En Masse

Vol. 01

En Masse gendered clothing

En Masse

Hey! It’s nice to meet you.

We are En Masse, a curious publication that explores the relationship between gender and clothing.

If you haven’t already googled it, En Masse means “all together, as one” in French. Cool? We know. But it actually speaks a lot about who we are—the French aspect was just an unexpected surprise that makes our publication fun to say. We are here to show new ways of thinking; beginning a conversation about dressing ourselves.

We aren’t just a publication, but a collection of people—

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you included!—who are constantly finding new ways to be ourselves and push back against gendered expectations.

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in our first volume, we focussed on clothing for its direct connection to self-expression. Dressing ourselves is a universal action; in the morning we all go into our closets and choose what we want to wear for the day. This can be an easy process for some, difficult for others. There is a performative quality to clothing and how we use it to communicate who we are. We find it

interesting how clothing can enact qualities like attitudes or movements on the person wearing the item. There is always an interplay between you wearing the clothing and the clothing wearing you. Take a leather jacket for example, when you wear one, don’t you feel more tough? What about a chiffon skirt, more graceful, right? These underlying implications in clothing drive our exploration.

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All together,

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as one.

olume 01 Volume 01 Volume 01 Volume 01 Volume 01 Volume 01 Volume 01 Volume 01 Volume 01 Volume 01 Volume

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LITTLE BOOK OF GENDER TERMS

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THIS IS EN MASSE

MEET PAULA

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DECONSTRUCTING WO-MAN(S) WHERE DO OTHER GENDERS FIT?

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MIX & MATCH

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THIS IS NOT A TREND

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MISC. FUN STUFF

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All around us, we see people becoming more openminded and accepting of variations in gender. It’s becoming so much more malleable now; we don’t have to identify only as either female or male. We are becoming less regulated in how we walk, talk, move, and dress. But why is it that when we walk into a clothing store, there is still such a strong divide between women and men’s clothing? We believe this is the next step for gender inclusivity because tbh , we don’t fit into gendered expectations and neither do a lot of other people.

This is where En Masse comes from. We began by asking ourselves these questions. First and foremost we asked, “why can’t a person feel free to present themselves in feminine or masculine ways without feeling that their gender identity is in question?” Is a feminine man less of a man? Is a masculine woman less of a woman? How do gender identities that are not “Man” or “Woman” find themselves in an industry that doesn’t recognize them? En Masse is here to start up conversations around gendered expectations in the clothing industry. We are not here to point fingers, we simply want to find new ways to bend these invisible gender rules and to help you explore your relationship with clothing as well.

If you think about it, before you were even given a name, you were given a gender, based solely on your private bits. The doctor either said, “It’s a boy!” or

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“It’s a girl!” and those words not only began to limit your ability to explore other gender identities, but also began the process of fitting you into your gender category. The most basic form of this in our culture is performing as masculine if you’re a boy and as feminine if you’re a girl.

Gendered expectations come from absolutely everywhere (e.g. interacting with people and entertainment); as we grow up each of us internalize these specific ways to become a man or woman. If you want to be different, you’re automatically labeled as “not normal”. The really messed up part about this is that masculinity and femininity are both characteristics that all people have to a certain degree. We think that everyone should be able to express these qualities regardless of their gender.

Here at En Masse, we want to explore this concept through clothing. We want people to understand that “men’s” and “women’s” clothing can be worn by all genders, that categorizing certain masculine or feminine traits for each gender is restrictive and old-fashioned.

Nowadays, we have so many options available in most sizes, we can wear anything we want. If you want to wear that lace skirt in order to express your femininity, you should. If you want to rock that tie to be more masculine, wear it. It’s time to see clothing as a spectrum that represents a person’s gender expression, encompassing all types of clothing from both womenswear and menswear. Gendered expectations are on the outs and we’re here to open that exit door just a little wider.

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#enmasse #clothinghasnogender

En Masse

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“Wear that skirt.

And that tie.

En Masse

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Mix it up and do whatever makes you feel like you.�

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terms (well only two terms, but still)

Sourced from the Columbia Foundation's “Glossary of Terms Relating to Sexuality and Gender.”

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The little book of...

