Genderqueer fashion

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Genderqueer fashion style

Genderqueer fashion is fashion among genderqueer and nonbinary people that goes beyond common style conventions that usually associate certain colors and shapes with one of the two binary genders. Genderqueer fashion aims to be perceived by consumers as a fashion style that focuses on experimenting garments based on people's different body shapes instead of following the restrictions given by gendered clothing categorization.

Contents

Genderqueer style

Genderqueer style is the expression of an identity that does not conform to typical cultural and societal norms of gender through the expression of fashion, typically through the combination of (though not always) clothing and accessories originally designed for men and/or women. Though the impetus behind expressing a genderqueer or nonbinary identity through fashion is typically only the desire for self-expression, it may be seen as a political act in the society and culture in which the genderqueer person exists. [1]

The differentiation between gender norms through clothing came into more prominence and importance during the 19th century, mainly through the use of different fabrics, trims and constructions for different genders.[ clarification needed ] [2] These distinctions were meant to mirror gender roles in society as masculine clothing aimed to be practical while female fashion was perceived as purely aesthetic. [2] Despite the entrenchment of links between fashion and gender identity, gender expression today is recognized by the LGBT community as a very personal and subjective behaviour; genderqueer style is therefore intrinsically tied to identity, and as such, includes a vast range of aesthetics. [3] This expression of gender through fashion is seen as a fundamental aspect of both self-realisation and presentation, with changes in clothing often playing a key role in this realisation. [4] [5]

However, the presentation of a nonbinary or genderqueer identity through fashion often presents problems in societies wherein clothing is produced in a heavily gendered way, which often in turn reflect that society's interpretation of gender identity, meaning that the expression of a genderqueer identity is often politicised and restricted. In an article featuring gender non-conforming writer and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon, [6] Vaid-Menon posited that fashion represented the inherent politics of a person, with genderqueer and transgender people, whose existence is often politicised, being especially aware of this, particularly for people assigned male at birth, for whom the act of presenting femininely, through wearing dresses and makeup, is likely to attract unwanted attention. [6]

There's a material consequence to me presenting feminine, and there's not a material consequence to me presenting masculine, the minute I wear lipstick, or the minute I put on earrings, or the minute I'm wearing a skirt, my entire reality shifts. [6]

The heightened aspect of risk for nonbinary people assigned male at birth presenting their identity through fashion was emphasised in 2017 study from Davidson Skylar, showing that non-binary people assigned male at birth encountered more negative employment outcomes than non-binary people who were assigned female at birth, [7] a phenomenon considered to be an aspect of transmisogyny. [8]

Emerging designers

Most mainstream stores separate man and women clothing in different sections, making it difficult for genderqueer people to find clothes that fit. Genderqueer designers are trying to build a bridge between menswear and womenswear by meeting the clothing needs of all identities. For example, the clothing brand NO SESSO specializes in using different prints, fabric and reconstructed materials to dress various body types and gender identities. [9]

Sharpe Suiting is a fashion line that through a Kickstarter campaign was able to manufacture custom-constructed dresswear and a ready-to-wear line for a niche of masculine and androgynous people. [10] Its innovative feature consists in developing a system of measuring and tailoring techniques that minimize female curves of people who don't identify as women. This method is called andropometrics and is an androgynous alternative to the standard anthropometrics method used by most manufacturers. [11]

Maternity lines often include stereotypically feminine elements both in shapes and patterns, as motherhood and femininity are commonly considered to be matching. An alternative was offered by the startup company butchbaby & co, the first wear line for pregnant genderqueer individuals. [12] [13]

Global retail brands

Non-conforming fashion styles are gaining acceptance by a larger audience; for this reason, brands such as Zara and H&M are trying to offer unisex clothing lines to consumers by launching gender neutral collections. [14]

These collections are represented by female or male models only. [15] Also, these unisex products display an aesthetic typically considered masculine, both in shapes and colours (grey, beige and brown). [16]

High fashion modeling

Genderqueer fashion is being increasingly recognized by high fashion designers who are now showcasing it on their runaways. For example, during Moschino's Fall 2018 menswear and women's Pre-Fall show, Jeremy Scott presented a gender non-conforming look modelled by nonbinary model Oslo Grace and genderqueer drag queen Violet Chachki. [17] In Violet Chachki's words: "It's very important to have visual representation, to show that queers are important, queers are powerful, queers are beautiful, queers are valid, and you can't erase us".

