Articles tagged with "Gender Neutral"

Josh Sims writing for Sphere magazine explores the topic of gender and how it's re-shaping the fashion industry as we once knew it.

From the article:

"Recent years have seen the progressive fashion world look to break away from the age-old binary paradigm of clothing for men and clothing for women, one which shapes how clothing is designed, made, marketed and sold, and which in turn can shape how people think about themselves."

"The shift, of course, has come in parallel with an often-controversial discussion in the wider culture about gender identity."

"in seeking to deconstruct the gender bias of its products, the fashion industry is also following in the footsteps of other huge industries: toys, bedding and cosmetics, for example. It’s an ethical, intellectual and, perhaps above all, an experimental exercise: just why do we continue to define certain products by gender? Should clothing be without gender, or, conversely, even seek to cater to a multiplicity of genders?"

Original URL: https://www.spherelife.com/gender-fluid-fashion-brands-uk

This Gotham magazine article features the debut of Christian Louboutin's "Our Angels" range of Gender-Neutral heels in inclusive sizing.

"Famed French luxury designer Christian Louboutin hears the cry for genderless shoes and styles"

"The styles are bold, to be sure, but in a wide range of sizes, they leave room for every big personality, regardless of gender identity or expression."

"You might want to try the leopard-print stage boots, made from kid leather and pony hair in brown."

"each aims to blend elegance and edge with a personal sense of self-expression."

"The shoes will range in sizes from 36 to 46, becoming the fashion house’s most extensive size range to date."

We think they look amazing. We'd love to hear what you think!

Original URL: https://gothammag.com/christian-louboutin-genderless-our-angels-boots-bags

Today, we take a look back to 2020 and a Harpers Bazaar magazine interview with Harris Reed (@Harris_Reed), the then up and coming designer who is now probably best known for styling Harry Styles for the cover of Vogue magazine. That moment was a pivotal moment in Harris's career as it instantly catapulted him into the spotlight.

"I’d like to eradicate the categories of menswear and womenswear,” Reed says. “Fluidity offers an alternate way of being, crossing and merging masculine and feminine.”

Harris certainly has a way of making what we would normally call feminine styles and presenting them in a way in which we can call them gender neutral. He is definitely one to watch for the re-shaping of the fashion world we currently know.

...and if that's not enough gender-bending non-binaryness for you, to take a look at @FluidByHarrisReed for his curated collection of classic gender-bending looks from the stars.

Original URL: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a34458195/gender-fluid-fashion-harris-reed-no-sesso-art-school/

Inspired by Celestial beings like Marc Bolan and David Bowie Christian Louboutin brings us this new, bold and glam gender-neutral capsule collection in sizes 36-46. The article links to TikTok profiles showing the boots being worn, but you can also find these inspirational people here on Insta... Young Emperors (@young_emperors), Josef Michael (@josefmichael_), Bad Kid (@badkidhq), Lexson Millington (@lexsonator), Abby McEverson (@abxgvxl_)

Christian Louboutin comments on his new collection... "What I like about angels is that they don’t have gender but are still very sensual"

Where top designers lead, it is usual for the rest of the market to follow suit. Let's hope this great collection keeps the pace of change moving in the right direction.

Original URL: https://theface.com/style/louboutin-our-angels-tiktok-young-emperors-bad-kid

Stylus Media Group, an industry think-tank founded in 2009, reports on the collaboration between Jimmy Choo (@jimmychoo) and Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) to create heels for men in sizes up to US 15.

"While drag performers can find well-fitting footwear at specialised stores and retailers, many others including transgender women can often struggle to find appropriate heels in larger sizes. Reuters reports that transgender women can often be forced to “choose between more masculine styles and the hyper-sexualised designs of specialist retailers – with nothing in between.” Jimmy Choo and Porter’s collaboration taps into this market gap, providing more versatility in terms of sizing as well as everyday options, like classic heeled boots and suede pumps."

It is surely now only a question of time before the mainstream designers and retailers follow suit.

Original URL: https://www.stylus.com/unisex-heel-line-backs-fashions-blurred-binary

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.

Fashion United highlights how more major brands are championing gender-fluid, unisex or polysexual fashions. Broader inclusion and divergence from traditional binary clothing ideas can only lead to greater societal acceptance of self-expressive styles, deconstruction of gender norms and broader availability in the future.

Original URL: https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/gender-neutral-fashion-fluidity-as-freedom/2021020453377

Forbes Magazine reports on our use of language when it comes to Gender. We often use language habitually, built up through social interaction and education, but small changes in the way we use language can go a long way to making minority groups feel included in the conversation.