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— Terms you should know

Gender is not as black and white as we think. The shiny little boxes labeled “man” and “woman” become much blurrier on a closer look. There are so many aspects to a person’s gender, each of them personal and individual. We don’t want to summarize gender theory for you; we simply aim to help show you a distinction about gender. It is the message our publication was built for and it bears repeating. To put it simply, we want to show you that the way you express yourself and the gender you identify with are both separate and individual to you. When we look at the current relationship between clothing and gender, people associate clothing with your gender identity, but should they really? Clothing is a form of gender expression; they are objects you wear to present qualities about yourself. We all have masculinity and femininity inside of us, the amount of each you choose to express is up to you.

Clothing helps you express that, no matter your gender.

Here are the definitions so you can see the difference.

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gender identity

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— Terms you should know

Gender Identity: (n.) The gender that a person sees oneself as. This can include refusing to label oneself with a gender.

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gender expres -sion

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— Terms you should know

Gender Expression: (n.) The way one presents oneself to the world, as either masculine or feminine, or both or neither. This can include dress, posture, vocal inflection, and other behavior.

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En Masse

— Interview

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— Meet Paula

Paula is a young designer, born in Mexico city and moved to Vancouver at age 5.

She has reached a point now where she is comfortable with her fashion choices and doesn’t mind saying a good ‘fuck you’ if anyone tries to voice otherwise.

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Someone special wants to share this with you

En Masse

En Masse

— Meet Paula

En Masse: I think the best way to start this interview would be by describing your outfit today and why you chose it?

Everyone should adopt that mantra. I think we can all say that it’s great to see how you are not afraid to express yourself in both feminine and masculine ways.

Androynous, comfortable, contemporary, edgy, sophisticated.

Do you feel that there is a push to dress in certain ways as a woman? Does that resonate in your clothing choices at all?

I’ve never been particularly comfortable in dresses, and coming from a family with a traditional background and mindset, I have often felt forced to express myself in more feminine ways than I feel sometimes. The last time I wore a dress was for my high school graduation ceremony, only because every other girl was expected to wear one too. Currently, this resonates in my clothing choices more subtly by way of keeping the feminine and masculine “feel” of the clothing or accessories balanced. I seem to avoid gendering my clothes; I’m the one with the gender, not the clothes.

We are always curious to hear about people’s experiences in a department that might not be that of their gender. How is your experience in the men’s department?

#breakinggenderexpectations

Paula: I started with my favourite pair of leggings, which have become a staple in my wardrobe, because they are both comfortable and fashionable. They are black with a sheen that makes them look as if they’re made of leather. I find the leggings can be worn for casual or formal occasions, making them very versatile. I often dress in layers because the climate requires it and the colours I choose often emulate the weather, for example, a bright sunny day would encourage me to wear more white instead of black with accents of one colour or a floral pattern of some sort, usually more feminine; whereas a rainy day would inspire neutral colours and earth tones, usually more masculine. These are both a reflection of my personality. I usually throw in one or two playful features in my wardrobe, whether a unique piece of jewelry or fun socks. “Dress better than you feel” is my mantra.

How would you describe your style in 5 words?

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When women wander into men’s departments it is often assumed you are not shopping for yourself and are often left alone.

You may get looks here and there when you take the men’s clothes you’ve chosen into the change rooms, but oftentimes you are not harassed or ridiculed. I have always felt comfortable there due to growing up with younger brothers.

As a person who is very comfortable in her fashion choices, how do you feel about this separation in retail stores?

It is incredibly restricting. I don’t find it necessary or important to have those separations, especially the way fashion is

developing nowadays, where women are seen wearing Boyfriend Jeans or baggy tops, and men are assuming brighter colours and skinny jeans. All of this is becoming more and more blurred as the acceptance of gender fluidity rises. And the fashion industry should change too.

Are there certain situations where you feel it’s harder to express yourself through clothing? Formal or work settings?

I have a hard time dressing for formal business settings. That is a culture that reinforces gendered expectations more than any, I think, especially considering the history of the “suit” and “heels.” There are certain

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#enmasse #clothinghasnogender

“I’m the one with the gender, not the clothes.”

En Masse

— Meet Paula

uniform expectations for each business setting that restrict one’s ability to freely express themselves, which I find confining and conventional. There seems to be a certain fixation when women attempt a foray into the world of the suit, for example, the usa’s obsession with Hillary Clinton’s pantsuit collection. The way a woman dresses in high-powered business situations is far more scrutinized and judged than their male counterpart’s clothing choices, which inevitably has an impact on how they are respected and viewed by their colleagues.

We definitely have a long road ahead of us to start widening the scope of clothing to make it easier for people to be themselves.

Have you had a moment where someone’s reaction to you wasn’t all that receptive?

