Boys wear blue and girls wear pink. Skirts are for girls and pants for boys. Girls wear dresses, boys wear suits. These phrases are something we have all probably heard at one time or another. They express how gender could be expected to be presented in society. Someone’s appearance and clothing could be used to assume what gender they belong to. But what if that way of thinking is becoming a thing of the past? These days gender is understood to be a social construct of society. Sex is the title you are given at birth which is either female, male or intersex. Gender is something to be determined and expressed by the individual and is not set in stone. With the current generation of youth “Generation Z” there has been a huge difference in how they look at gender and they express themselves in ways that before, may have been deemed “inappropriate,” or “strange.” This generation has been pushing boundaries and challenging stereotypes with their fashion and accessories. There is much less importance on masculinity and femininity. People are instead free to express themselves however they wish and less assumptions are made about their sexual orientation based off their appearance. With the greater acceptance for the LGBTQA+ community, there is also a greater interest into “queer fashion.” More youth are labeling themselves as gender fluid than ever before. Meaning they do not ascribe to any set gender and instead see themselves sitting somewhere in the middle between female or male on the gender scale. Social media also helps build community for these youth to express themselves and identify with others.
This is not the first time that fashion has been used to challenge gender norms. In fact it is a very common theme that can be observed in many points of history. For instance during the Women’s Rights Movement pants were seen as a political statement and would have been an indication of a radical women. Historically celebrities and activists have also challenged gender stereotypes with their fashion choices. Examples including Joan of Arc, Marlene Dietrich, Amelia Bloomer, David Bowie and Prince. Nowadays popular celebs are still keeping on the trend. With stars like Billy Porter, Billie Eilish, and Harry Styles making headlines for their more androgynous fashion styles. In late 2019 Harry Styles was interviewed by Teen Vogue about his gender non-conforming fashion and his opinions on gender neutral fashion. He admitted that he considers his style more androgynous and it is represented in both his appearance and the music he makes. He believes that without gender norms confining individuals there is a greater freedom for artists. He says that getting rid of these norms makes things much more interesting and stimulating in all forms of art. He mentions that it encourages freedom and instead of focussing on being masculine or feminine people can focus more on just being better people. Billy Porter was quoted at the Academy Awards in 2019 saying that he wants to be a political statement with his appearance. He wants to make people question their thoughts on masculinity and what the term even means.
In the fashion industry you have probably already begun to notice a lot of changes reacting to the incline of popularity in genderless clothes. Some clothing stores have non gendered sections now, where anyone can comfortably shop. There have been designers who have released gender neutral clothing lines. Even large well known companies like H&M and Zara have both released gender free collections. Many advertising campaigns have been seen with men wearing traditionally feminine clothing and women in traditionally masculine clothing.
Also a greater amount of models that have a more gender fluid appearance are seen frequently on many runways. Designers are using unconventional fabrics with traditional silhouettes in order to be less gender confined. Like using a sheer fabric for a men’s dress shirt. Another .popular technique for genderless design is combining pieces that are masculine with ones that are feminine. Like pairing a blazer with a skirt, or a blouse with trousers. Overall you can see how the industry has started to react to the movement of gender fluidity. It is important for companies and designers to stay open minded and embrace these new ideas of what gender means. They will need to practice inclusitivity and give people the ability to express themselves through their clothing. It can be expected that the trends for upcoming seasons will not be divided by men’s and women's wear but instead be just announced as a whole. Labels of masculine and feminine will be eliminated and clothing will have no gender at all. There are still companies that label collections gender fluid, when they lean more to being either men’s or women’s wear. Defining what clothes that are truly genderless is an ongoing conversation still being debated and explored. Many of the genderless clothing options right now are baggy and made more one-size-fits-all. Making clothes that are fitted but still fluid is another issue currently being tackled by designers. The end goal is that the clothing will not define the gender of the person but the person will define the clothing.
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