Fashion trends become genderless as androgyny takes over

Shoes are a staple for every outfit as well as one of the first fashion items to go gender-fluid. While sizes may vary in gendered norms, fashion consumers break the rules in wearing whatever style of footwear they would like. | Photo by Sydney Rose

Fashion fads can come and go, but one style many trendsetters in the fashion industry have taken as their own that may stick around for a bit is the concept of genderless fashion.

Whether this means someone identifies as a woman and shops in the men’s section at stores, or that designers start making more androgynous styles for the runway that any gender can enjoy, fashion is no longer just sorted by men and women.

“I like the way men’s pants fit me better, and at the same time I just really love having constant Harry Styles vibes,” said McKenzie Misiaszek wearing orange pants she found in the men’s section while shopping.

Misiaszek is sporting orange pants she bought from the men’s section of a store to resemble Harry Styles. | Photo by Sydney Rose

Icons like Prince and Katherine Hepburn have been fighting against gender norms in their fashion for a while now, according to the University of Fashion. But, as the gender-fluid style trends more in this day in age, celebrities such as Jaden Smith or Harry Styles are fighting toxic masculinity in wearing traditionally female clothing pieces like skirts and dresses.

We can see examples of women wearing styles that are traditionally designed for men, like three-piece suits. Blake Lively during her 2018 press tour for A Simple Favor wore almost exclusively suit styles like her character does in the movie, and according to Esquire, does it better than some men.

Many following the trend of androgyny look towards Harry Styles fashion looks for inspiration. A large part of androgynous fashion breaking through as a big deal is the connotations that come when male-identifying people dress with a more feminine flair, according to Zipped magazine.

“What women wear. What men wear. For me it’s not a question of that,” Styles said in an interview with The Guardian.

Many T-shirts come in ‘men’s fit’ and ‘women’s fit’ but can easily be interchangeable between whoever is the one wearing the item. | Photo by Sydney Rose

Connotations can be society’s preconceived notions of toxic masculinity or expectations that men can’t have a good style or else their sexuality will be thrown into question.

The Harvard Business Review conducted research on this matter in seeing how men view masculinity in fashion. Many workplaces or dress-coded events require masc-presenting conformity in men and gender-fluid fashion choices challenge that.

More men now are comfortable wearing jewelry and accessories with their outfits on a day-to-day basis, even if objects like earrings or necklaces could be deemed more feminine by society.

“For me, it was kind of like, I liked how (the hoops) looked, it was a personal preference of mine to get my ears pierced,” said Armando Yanez on getting his ears pierced. “I don’t tie accessories to masculine or feminine, they’re just accessories.”

Piercings in men can be an example of how gender does not need to come to play in accessories as well as clothing items. | Photo by Sydney Rose

An important keyword in social media now, especially as TikTok blows up more as time goes on, lies in one idea; ‘gender envy’.

Many comments on TikTok videos of creators sporting androgynous fashion include viewers carrying this ‘gender envy’. This term relates more to modern slang of wishing you looked like a perspective of someone else’s gender, according to HeroRise.

Modern takes on gender-fluid fashion have different shapes and silhouettes for outfits no matter what gender identity the wearer takes. Androgyny is made to where no outfit has to be specified by gender norms set by society in what is feminine or masculine.

As fashion progresses, fads come and go, but the trend of genderless fashion has androgyny holding out a long run of fashion evolution over time increasing and showing no sign of going away.

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