Original URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/07/08/how-to-use-gender-neutral-language-and-why-its-important-to-try/?sh=129f9aff26ba

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

Dapper Confidential (@dapperconfidential) looks at the current trend for Men’s heels, contrasting against previous times when heels for men were popular and offers some great tips for what and how to wear higher heels today.

Original URL: https://www.dapperconfidential.com/feelin-high-mens-heels-are-back/

This article from Catholic University's "The Tower" newspaper asks if we're entering a new era in gender neutral fashion, centred around recent coverage of @HarryStyles' non-binary style. It looks at the origins of gender non-conforming fashion and why it is gaining in popularity now.

Original URL: http://cuatower.com/2021/11/does-harry-styles-mark-a-new-era-in-gender-neutral-fashion/

Quartz looks at how gender lines are blurring in the Fashion industry. Originally published in 2015, it's clear that although the topic has been on the agenda for a while, there is still a long way to go. The article does acknowledge that the constraints around what men and women wear are loosening and with lines from numerous retailers now clearly making clothes of interest to non-binary and androgynous buyers, they have at least set the wheels in motion.

Original URL: https://qz.com/381790/sex-and-gender-arent-perfectly-binary-why-should-clothes-be/

MyBest ranks the top 10 best heels for men in the UK in 2021. Written in March of this year we can now look back and ask whether higher heels for men have been delivered. The trend is definitely moving in the right direction, and with many styles selling out fast, we can say they have delivered for sure. For some potential buyers though heel heights have still to reach the heights they desire to achieve the fashion aesthetic they desire. Independent shoe creators are still crucial in this area, but the higher heels go in the mainstream, the marginal styles will be sure to follow.

Original URL: https://mybest-gb.uk/10651

This article from Medium goes looks back at the way we used to dress and how societal norms have changed around the association of certain items of clothing and colour with specific genders. What was normal only 150 years ago is now considered by conservatives to undermine masculinity in today's society. The article concludes that today's genderless and gender-neutral fashion is starting to change the way we think about the clothes we wear and what they mean.

Original URL: https://historyofyesterday.com/yes-men-used-to-wear-dresses-high-heels-and-colour-pink-280dd5fa03bc

Harry Styles blazes a trail for gender neutral dressing. The Guardian newspaper talks about the interview he did for Vogue and how he loves to play with clothes without any self-limiting beliefs about gender, although his style is not without its critics.

Original URL: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/nov/17/how-harry-styles-became-the-face-of-gender-neutral-fashion

British newspaper The Guardian takes a look at the music and style icon that was Prince. Always more than a musician and singer, Prince spoke about himself through his style, which most notably included his trademark high heeled boots and where Prince led, others followed.

Original URL: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/apr/22/prince-how-his-androgynous-style-influenced-fashion

In this new video, Karl (@inkarlcerating) takes us through 6 options for styling long boots...

1. Skirts
2. Tunics
3. Oversize T Shirts
4. Asymetric Pieces
5. Coats & Blazers
6. Shorts

...and while high fashion/avant garde styles may not be accessible to everyone, we can certainly take much inspiration from Karl’s suggestions in this awesome video.

Original URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53OteK16Xr0

Meet @henrybae and @shaobohan, the creators of @shopsyro, the gender-nonconforming shoe brand here to cater for the new demographic of men and gender-nonconforming people who want to wear high heels. @evanrosskatz interviews Henry and Shaobo who give us the low-down on the brand that's there for those in search of "something to give them a more cunty experience on the street."

Original URL: https://www.allure.com/story/syro-shoes-high-heels-for-men-gender-nonconforming-people

This article from The Irish Times explores gender neutral fashion, highlight how London based icon Selfridges introduced Agender, a new brand of gender-neutral clothing and how it desexualises fashion. The article concludes "When all traces of lust are wiped from the equation, when fashion is stripped down to the bare bones, genderless clothing isn't even about the man or the woman wearing it: it's about the person inside. Which is all that should really matter."

Original URL: https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/fashion/gender-neutral-fashion-for-everyone-1.2177032?mode=amp

The fashion industry carefully considers itself in light of the progressive movement in gender identity & gender expression as it relates to fashion. Unisex and gender free, with inclusion & diversity on the agenda are seeing a rise in the number of genderless brands and with 56 percent of generation-Z consumers shopping "outside their assigned gendered area", there is a call to respond accordingly. The article illustrates how many retailers are responding to change and adapting to increase in demand for non-binary fashion items.

Original URL: https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/genderless-fashion-future-of-industry-1203381685/