My parents have never understood or liked my fashion choices. They say I wear too much black and it depresses them. I told them to stop shopping for me when I hit 10 years old because they would always buy dresses or skirts, shirts and blouses with labels, and bright colours and glitter.

Having both been raised in Mexico, they are obviously big fans of multi-coloured, multi-textured fabric and designs, and strict gender definitions, which were enforced at an early age. For example, baby girls’ ears are pierced within the first year of life as a clear marker of gender.

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We are En Masse, a curious publication that explores the relationship between gender and clothing.

“I am the one with the gender, not the clothes.”

If you haven’t already googled it, En Masse means “all together, as one” in French. Cool? We know. But it actually speaks a lot about who we are—the French aspect was just an unexpected surprise that makes our publication fun to say. We are here to show new ways of thinking; beginning a conversation about dressing ourselves.

We aren’t just a publication, but a collection of people— you included!—who are constantly finding new ways to be ourselves and push back against gendered expectations.

En Masse thisisenmasse.com

En Masse

En Masse

thisisenmasse.com

thisisenmasse.com

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ne.

Hey! It’s nice to meet you.

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En Masse

— Looking at the present

We’ve talked a lot about wearing whatever makes you feel comfortable and understanding terms like “gender expression,” but we are also curious to see what it means to be a woman or a man. This might sound a little contradictory, after all we’ve just argued that gender identity is what you see yourself as. Rather, we want to investigate what society thinks a woman or a man should be. Clothing, just like entertainment and other systems, enforce these gendered expectations and they are pushed onto us all the time. When you compare women’s and men’s clothing you can see that there are distinct characteristics to each one. The hard part here is that when those qualities are only visible in one gender’s clothing choices it begins to gender those characteristics. That’s why we get terms like ‘girly’ and ‘boyish,’ not because it’s what the person identifies as, but what we have learned to characterize a woman or man as.

We want to live in a society that has no gendered expectations.

To achieve that, we will have to understand the present social conditions to begin searching for our own ways to exist outside of them.

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Deconstructing / Wo-Man(s)

En Masse

#breakinggenderexpectations

Women’s characteristics Women’s clothing tends to have more feminine features. Delicate and expressive. There is emphasis on showing curves and skin. Items like high-waisted jeans and crop tops are found primarily in women’s clothing.

Why are these features restricted to women?

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#enmasse #clothinghasnogender

Men’s characteristics

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Men’s clothing tends to have more masculine features. Relaxed and durable. There is more focus on having broad or rectangular shapes.

Items like bomber jackets and cargo shorts are found primarily in men’s clothing.

Why are these features restricted to men?

En Masse

— Deconstructing Wo-Man(s)

#enmasse #clothinghasnogender

Fabrics womens / mens Some fabrics usually find themselves confined to a particular gender. Women’s clothes have lighter weight and translucent fabrics, like chiffon or silk.

While men’s clothes have heavier weight fabrics, like raw denim and stiff cotton.

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En Masse

En Masse — Deconstructing Wo-Man(s)

“We all have masculinity and femininity inside of us, the amount of each you choose to express is up to you. Clothing helps you express that, no matter your gender.”

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— Article

other

Where do

We, at En Masse, are in search of inclusivity in the fashion industry.

Clothing only acknowledges two genders: Man and Woman... where are the others? Where do we fit? It is hard to put into words how frustrating it can feel at times to be unrecognized in a system as essential as clothing. For an industry that is often seen as progressive, it still operates in an old-fashioned manner using gender to categorize and differentiate certain expressions. We looked to people who do not define themselves inside the woman/man dichotomy and decided to experience it for ourselves.

Walking into a clothing store there is a feeling of instability not connecting to either department and the undoubted un-comfortability of wearing something that would labels us another gender. We feel overlooked and unseen. Darting back and forth between both departments, we carry our selections into the fitting room... and then something changes. We look into the mirror and see ourselves for who we really are. We feel happy, smile a little, then turn back to look at the clothing hanging there waiting to be tried on. Our perspective changes; the sense of frustration leaves us, and instead we are filled with curiosity and possibility. Clothing is only considered to be gendered if you let it be. It is unique to you and your expression.

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genders fit?

En Masse

— Article

#enmasse #clothinghasnogender

We began to wonder why the fashion industry even has to separate clothing in such a way. Haven’t we gotten past this? From another perspective, it does seem like a big obstacle to de-categorize clothing and unlearn the ways we gender garments (which, believe us, we got very hung up on). But if you think about it, we all come in different shapes and sizes; tall, small, curvy, skinny, broad, narrow... we have come to a point where the availability of sizing is expanding and it’s getting easier to find the size you need for any of the clothes you are drawn to. Clothing needn’t be categorized to any specific gender.