Moreover, modeling agencies are starting to scout non-binary models. [18] This is the case of My Friend Ned; a South African agency that officially divides its models in male, female and non-binary sections.

Overall, genderqueer representation in the high fashion world appears to be growing and to be increasingly acknowledged by the media. Famous examples of genderqueer/non-binary models are Casey Legler, labelled as the world's first "female male model", Elliott Sailors, Rain Dove, Stas Fedyanin and Erika Linder. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

Heteronormativity is the belief that heterosexuality is the default, preferred, or normal mode of sexual orientation. It assumes the gender binary and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between people of opposite sex. A heteronormative view therefore involves alignment of biological sex, sexuality, gender identity and gender roles. Heteronormativity is often linked to heterosexism and homophobia. The effects of societal heteronormativity on lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals can be examined as heterosexual or "straight" privilege.

Femme is most often a term used to describe a lesbian who exhibits a feminine identity. It is sometimes used by feminine gay men, bisexuals, and transgender individuals. The word femme itself comes from French and means 'woman'.

Non-binary gender Range of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine

Non-binary or genderqueer is an umbrella term for gender identities that are neither male nor female‍—‌identities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities can fall under the transgender umbrella, since many non-binary people identify with a gender that is different from their assigned sex. Another term for non-binary is enby.

The following outline offers an overview and guide to transgender topics.

Gender expression, or gender presentation, is a person's behavior, mannerisms, interests, and appearance that are associated with gender in a particular cultural context, specifically with the categories of femininity or masculinity. This also includes gender roles. These categories rely on stereotypes about gender.

A gender bender is a person who disrupts or "bends" expected gender roles. Bending expected gender roles may also be called a genderfuck. Gender bending is sometimes a form of social activism undertaken to destroy rigid gender roles and defy sex-role stereotypes, notably in cases where the gender-nonconforming person finds these roles oppressive. It can be a reaction to, and protest of, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, or misandry. Some gender benders identify with the sex assigned them at birth, but challenge the societal norms that assign expectations of particular, gendered behavior to that sex. This rebellion can involve androgynous dress, adornment, behavior, and atypical gender roles. Gender benders may self-identify as trans or genderqueer. As academic theorists, gender benders may also craft software for wide release and shape "design of the future body" in order to subvert cultural norms and "increase the probability of more desirable futures happening".

Boi is slang within LGBT and butch and femme communities for a person's sexual or gender identities. In some lesbian communities, there is an increasing acceptance of variant gender expression, as well as allowing people to identify as a boi. The term has also been used as an alternate spelling for boy.

Gender binary is the classification of gender into two distinct, opposite forms of masculine and feminine, whether by social system or cultural belief.

Gender variance, or gender nonconformity, is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. People who exhibit gender variance may be called gender-variant, gender-non-conforming, gender-diverse,gender-atypical  or non-binary, and may be transgender or otherwise variant in their gender identity. In the case of transgender people, they may be perceived, or perceive themselves as, gender-nonconforming before transitioning, but might not be perceived as such after transitioning. Transgender adults who appear gender-nonconforming after transition are more likely to experience transphobic discrimination. Some intersex people may also exhibit gender variance.

LGBT linguistics is the study of language as used by members of the LGBT community. Related or synonymous terms include lavender linguistics, advanced by William Leap in the 1990s, which "encompass[es] a wide range of everyday language practices" in LGBT communities, and queer linguistics, which more specifically refers to linguistics overtly concerned with exposing heteronormativity. The former term derives from the longtime association of the color lavender with LGBT communities. "Language", in this context, may refer to any aspect of spoken or written linguistic practices, including speech patterns and pronunciation, use of certain vocabulary, and, in a few cases, an elaborate alternative lexicon such as Polari.

Androgyny is the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics into an ambiguous form. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression.

Gender systems are the social structures that establish the number of genders and their associated gender roles in every society. A gender role is "everything that a person says and does to indicate to others or to the self the degree that one is either male, female, or androgynous. This includes but is not limited to sexual and erotic arousal and response." Gender identity is one's own personal experience with gender role and the persistence of one's individuality as male, female, or androgynous, especially in self-awareness and behavior. Gender binary is one example of a gender system. A gender binary is the classification of sex and gender into two distinct and disconnected forms of masculine and feminine.

