Does gendered clothing put a cap on our stylistic freedom?

Is the concept of gendered clothing as essential as we make it out to be?

Libby Husband
8th December 2022
Image@ Instagram @thebillieporter
It may come as surprise, but gendered clothing is a relatively new concept, a concept primarily found within the western world. If we think back to times such as the Greek and Roman empires, gender neutral clothing was the norm. Garments such as the toga were worn on the basis of practicality and comfort rather than a way to establish gender. In fact, the idea of gendered clothing didn’t come into play until much later, in the 19th century. A westernised tradition was created; give your son his first pair of trousers and thus confirm his passage into maturity, unfortunately but unsurprisingly generating the idea of what makes a man ‘a real man’. This snowballed the social construct of which clothes are masculine and which are feminine creating what we have today: gendered clothing. 
Image: Instagram @harrystyles

Nowadays, the subversion of gender stereotypes within fashion is often exhibited by celebrities. We see famous names such as Harry Styles and Billie Porter don dresses and sequin jumpsuits and it’s seen as a in an act of stepping outside the box, one to create a stir within our pop culture and elicit critique from right wing media. Although good, it’s an act that perpetuates breaking the norm of gendered fashion as a big deal, making it harder for ‘everyday’ people to do the same. If we see the outrage a man in a dress on the cover of Vogue causes, one who’s sheltered through celebrity ‘invincibility’, why would we feel safe subverting gender norms in our village, town, or city, unprotected by status? 

When men wear ‘women’s’ clothes such as skirts or cardigans, being labelled as effeminate

Image: Instagram @harrystyles

We can all see how gendered fashion has manipulated us into believing certain colours belong to certain genders. Boys have been frequently belittled for wearing ‘feminine’ colours such as pink or purple and girls perhaps labelled as a ‘tomboy’ if wearing darker more ‘masculine’ colours. This prevents stylistic freedom for the individual as they’re subconsciously leaning towards ‘acceptable’ colours. Patriarchal gender norms also saw the creation of the female ‘power suit’, circulating the idea that women’s fashion can only be seen as powerful if it’s adopted from the stereotypical man’s wardrobe. Consequently, women are left with a limited array of outfits to acquire respect or assert power. Power suits are often paired with heels, a suggestion that women still need to add a ‘feminine’ item to their outfit to not be perceived as too masculine, limiting women’s freedom to experiment with fashion items such as footwear. Judgment is also apparent when men wear ‘women’s’ clothes such as skirts or cardigans, being labelled as effeminate, not ‘manly’ enough.

Patriarchal gender norms also saw the creation of the female ‘power suit’

Image: Instagram @zendaya

I believe gendered clothing only causes limitations within self-expression, a way to preserve unhealthy gender stereotypes. A way to move forward would be explaining clothing in solely descriptive terms such as ‘a fitted shirt’ or ‘baggy jeans’ without categorising them into genders. People would not be swayed by stereotypes and eventually a world would be created where stylistic expression is not quelled by what a certain gender ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ wear but rather what outfits best expresses the individual in that moment. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ReLated Articles
magnifiercross
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap