Articles tagged with "Diversity"

It's always great to see brands emerging with open minded attitudes towards clothing and gender. AFT-R Barcelona is a relatively new shoe brand who are now embracing genderless heels. It's a bold move for a relatively young brand, though their styles will certainly appeal to a large audience regardless of gender. With sizes from EU36 to EU44, there's clearly still some caution about the market for men with the absence of sizes above EU44, though it's still a welcome start and keeps the conversation going about heels for men.

From the article:

"AFT-R BARCELONA, a genderless shoe brand created in Barcelona in 2019 by Eric Turró and Alejandra Conesa, has always been known for advocating inclusion and diversity through footwear. Coinciding with its third anniversary, the project expands its family of products by adding the genderless high-heeled boot to its offer."

Original URL: https://fuckingyoung.es/aft-r-barcelona-launches-solemates-its-new-line-of-genderless-heeled-boots/

The TheIndusty.fashion website explores the reasons why more men are shopping in the women's department.

From the article:

"This increasing band of fashion-forward men are purchasing larger sizes in feminine womenswear and thanks to celebrities like Harry Styles and Lil Nas X, and designers like Marc Jacobs, men now have the “permission” to buy and wear womenswear as their own. From clothing to accessorises, these men are buying what they like, regardless of where is comes from, just as long as it fits."

“Where I’d like to see it trickle down more is the high street. I think certain brands are afraid of looking too feminine which could potentially ward off their key shopper, but I think that’s the beauty of online shopping there’s a space for everyone,” says Hobbs.

“THIS IS NOT A TREND. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A TREND,” says Glazin. “It's not something I just jumped on the bandwagon with, it's really because I want more out of my wardrobe. And I think I speak for every man who does the same. I truly think brands need to have more unisex sections in stores, there doesn't need to be segregated sections!” he says.

“As there’s a wave of more gender fluidity, there’s also less pressure to stick to clothing made for your gender. Womenswear has always had a lot more styles, shapes, fabrics, colours etc. so when considering the options it makes sense that some men are opting for more expressive pieces,”

"Clothing doesn’t reflect people’s sexuality anymore. The vast range of new role models has promoted an attitude of inclusivity."

Original URL: https://www.theindustry.fashion/crossing-the-floor-why-more-men-are-gravitating-towards-the-glamour-of-the-womenswear-department/

Before we can answer that question, some definitions may be useful.

1. Cross-dressing: is the act of wearing items of clothing not commonly associated with one's sex. Cross-dressing has been used for purposes of disguise, comfort, comedy, and self-expression in modern times and throughout history.

   Almost every human society throughout history has had expected norms for each gender relating to style, colour, or type of clothing they are expected to wear, and likewise most societies have had a set of guidelines, views or even laws defining what type of clothing is appropriate for each gender.

   The term "cross-dressing" refers to an action or a behaviour, without attributing or implying any specific causes or motives for that behaviour. Cross-dressing is not synonymous with being transgender.

   Another term for cross-dressing is Transvestitism. Someone who engages in Cross-dressing/Transvestitism is called a Cross-dresser(CD)/Transvestite(TV), although the term Transvestite is now commonly considered outdated and disrespectful. The term Transvestite (often shortened to the slang term "Tranny") was historically used as a slur against people who wore clothes of the opposite sex. Cross-dresser is now a much more accepted term. Cross-dresser was coined by the transgender community.

2. MtF and FtM Cross-dresser: A man who dresses in women's clothing is a male to female (MtF) cross-dresser. a woman who dressing in men's clothing is a female to male (FtM) cross-dresser. For women, the term is seldom used and the wearing of trousers/pants/men's shirts is often discounted as cross-dressing. This is because in our current society, male clothing is often considered gender-neutral. Therefore when someone uses the term "cross-dresser", the focus shifts mainly towards a MtF cross-dresser.

   With those definitions made, two additional points are important to recognise:

   a). Cross-dressing as it relates to Transgender: Wearing clothes intended for the opposite sex does not mean that the person identifies as the opposite sex. It is different from being Transgender or Transsexual. When transgender people dress according to their gender identity it is not necessarily the same as cross-dressing.

   It is important to know that a cross-dresser does not necessarily have body or gender dysphoria (gender dysphoria means feeling uncomfortable with their body and gender they were born with), they are perfectly happy with their gender assigned at birth and have no desire to change their sex, but simply enjoy being able to cross-dress from time to time. However, Transgender describes people who feel that their gender identity is different from their biological sex.

   Most transgender people do not appreciate being called cross-dressers, and for good reason. As they are wearing clothes of their own gender identity they consider themselves, and should be considered by others as the gender they are dressing in. A Transgender woman wearing women's clothes is not a cross-dresser, nor is she a drag queen. She is just a woman. Similarly, a Transgender man, wearing men's clothes is not a cross-dresser, nor is he a drag king. He is just a man.

   b). Cross-dressing as it relates to Drag: A cross-dresser should not be confused with drag queens/kings. Drag is a special form of performance art based on the act of cross-dressing. Drag queens are usually male performance artists who dress in female character. Drag Kings are mostly female performance artists who dress in male character.

Now, to get down to answering the question...

As gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people we can deconstruct that concept. While the term Cross-dresser works well for some people, as it has for years, for many others they do not feel that it works well for them. For non-binary or agender people (who don't identify with the gender binary of male & female) who want to wear certain clothes as part of their gender expression, feel that the term is obstructive and often offensive towards them. With the realisation that clothes have no gender, a skirt or a pair of trousers are essentially just coloured and textured fabric cut and sewn into a garment. The clothes know nothing of gender other than that assigned to them by their creator. The same, of course applies to shoes - high heels are not women's shoes... they are just high heels.

A growing number of people believe that today's socially constructed gender stereotypes don't serve us well in enabling fully inclusive gender expression that recognises our diversity. With the central fact that gender is a social construct, gender labelling of clothing is also a therefore also social construct and can equally be challenged and deconstructed. Gender labelling of clothing perpetuates the construct, but in more recent years this is slowly changing with manufacturers and retailers removing, or neutralising gender labelling on clothes and on signage in stores.

Manufacturers and retailers, now too numerous to mention, are also making items of clothing more traditionally intended for a single sex for both sexes, while recognising that the key differentiator is not actually our biological sex, but our body shape. Does the term cross-dresser still stand up when the clothes have no gender labels? Maybe not.

All clothing, of whatever shape, colour, texture or style has been worn by both sexes as normal daily wear at some point in history, so why do we have gendered clothing now? Visual communication is one of the many reasons we dress the way we do. Our gender identity is expressed visually through what we wear, as can be our social status or rank within an organisation. Sometimes our visual appearance, what we wear, make-up, hairstyle, skin colour, whether rightly or wrongly, can trigger others around us through our learned and often habituated social conditioning to make a judgement on how they should interact with us. Aside from organisational ranking, we should not treat people differently because of their appearance. Everyone is born equal and should be treated as such. Does what they wear really matter more than their actions and achievements as a person?

In conclusion, the term Cross-dresser is fine for a socially constructed world in which there is a gender binary, but it does not work well in a non-binary world where gender is expressed on a spectrum and where many believe that clothing has no gender to start with. When it comes to the use of the term today, if the logic used to describe a man in "women's" clothes as a crossdresser does not hold when applied to a woman wearing "men's" clothes - it's not logic, it's sexism.

When clothing has no gender there are no lines to "cross", hence no cross-dressing and why we therefore believe that the term cross-dresser is out-dated and should decline in use.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the speech made by Australian Labor MP Stephen Jones to Parliament during the debate on the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill.

Mr Jones talked about his Son's gender identity and revealed the grief that his family had borne from the suicide of his gay nephew. He implored the Prime Minister to see things from another point of view by putting himself into his son's heels.

This is an important story, which we will come back to again for more reports, as it highlights the front-line in creating legislation which removes discrimination and provides support for people who want to live their lives authentically and without compromise.

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/prime-minister-step-into-my-son-s-heels-labor-mp-20220208-p59uv0.html

A short press-release to cover the launch of Steve Madden's Inclusive sizing collection of shoes and boots in EU sizes 42-45. There are some great styles there. Check them out via our Retailer Directory at https://www.mens-heels-revolution.com/RetailerDirectory?Name=Madden

Original URL: https://www.so-pr.com/steve-madden-launches-inclusive-collection/

We are living the gender revolution, so why don't men wear skirts, make-up, fancy tops or high heels? NoKill magazine (@nokillmag) takes a deeper look at the construct we have built around gendered clothing and ultimately declares that it's time to degender fashion.

Original URL: https://www.nokillmag.com/articles/men-in-skirts-its-time-to-degender-fashion/

Vogue Business explores the issues around trans and non-binary inclusivity and how the fashion industry can take a lead in progression.

“Increasing Visibility of trans and non-binary models in advertising campaigns and catwalk shows also helps normalise gender inclusivity”

“The categories brands use to sell clothes also have an impact”... “Fashion has built up gender norms, so we need to de-gender fashion in general to move forward”.

Original URL: https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/how-fashion-can-lead-on-trans-and-non-binary-inclusion

This is a great article from Polyglot Group, a global Human Resources company and provides a perspective on gender equality in the work place.

• How does this relate to men in heels?!

"Equality is not just a women’s issue.

This is also the main message of #HeForShe, the UN Women campaign that sparked global debate about the place of men in contemporary feminism.

Launched in 2014, the initiative calls 'men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women to create a bold, visible and united force for gender equality'."

• How does this contribute to the slow pace of change in men's fashion?

"Today, traditional gender roles only serve to restrict people, confining them to stereotypes and tropes born out of an antiquated society and public consciousness.

In fact, the perpetuation of these stereotypes is largely how gender inequality and injustice have endured throughout human history."

• Why a man in heels visualises an important message for all...

"Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… it is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, not as two opposing sets of ideas."

Well worth a read.

Original URL: https://www.thepolyglotgroup.com/blog/gender-equality-is-a-two-way-street-balance-for-better/

Summary: Danish magazine DR reports on Danish department store, Magasin (@magasindunord), stocking the new range of inclusive sized shoes soon to be launched by @SteveMadden and how shoes in larger sizes benefit everyone regardless of gender.

"Every time you do something that creates a visible equalization of gender differences it will in the long run help to create more equality between the sexes"

This is a great article and reflective of change that is happening in the fashion footwear industry. Bravo both @SteveMadden and @magasindunord!!

Special thanks go to @gender_free_universe and @willgonzalez1726 for leads on this story.

Original URL: https://www-dr-dk.translate.goog/nyheder/kultur/snart-kan-du-finde-stiletter-i-stoerrelse-45-i-dansk-stormagasin-og-det-er-faktisk-en?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=nui