How discriminating against gender-fluid fashion is an example of toxic masculinity.

Fashion is a form of self-expression that gives us a chance to show our likes, interests and personality through clothing. Clothing is supposed to make us feel confident and comfortable and does not need to represent our gender. In 2023, we are noticing that fashion is becoming broader in terms of inclusivity but judgement for certain outfit types can still be seen. However, fashion wasn’t always so divided; clothing was not gendered until recently. Originally, in ancient times, all people wore similar clothing regardless of their gender. Skirts which are classed as ‘feminine’ nowadays were once worn by everyone; Egyptians wore wrap around skirts called schenti, Greeks donned chitons, Aztecs had skirt-based military uniform and Romans showcased togas. Skirts were the go to choice no matter your lifestyle, whether you were in combat, building, farming or of religious background because they were easily constructible and allowed freedom of movement.

The development of trousers did not come until much later when skirts proved a difficulty during horse-riding. However, due to most cultures having a gender-preference over who rode horses, males tended to be the main occupants of this role, hence where the old saying ‘wearing the trousers/pants in the relationship’ originates from. It refers to the man being the head of the household and being the trouser-wearer.

Until the 14th century, both men and women continued to wear very similar attire, accentuating your curves was not a thing, clothing was simply deemed a necessity. Garments were practical rather than aesthetic due to little development in tailoring, meaning fashions didn’t change.

Yet, as technology began to develop and with it so did fashion culture, style designs began to change and in the 19th century gendered clothing became sensationalised. Along with this, fads and trends began to appear more often, changing a lot faster than they had previously. As fashion developed, seamstresses and designers began to focus more exclusively on “women’s” and “men’s” clothing, creating distinct agendas for each sex. As gender became an important societal construct, the way we dress became a way of upholding this.

In western society, gendered clothing became the norm, and it stayed that way with neither gender daring to step too far out of their assigned box. Toxic masculinity was increased due to the fear of appearing too feminine which had almost become taboo for men. However, within the safety of like-minded people, fashionistas thrived and experimented happily with clothing, gender and the social constructs placed on them. Despite fashion brands tending to be more ‘out there’ with their designs and widening their stance on inclusivity, there are still some brands not doing their part in accepting all of society. Razek, the chief marketing officer at Victoria’s Secret, claimed in 2019 that “transsexual” models should not be cast “because the show is a fantasy”, shortly after making this comment he resigned not long after the lingerie brand hired its first openly transgender model, Valentina Sampaio.

While celebrity outfits and runway collections are full of gender nonconforming pieces nowadays, on the streets in daily life, the fear of backlash has prevented much of our fashion stepping out the applied gender-norms.

Men in skirts have received mainstream resistance with critics citing the idea that, since the skirt is now allegedly feminine, a man wearing one is weakened. Not only is this argument incredibly sexist, but also historically inaccurate as it goes against everything civilisations once thought about skirts and dresses being male attire.

The idea is very western-centric, in many cultures, particularly in Asia, robes and skirts are completely acceptable for adult men. It’s important to note this as we label western celebrities wearing skirts ‘iconic’ while ignoring that it was white, western culture that eradicated free-gendered clothing for many. Reinforcing that western ideas about skirts and dresses are tied to our specific culture and don’t apply to every nation across the globe, who have no negative stigma and find it normal to wear robes.

Hence, clothing doesn’t have a gender, it is just an item of material, yet has become socially constructed over time.

Sociology suggests that socialisation from a young age shows that parents typically dress their children in gendered clothing from birth: blue for a boy and pink for a girl. Under the belief that girls naturally prefer soft colours to show their femininity and boys prefer bold colours to show their masculinity. However, this gender assignment in clothing is imposed from birth as parents purchase clothing for their children that reflect their own gender preferences.

Today, we still question men’s masculinity based solely on their appearance – whether we mean to or not. However, the past few years have seen the younger generations challenge society’s imposed boundaries, by being the least complaint to societal norms of Western typical gendered clothing. Resulting in a huge rise in popularity of gender-neutral fashion and the harmful stereotypes and prejudices about how people should dress are slowly declining. Becoming less of a taboo or non-conformist style and more popular. Proving this, in 2017 Balenciaga announced that the men’s and women’s collection will travel the catwalk together, no longer will there be a distinction between the two.

Gender fluid fashion has always existed, nonconforming people across cultures and eras always found ways to express themselves through clothing, whether this was done privately or within their social groups. It is just that nowadays the degree of representation is more widely known and accepted.

Drag queens have helped push the gender-boundaries of fashion forward but once again the history of drag goes back further than many believe. The term drag originates from as far back as the period of Shakespearean plays in the 16th century. The church was heavily connected to the stage and only allowed men to perform. Meaning all roles in British theatres were male and therefore men had to play the female roles, wearing dresses that would “drag” across the floor.

Androgynous styles continue to be popular, and celebrities are helping people become more accepting of this choice of dress. Harry Styles, Jayden Smith, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Timothée Chalamet are just some of the many influencing society at current time. But before these celebrities brought recognition to redefining fashion, celebrities before that left impressions, like Freddie Mercury and Elton John, Kurt Cobain and David

Bowie (just to name a few). Their performances on stage were more than just a concert, they were a fashion statement and a way of expressing their personality and tastes through clothing.

In December 2020, Harry Styles appeared on the cover of US Vogue. He was the first male in 127 years to feature on the cover and on top of this, he did so wearing a dress. Unsurprisingly, a wave of criticism ensued. This occurrence, alongside others at the Met Gala wearing skirts, was what brought the conversation of ‘feminine’ male attire into the western mainstream. However, along with the criticism came a lot of support and more people feeling confident enough to defy the haters.

In an interview regarding his experience of posing for the Vogue cover, Harry Styles said “I think if you get something that you feel amazing in, it’s like a superhero outfit. Clothes are there to have fun with and experiment with and play with. What’s really exciting is that all of these lines are just kind of crumbling away. When you take away ‘There’s clothes for men and there’s clothes for women,’ once you remove any barriers, obviously you open up the arena in which you can play. He also described gendering clothing as a way of holding yourself back, “it’s like anything—anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself.”

Harry takes a lot of inspiration from Mick Jagger during his performances but also in his way of not being shy to wear whatever he wants. Jagger also enjoyed embracing effeminate fabrics and flamboyant prints, challenging the rigid binary rules of masculine etiquette.

So, considering the history of androgynous style, why are some members of society still not ready to accept those that dress with androgynous style or exquisitely flamboyant? u

By Bethan Croft

NYC Carrie “And just

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