To answer our question at the beginning, what could the industry do to recognize different genders and their expressions? An image of a store with men and women’s clothing mixed together flashes to mind. It looks fantastic, but also a little too drastic for the general population comfortable with gendered separations. We have to be reasonable, right? We thought back to the types of gendered expressions that occupy the majority of the women’s and men’s departments. What if all it took was a change in language? Instead of men and women, we could modify it to reflect a spectrum of masculinity and femininity. People would be able to shop in either category without feeling that their gender identity is in question and makes it easier for the fashion industry to acknowledge a whole group of people who are currently omitted. We believe this would give way to exploration and help lessen gender expectations. What do you think?

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Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

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#clothinghasnogender

Mix & Match

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Photographer: Megan Kwan

Model: Desi Rekurt

Model: Jodie Lavery

En Masse

— Mix & Match

Mix & Match strives to blur masculinity and femininity so that we can begin to look at clothing through a de-gendered lens as a means of self expression. After learning from our previous explorations, we were excited to pull out a bunch of clothing to mix and match outfits that not only destabilize gendered expectations, but which our models can also have fun and look great in.

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All of the clothing we used were found in major fashion retailers such as H&M, Forever 21 and Topshop/Topman.

We wanted to make sure this exploration was accessible for all, and hope to motivate you to explore your own gender expression.

En Masse

— Article

Right now, gender and clothing is a hot topic in popular culture.

We were overjoyed by this, as models of different genders are receiving the opportunity to shine and to defy gendered expectations in the public eye and in the fashion world. High profile celebrities like Jaden Smith and Ruby Rose have begun speaking to conversations around clothing and gender, how it really doesn’t matter if it is labeled Women’s or Men’s. We see this effort on the runways to blur masculinity and femininity and want to take it one step further and remind people that this is not a trend. It is more than that; it’s a new way of thinking about gender that should be seen as evolution and progression in our times.

It’s easy to say that this will keep growing, moving past runways and down to the global retail stores like H&M and Urban Outfitters, but it’s important to keep in mind that this necessity to blur boundaries between gendered clothing has happened before. Designers such as Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo; musicians like David Bowie and Boy George, brought this to the forefront of fashion and culture in the 1980s, starting a whole decade of pushing boundaries and gender bending. But where did it all go? And why did that never reach the mainstream’s ways of dressing?

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This is not a trend.

We repeat, this is not a trend.

En Masse

— Article

“To see this change reflected across society and allowing for inclusivity for all genders in fashion it will take many voices and many supporters.” #enmasse #clothinghasnogender

There’s really no way of knowing but we suspect that it was something that stopped being talked about and was never reinforced by society at large. This is why we have so much hope for this moment, because we see possibilities and opportunities! We have made sure this movement is accessible to explore, but now also accessible to share. To see this change reflected across society; allowing for inclusivity for all genders in fashion, it will take many voices and many supporters. We have developed many items as part of En Masse to help you spread the message and keep pushing the boundaries of gender and clothing. Included are postcards, posters and clothing tags that can be shared around with your friends, family or maybe even strangers. This book itself is sharable; we encourage that you unscrew the binding on the front page and give out sections to anyone you feel might be interested in and benefit from our work. We provide a framework for understanding and the tools to encourage exploration, but after that it’s up to you. Whether it’s, taking that first step in doing something a little unconventional with your clothes, flipping through genderqueer models’ lookbooks or talking with your friends about it; it’s all in your hands.

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Clothing has no gender.

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Men’s Women’s clothing ju

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Clothing has no gender.

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Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

Clothing has no gender.

En Masse thisisenmasse.com

— Colophon

Thanks for taking the time to read our publication!

We hope you learned something and are ready to explore your gender expression through clothing a bit more freely.

Special thanks to Simone Adams, Sunny Chiu, Bethany Garrad, Megan Kwan, Jodie Lavery, David Ly, Teghan McDonald, Desi Rekurt, Addison Rose, and Paula Shmill for helping out with this project.

This is the Undergraduate Thesis Project of Karim Kadi Typefaces used in this publication are: Freight Display Pro — Designed by Josh Darden Akkurat — Designed by Laurenz Brunner All rights are reserved for the designs, written content and photography presented in this publication.

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En Masse

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