with sexist stereotypes. Seemingly small things like this make a big impact and that’s exactly what we need. With brands such as ours consciously designing gender neutral clothing, that’s breaking down the barriers, the coverage we received from our #GenerationGenderless campaign was overwhelming, from Hello India to Glamour Germany, people thought it was a protest, not a fashion brand, that just shows how much people need to be educated on the concept on gender,” Rebecca concluded.
Brands such as Selfridges have also strengthened the on going campaign to project genderless fashion into consumers minds. A mere student like myself, no matter how engrossed in fashion, cannot even afford a Selfridges carrier bag. The alternative? Zara launched their genderless collection in 2016 to promote gender fluidity. More like flop. The collection featured shapeless clothes that resembled a mens collection churned out by Zara seasonally. With attempts at gender free clothing like this, no wonder the high street has a lack of awareness of non-demographic dress. But do we need brands to create genderless collections? Joseph, O’Donnell, 19, a fashion student from Newcastle couldn’t care less what gender the clothes he wears are.
“Why not? Clothes are just different fabrics pieced together in different ways. To me there’s no difference between someone wearing a skirt or trousers. They’re just different garments.” When I asked Joseph to wear a skirt and heels he didn’t hesitate, “Wearing a skirt was fun. Wasn’t unusual. Its funny that you can drive 100 miles north and men wearing a form of a skirt is tradition and national heritage.” In regards to heels “I love my heels. My go- to are a pair of Saint Laurent cuban heels. I also love my golden Dior copies I snagged from eBay”.
With any action that differs from the norm, there are consequences. “I’ve been called names. Had funny looks.” says Joseph. “I think there’s a huge stigma about men with feminine qualities. It drives me mad that effeminate men are instantly branded as gay. I think for a lot of men they make other men feel less ‘manly’ to protect themselves. Or to give themselves more power over you. It’s so funny.” No matter how much genderless dress is promoted, is masculinity the real problem? In Grayson Perry’s “All Man” documentary, an exploration of cage fighting in the North East led to uncovering a much more emotional, deep rooted reasons for men resisting feminine qualities. Perry stated: “I’m beginning to frame masculinity as a callus if you like, on men, to protect them from the hardships of working in very heavy industries and so when they need to change and be flexible in the modern work place and they need to be
emotionally resilient, they struggle because that callus they’ve built around them, it just shatters or snaps, it doesn’t bounce”. I’ve been led to believe masculinity is what makes a man, but in fact it breaks them. It’s a cover for a mass of insecurities, shying away from emotions. If men were able to let go of outdated ideals drilled into them from birth, they could embrace femininity emotionally and physically it’d make them more resilient, a new juxtaposed masculinity.
A man in a skirt, simple, yet far too complex for fashion to solve itself.