All clothing is androgynous
All clothing is androgynous
anyone can wear any piece of fabric
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Recently, one of my Instagram followers commented on a video part of my long-running series ‘Style this androgynous fit with me’ and asked me: what makes this outfit androgynous?
It was a fair question, given I was wearing a dress and bold makeup which are typically perceived to be exclusively feminine. However my answer was still quite simple:
Despite those on the far-right who tout that a man in women’s clothing is a sin, in reality, all clothing items are androgynous. It doesn’t matter what section the item was purchased in, what colour it is or how ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ it is. Clothing is inherently androgynous. It is what we project onto clothing, that makes it gendered.
In humanity’s most ancient civilizations, shirts were worn on all sides of the gender binary. Back then, skirts could even be a symbol of masculinity and power. Whether someone was fighting, building, farming or engaging in a religious ritual, skirts were cheap and efficient to use. Short skirts were worn among soldiers from the height of the Roman Empire and were considered proof of virility, and allowed for swiftness in combat.
Now, we view skirts as feminine, something only women can wear. But is that true? Can only a woman put on a skirt?
Of course not. Every article of clothing is nothing more than a piece of fabric that can technically be put on any person’s body. If you put a skirt on a man’s body, he won’t suddenly catch on fire or spontaneously combust. If a woman wears a suit, her vagina won’t magically disappear. G-d forbid, a gender-diverse person get to wear what they please!
The rules that segregate clothing choices based on gender are entirely constructed from socialized gender norms. Based on irrational and incomprehensible reasoning, only certain people are ‘allowed’ to wear certain items. So much so, that we restrict certain items from being widely available to the public. Try to find a plus-size sequin skirt that is meant to fit a man’s body. Spend no less than 5 hours flipping through online shops, and you MIGHT be able to find a pair of shorts for young women that are more than 2 inches long (yet you will be called a slut for wearing them). After a 10 hour search, you may uncover one size-inclusive adaptive clothing range. It took me personally TWO YEARS to find a pair of denim shorts that fit my curvy body that were 5 inches long.
The rules we have constructed about who can wear what are completely arbitrary and benefit no one. They only serve to make certain clothing available to some, and inaccessible to a large part of the population.
Dreaming of non-binary fashion
A world in which fashion is less gendered and more accessible would mean more freedom for everyone. No longer would we attach ourselves to arbitrary social norms, but could be free to look and express ourselves in whatever way feels correct.
I dream of an alternative shopping scenario that is nothing like the painful experience of North American women with inconsistent sizes across stores and poor functional options. I dream of a scenario that is perhaps based on the body’s measurements, or a size range of 1-20 for all body types. I dream of a world where I can easily buy a suit or a basic button-down shirt, wear a person with a dick can find a pretty dress that fits them, and wear disabled and plus size individuals are included.
So, to the person who asked me what makes this outfit non-binary, I guess my answer would be that it’s nothing specific other than all outfits are made of fucking fabric which in my mind, anyone can wear.
❓Do you think a world of genderless fashion is possible? How do you visualize it coming to fruition?
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» Down the Pipeline
In the next month, I’ll be discussing fast fashion, left-wing antisemitism, what October 7 taught me about being Jewish, and begin a post series on the debate: is antizionism antisemitism? Stay tuned & subscribe to let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like to learn about.