Personal & Political

Breaking the rules is at the core of the fashion industry. Serving as a dominant tool of personal expression, people look to art, and by extension, to fashion, as a way to both defy and conform to societal norms.

Society relies on the comfort of strict labels that define what is and is not acceptable. Fashion, however, has the power to challenge that. Major movements in history —relating to politics and fashion—prove the art’s influence on both the personal and the political.

Associate Professor of History at Boston University Arianne Chernock teaches a Fashion in History course about the facilitating role fashion has played in American history. Chernock said, “I think fashion has always played a complex role at a number of levels both in terms of individual identity, sexual and gender identity, class identity, ethnic identity, and power dynamics between different cultures and within them.”

Major social movements and groundbreaking policy changes are accompanied by a wide range of public responses. With every proponent is an antagonist––after all, advocacy and freedom of expression are essential to democracy.

So, it is no surprise that one of the most valuable methods for creating major statements is using a paradigm of expression. Fashion’s influential role in politics cannot go unnoticed as it has been at the forefront of major historical movements.

“In my course we look at the role of fashion in the American revolution; fashion in the expansion of the British empire; fashion in terms of how different colonial populations negotiate their identity,” said Chernock. “And, fashion and the making of subcultures in the 1960’s and 70s—particularly relating to queer identity.”

Fashion continues to unite groups marginalized by society, and serves as a dominant force in catalyzing social and political change. However, as Chernock said, “There’s a question about whether fashion is a comment on changes that are already taking place, or whether it helps make those changes.”

Arguably, both can be true just as fashion can be used to both reinforce and subvert political ideals and gender roles. Regardless, in an increasingly tense political climate, fashion is a liberating force for those who wish to have their voices heard.

Fashion’s personal and political purpose is evident in the history of the LGBTQ+ communities in ’60s and ’70s, particularly drag culture. This was, in part, a response to the oppressive gendering of fashion, which still continues in many places today. Designers and industry leaders look to a host of places for inspiration including subcultures. The marginalized LGBTQ+ groups of the ’60s and ’70s may have cultivated change with experimentational styles that defied gender norms, but the momentum of the gay rights movement also contributed to changes in the fashion industry.

Today, the idea of gender continues to be at the forefront of public conversation. Specifically, movements in the transgender community have challenged society to reevaluate the rigid definition of the gender binary.

Fashion’s response to this movement has been clear and powerful—androgyny dominated runway shows this past year. Vogue dedicated the August 2017 issue to exploring this changing perspective and the significance of androgyny.

In the article, “Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik Are Part of a New Generation Who Don’t See Fashion as Gendered,” Vogue contributor Maya Singer suggests that the recent revival of androgyny relates directly to the way millennials see gender in more arbitrary terms. “For these millennials, at least, descriptives like boy or girl rank pretty low on the list of important qualities—and the way they dress reflects that,” said Singer.

While some may credit designers like Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs for fostering a greater acceptance of a less constricting take on gender with their gender fluid collections, the origin of the androgyny movement predates the designers’ recent collections.

Some of the most notable pioneers of androgyny include Prince and David Bowie. These artists ruled the music scenes of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but music was not the only art they had influence on. Both are credited with having a significant impact on the relationship between gender and fashion.

“A lot of trends that began within these subcultures as ways for people within those communities to find each other and identify with each other, giving each other subtle kinds of cues, became kind of mainstream,” said Chernock.

Bowie and Prince used their influence to take what was happening with style and fashion in queer communities—while these communities fought for liberation—to bring it to the forefront of popular culture.

Their impact on androgyny persists into today’s themes of gender deconstruction, which also uses fashion in hopes of changing the conversation around gender, and instead, emphasizing and celebrating individual expression.

Boston University student Maggie Knutzen (CFA ’19) sees Bowie’s influence on androgyny, even more so after his passing. Knutzen said that since Bowie’s death, she has recognized people sporting more flamboyant styles, particularly in the gay community. While it is impossible to measure Bowie’s exact influence, there is no denying its weight.

Knutzen finds normalcy in the intertwining of men and women’s fashion. However, Knutzen also views this ‘trend’ as fortifying for women specifically.

“I have 50 pairs of trousers now because they are more in style. And that services a more feminist way of living for me personally because it’s more comfortable. In the past when trends have been more feminine, that’s very restrictive,” said Knutzen. “As a woman I feel like having men and women’s fashion kind of converge in the past couple of years with joggers, sneakers, loose-comfy t-shirts, biker jackets—that’s pretty unisex, and I think it’s liberating for girls.”

Women’s rights movements have reflected and stimulated fashion changes. Industry leaders who tapped into ideas of female liberation, ultimately blurred the lines of gender through the design and presentation of styles that combined traditionally male and traditionally female pieces. This ‘blurring of gender lines’ caused a freeing trend of experimentation and choice for women, which is highlighted by many styles such as the suit.

“The suit from the 18th century was a very male piece of fashion,” said Chernock. Now, so many women wear suits—a trend normalized for women in the ‘80s. Although this was not the first time women had put on suits, pop culture icons such as Bianca Jagger popularized the trend. As the trend continues to become more accepted, there is a subsequent shift in the gender hierarchy of men and women. “People make that choice both because it’s fashionable, but also because men and women’s roles are—to some extent—conforming more and more,” Chernock said. “That both reflects the reality of men and women in a lot of parts of the world where their experiences are becoming more and more alike, and where we as a culture are becoming more accepting of gender fluidity.” The cause and effect relationship between social movements and fashion statements is unclear; however, the correlation is irrefutable. In other words, the process of deconstructing preheld gender beliefs has proved to be long, tedious, and, unfortunately, not close to over; yet, fashion is an instrumental tool in the process.

By Julia Seelig | Illustrations by Samantha West | Design by Jami Rubin