Androgynous Fashion Has Shattered All Barriers
We have spoken so much about androgynous fashion all through the course of the magazine. From history to gaining mainstream love, it has been a long way and a welcoming change. But, there is one thing that androgynous fashion has helped us achieve, a more safe and inclusive place for everyone.
‘That guy is wearing that, and that girl is wearing that, and every single person is wearing that, and that’s how people actually look all over the world, which is how I’ve been imagining the world in my head my whole life.’, Liberian-American fashion designer Telfar Clemens.
Fashion has become a form of expression for a lot of us. An art form that has made people believe in themselves. That has helped people embrace their bodies, fall in love with themselves and own their identities. But, when fashion puts restrictions and defines clothing according to gender, a concept that does not have a definition, there is a sense of disappointment.
But, androgynous fashion has shattered these norms and has given people a medium to play with their creativity and lead into a path of self-exploration.
People have found strength and liberty, and their sartorial choices have become a way of telling the world their statements. A way to create their own stories irrespective of what the norms are. Breaking stereotypes and loving oneself has never been easier and better as it is today.
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The Big Players Get Involved
It is a matter of concern that how everyone involved in the business also perpetrates these same stereotypes. The gender restrictions that the society quotes are always noticeable on the windows of popular brands. While now, with the increasing popularity of androgynous fashion, brands and designers are getting into making more and more gender-neutral fashion. Fashion that is fluid and is applicable for everyone.
However, we have had women and men using each other’s costumes outside. There were men who loved make-up and women who preferred suits over dresses. However, the problem was how society disabled this choice of theirs.
The issue is not as trivial as you think. When a typical woman goes on to buy something from the ‘men’ section, it was highly unlikely that she would find her fit. People who did not identify as a woman or a man had to go through the painful process of picking a side.
Fashion designers and all these popular brands believe that this is the size of a woman. These are the colors that are for a girl, and a boy would not like them. However, now this is changing.
Brands like Wild Fact, Telfer, 69, Tibi, Wales Bonner are brands exclusively based on Androgynous Fashion. This is a welcome change in an industry that is always criticized for becoming inaccessible for the general public and meeting their demands. And, when the big players get involved, the change is here to stay!
No More Fitting Into Sizes
Showing her creative side, and owning her presence, we have the beautiful and intriguing @shaytanna__ on pages 16-17 of this edition. Don't miss her!
Photo Credits: @rasian.pics#bodyart #wmh #worldmodelhunt #edition #publish #promote #androgynous pic.twitter.com/UCl7IQGl1p
— WorldModelHunt (@WorldModelHunt) September 21, 2021
Now, with more and more people embracing their bodies, fashion models are also going for a gender-neutral fit. Anybody can wear any sort of dress, and that would put fit them perfectly. The notion that women’s bodies are delicate and they have asserted curves that are not fit for men is no more a rule. This has made people realize that their size needs to fit specific numbers established by a clothing brand. They can find fits for themselves at any place. They need not be the right size to wear something.
Androgynous fashion has given expression to many gender non-conforming people who wish to present their art in the form of fashion. People who do not have to be labeled as a gender. People who have masculine and feminine characteristics.
This is also a reassuring fact that we as a society are warming up to concepts that have been alien to us for decades. We are becoming a more liberating society, where we can have everyone coexist the way we want. The rise of androgynous fashion does not mean that you cannot own your own traits, be it conventionally feminine or masculine. It simply means that you need not be ashamed not to own it.
There should be no guilt related to the choice you make and the clothes you wear. It is your form of expression, and you are free to do it. Free of judgments, free of gazes, free of restrictions, and free of any questions. Androgynous is just a step ahead in the long race to making life choices easier for everyone involved, irrespective of the privilege!
The article was first published on the WMH magazine, check the magazine here.
