On De-gendering Fashion
By Maya Zealey
Fashion has always been about more than clothes. Often used to push back against society, it has a long history of resistance and rebellion. Social movements often rely on emblematic uniforms to capture their audience’s attention and convey their messages; the berets worn by the Black Panthers or the white dresses with a sash worn by Suffragettes are two famous examples. Even today, slogan tees are popular (and often problematic) ways to signal allegiance to a social cause. Thus, fashion is not just an artistic expression of whom we are as individuals, but can also be a socio-political expression emblematising distinct societal groups.
So what does it say about our society that, in every clothing shop, space is literally sectioned off by gender? To have an art form as foundational to our individual expression as fashion consistently gendered suggests that we continue to adhere rigidly to the gender-constructive rulebook. We may think we live in a world lightyears ahead of the one where it was illegal for women to wear trousers, but really, fashion norms and clothing options for people are still highly gendered. In an example from my own life, it took years of consistent student campaigns for the board of my secondary school to allow girls to wear trousers to school; this policy, in fact, was enacted only as recently as 2019. However, there it would still absolutely not be allowed for male students to wear a skirt or dress. School uniforms (but also all clothing) are still divided by gender, an element to them that seems unnecessarily impractical, and somewhat archaic.
The gender binary that exists in fashion mirrors the binary that exists in the minds of most in our society. Even those who understand the way gender is constructed often believe in the natural occurrence of a binary of sexes; that humans can only be either male or female. This understanding completely ignores those that are intersex, a not-insignificant population of roughly 1.7% of our society.
De-gendering fashion offers an easy, creative way to naturalise a non-binary understanding of gender or sex. De-gendering fashion also allows everyone the opportunity to be expressive, creative, and bold in their fashion choices, without facing stereotyping or discrimination as a result. Clothing has no gender, and right now we’re giving it a power that it doesn’t need. People should be free to wear whatever they want, without the need to justify why or explain their gender identity to others.
One of my favourite voices in the de-gender fashion space is Alok Vaid-Menon (they/them) who is an author, poet, speaker, and absolute fashion icon! Their Instagram page provides both deeply personal and educational content about gender, history, and fashion whilst also providing great inspiration for bold and unapologetic fashion.
Sustainable style is about using fashion for the good of people and planet, and the ability to look and feel good without supporting the exploitation and planetary degradation that comes with fast fashion. It empowers us to find personal style away from trends dictated by the establishment, liberates us from overconsumption, and is revolutionary in its rejection of a capitalism based on exploitation. There is nothing empowering, liberating, or revolutionary about a highly-gendered rulebook that dictates who can engage with what styles, patterns, or colours. De-gendering fashion is the next step in a long history of fashion's rebellion against oppressive laws or norms. We should all be encouraging a de-gendering of this art to reject society’s oppressive understanding of gender norms. Life will undoubtedly be freer and more beautiful if part of our sustainability is creating a world where all people are free to engage with the beauty and art of what they wear.
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