The things we wear

Shift in the understanding of gender changes reactions to certain styles

Kindell Readus readukin000@hsestudents.org that is different for everyone. To many, it can represent a dominant energy or an attitude. Younger generations have started to see the lines of gender become more blurred and pliable to one’s personal comfortability. Opposing rather than the rigid barriers of the past, the societal expectation of masculinity and femininity have become more about the energy presented rather than the clothes wear. Not wanting to provide others with even the slightest chance of considering that they could be anything other than cishet (cisgender and heterosexual) they shy away from anything that could be perceived as feminine, even down to color. idolized stars like Mick Jagger, Ziggy Stardust and Freddie Mercury in the 70s and Bret Michaels, Prince and Steven Tyler in the 80s begun to criticize the very idea?

Today as more and more pop culture idols allow themselves to bend traditional gender stereotypes into something more reflective of personal identity and artistic view, they are oftentimes met with a mixture of admiration and aversion. Aversion for these stars can come in many forms including allegations made about their sexuality, the use of slurs or other forms of degradation said with the goal of bringing shame to the public figure. In recent years media consumers have seen the rise of feminine fashion on male-identifying stars due to the increasingly widespread talk about what the true meaning of masculinity is. Masculinity in its present understanding was shifted from having one consistent definition to many, a definition

This, however, calls into question the myths and truths of masculinity, which could also be the reason for the uptick in hatred of these more feminine styles. In the past, clothes made popular due to the trends of the time would now, by the same group that lived in them before, be considered too feminine. Crop tops, shortshorts, high-waisted jeans and bright colors are a part of this list. These styles were widely accepted in previous decades simply because they were not accompanied by a stance on gender and gender stereotypes. That is the difference between now and then: the concept of the gender spectrum was practically non-existent. Clothes were not associated with gender because there was no concept of gender being something that could shift fluidly. It is the idea of the gender spectrum that often scares men back into the arms of toxic masculinity and the idea that being a man is at all connected to the clothes they

‘Creed’ actor Johnathan Majors is the media’s most recent victim, as he dawned ‘Ebony Magazine’ in a pink shag coat. His photo spread caused controversy, especially in the Black community, as he played with pinks and reds to create a romantic atmosphere. The Black community, especially the older generation, is notorious for tearing down femininity in men, Black or otherwise, stating that being effeminate is breaking the difficult-to-build facade of pride, strength and dominance. With a history tied to struggle and hardship, the Black community has always pushed to be stronger, more powerful and inviolable. So now as men, Black men especially, have finally become more comfortable with femininity it has been viewed as an attack on masculinity.

But it is the exact opposite; there is not and never has been an agenda to emasculate men, but instead, an aim to allow them to stand free of the past and its unwritten rules of what it means to be a man. Instead of feeling forced into the boxes of an outdated society, it is time to relish in one’s own selfexpression.