Gender policing is the imposition or enforcement of normative gender expressions on an individual who is perceived as not adequately performing, through appearance or behavior, the sex that was assigned to them at birth. Gender policing serves to devalue or delegitimize expressions that deviate from normative conceptions of gender, thus reinforcing the gender binary. According to Judith Butler, rejection of individuals who are non-normatively gendered is a component of creating one's own gender identity. Gender mainstreaming is a public policy concept, whereas gender policing is a more general social phenomenon.

Discrimination or prejudice against non-binary people, people who do not identify as exclusively male or female, may occur in social, legal, or medical contexts. Both cisgender and binary transgender people, including members of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities, can display such prejudice.

A gender neutral title is a title that does not indicate the gender identity, whatever it may be, of the person being formally addressed. Honorifics are used in situations when it is inappropriate to refer to someone only by their first or last name, such as when addressing a letter, or when introducing the person to others. By comparison, the traditional honorifics of Miss, Mrs, Ms and Mr all indicate the binary gender of the individual.

Alok Vaid-Menon American performance artist and LGBTQ rights activist

Alok Vaid-Menon is an American writer, performance artist, and media personality who performs under the moniker ALOK. Alok is gender non-conforming and transfeminine and uses singular they pronouns.

Cory Wade Hindorff is an American model, actor, singer, songwriter and LGBTQ activist and spokesperson. He is best known for placing in third place on the 20th cycle of America's Next Top Model, and being the first openly gay male participant in the show.

Sharpe Suiting is an American designer, producer and manufacturer of garments based in Los Angeles, California. The company was founded in 2013, in Los Angeles, by Leon Elias Wu, who is the current CEO of the company. Sharpe suiting is a public-benefit corporation recognized for gender neutral clothing and genderqueer fashion.

Non-binary or genderqueer is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine‍—‌identities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities can fall under the transgender umbrella, since many non-binary people identify with a gender that is different from their assigned sex. Another term for non-binary is enby. This page examines non-binary characters in fictional works as a whole, focusing on characters and tropes in cinema and fantasy.

References

  1. ↑ Brekke, Kira (24 April 2015). "Queer Fashion Is Not A Trend, 'It's A Social Movement'". Huffington Post.
  2. 1 2 Y, Kawamura, Fashion-ology: an introduction to fashion studies, Bloomsbury Academy, 2015, p. 124
  3. ↑ "Op-ed: How Queer Fashion Is Changing the World". 2 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Butler, Judith (1988). "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory". Theatre Journal. 40 (4): 519–531. doi:10.2307/3207893.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. ↑ B, Fine and E, Leopold, The World of Consumption, London: Routledge, 1993
  6. 1 2 3 Zulch, Meg. "Why My Outfit Choice Is Always Political". bustle.com.
  7. ↑ S, Davidson, Gender Inequality: Nonbinary Transgender People in the Workplace, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2016
  8. ↑ Serano, Julia. "Trans-misogyny primer" (PDF). juliaserano.com. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  9. ↑ "NO SESSO Is The Nonbinary Clothing Brand We're Stoked About".
  10. ↑ Nichols, JamesMichael (12 April 2015). "FABRICATIONS: Meet Queer Fashion Designer Leon Wu Of Sharpe Suiting" – via Huff Post.
  11. ↑ Nichols, JamesMichael (17 November 2014). "Sharpe Suiting To Design Clothing For Butch, Androgynous And Masculine-Of-Center Individuals" – via Huff Post.
  12. ↑ "Designing Maternity Clothes for Genderqueer Parents".
  13. ↑ "What Do Genderqueer Maternity Clothes Look Like?". 12 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "H&M Is Defying Gender Norms With Their New Unisex Denim Line". 10 March 2017.
  15. ↑ "Zara joins the gender fluid movement with new unisex range". 7 March 2016.
  16. ↑ La Ferla, Ruth (19 August 2015). "In Fashion, Gender Lines Are Blurring" – via NYTimes.com.
  17. ↑ "Violet Chachki on Walking the Moschino Runway and the Importance of Queer Visibility".
  18. ↑ Ferguson, Sian. "The Fashion Industry Needs to Stop Ignoring Non-Binary Models".
  19. ↑ "Models crossing gender lines in the fashion industry".
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