‘ ‘I’m trying to bring couture back to the boys’’ -Polomo Spain
Who remembers’ 80s pop icons like Boy George, Prince or Duran Duran? Men with blown-out locks, theatrical eyeliner, midriff tops and ruffled new romantic blouses. Female icons like Grace Jones with her buzz cut hair and wide shoulder powering suits. This is what was once known to in the fashion industry as androgynous but today part of a gender fluid or gender neutral conversation. The 80s saw many men vigorously strive to dress as extravagant as their female equivalents with their silhouettes, cuts and fabrics that went against the masculine standards. ("Fluid") Thanks to the male pop icons to their fearlessness when it came to embracing the female appearance. The bigger picture in the 21st century is that it is now a more important issue, society and the fashion world is now obsessed
with the topic gender with gender fluidity in fashion being one of the biggest conversations. Jaden Smith brings gender fluid style to the mainstream featuring in the womenswear campaign for fashion powerhouse Louis Vuitton wearing a skirt; he’s constantly making headlines by showing his attitude to fashion and how it should not be controlled by genders. Jaden explains that he doesn’t see a difference between clothes for men and women, such a young celebrity expressing the way he feels about gender norms hopefully makes an substantial impact to the next generation in the way gender in viewed, considered and understood. ("Jaden Smith")
Around the time Bruce became Caitlyn Jenner and brought ideas about male and female into the headlines, gender-neutral fashion has become everyday denim instead of just been on high fashion runways. As unisex fashion is changing the way we shop, fashion brands have found a new market and retailers are recognizing the potential profit of unisex shopping. The only challenge for retailers is to find out how our tastes have changed and to take advantage of it. Selfridges, a London department store undertook an experiment with it last spring with Agender, a pop up shop Selfridges goal was to create a space where men and women could basically come and shop together regardless of gender and choose clothes as an individual rather that based on your gender. Over all for a department store this was very revolutionary as the concept was all about breaking those boundaries. (Tsjeng) The freedom of this store was crazy, you would go up to the children's department and everything was still segregated by boys and girls, pink and blue. Getting a glimpse of
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what a portrait of what gender is today National Geographic assembled an issue looking at cultural, social, biological and political aspects of gender. Showing around 20 different gender terms. The glossary was prepared by the co-authors of the book ‘The Teaching Transgender toolkit’, giving us identities and expressions of what gender is today. Words such as gender fluid, A-gender, queer, non-binary, gender dysmorphia, and cisgender. These are words that many people have never heard of, but gives us an understanding of gender as it is an intensely personal subject. It is a great time for national geographic to publish this as beliefs about gender is swiftly shifting. The fashion world was once divided into two: menswear and womenswear. Over the last few years the divide has quickly dispersed, and now gender fluid fashion is taking over. Unisex fashion isn’t just changing what’s hitting the runway, but is also changing the way we shop. Women are wanting items of clothing that would usually be found in the men’s
section, as well as men also admiring woman’s clothes. Gender fluid fashion is not just about clothes, but about how fast society’s conception of gender is changing, and that the younger generation don’t see the divisions that once set gender fashion apart. A quick stroll through your Instagram feed shows male models rocking floral print suits as well as pink pussy bow blouses and skirts, and women in loose fitting tees, and oversized trousers teamed with a men’s fitted suit jacket. We are finally crawling through the dark ages as it’s becoming more acceptable for men to wear what they want without getting teased or insulted. There’s been no issue for girls to rock a sporty or dapper look, and now the time has come for men to stand up for their genders rights to play with fashion. (Vocativ, 2017) Another day, another fashion industry change, Gucci recently combined their men and women’s shows meaning they will only
have one show per season as CEO Marco says ‘it will significantly help to simplify many aspects of our business’. The collection takes us on a trip through different decades and turns them back to different subcultures by using symbolic prints and textiles. Gucci has made a huge effort to approach different nations and praise thier uniqueness in a very trendy way for example redesigning the Scottish kilt, a vintage feature but adding a Belgian flag detailed fur collar. Traditional masculine turned as feminine as you could get, allowing gender tolerance.
What does gender fluid even mean? Being gender fluid is basically a gender identity best described as a dynamic mix of boy and girl. A person who is gender fluid may always feel a mix of the two genders, feeling more boy some days and more girl other days. Waking up putting on a dress and lipstick feeling feminine but sometimes feeling more masculine and the thought of putting on a skirt compels overwhelming anxiety. Appearance is something to which we as a culture give an incredible amount of attention. The question we are asking now is, are men more concerned with appearance than women? What does metrosexual mean? Isn't metrosexual just another word for gay? No, a metrosexual male is someone who spends a considerable amount of time and money on grooming and appearance, regardless of their sexual orientation. They like to look their best and like to present themselves well. Usually have a wide respect and appreciation for fashion and always hopes to make a good impression. Being metro is all about breaking gender rules; it makes many people uncomfortable to hear about a guy who
takes more time to get ready than his girlfriend does or some men find it difficult watching a man in a mirror making sure his new jeans aren't saggy in the butt. Men can want to look good in their clothes too, not just women. A man can queue up to buy his new pair of jeans buying the smallest size knowing he should probably be buying the size up. The same way someone goes the gym buy goes for a mc Donald's afterwards: because we all like to dream. (Killermann) As a male in this society it is more difficult for them to express who they really are, not only with the way they are dressing but also the way they are feeling the gendering roles of society for example feminism is seriously damaging some men today, men need a bit of feminism too as current role models of masculinity are not only antagonistic but also unhelpful. From early ages where girls are treated as precious, vulnerable and emotional beings, boys are told to stop being a wimp, be a man. As a result of this cultures views of what a man should be the rise in male mental health has become more urgent and worrying. (Johnston)
To call a piece of clothing or even a person for that matter, masculine or feminine is diminishing. We look upon a world where people don’t judge or theorize on Jaden Smiths identity just because one day he chooses to wear a dress, and where people aren’t getting attacked on the streets for expressing their femininity. We see a world where we get inspired and celebrate each other’s creativity, beauty and brilliance. We dream a world where we can do or wear whatever the hell we want!!
Vocativ. (2017). The Unstoppable Rise Of Gender-Fluid Fashion. [online] Available at: http://www. vocativ.com/278310/the-unstoppable-rise-of-gender-fluid-fashion/ [Accessed 10 Mar. 2017]. "Jaden Smith". Just Jared. N.p., 2017. Web. 1 May 2017. "Fluid". Fashionweek.nl. N.p., 2017. Web. 1 May 2017. Tsjeng, Zing. "Inside Selfridges'". Dazed. N.p., 2017. Web. 1 May 2017. Killermann, Sam. "Defining A “Metrosexual Male” | It's Pronounced Metrosexual". It's Pronounced Metrosexual. N.p., 2017. Web. 1 May 2017. Johnston, Kathleen. "U-ZINE". U-ZINE. N.p., 2017. Web. 1 May 2017.