Clothes have been a part of human existence since the beginning of civilization itself and a need for aesthetics, probably has too. Something as dynamic as fashion though can hardly stray too far from controversy in as rigid a society as ours. Your clothes are like the cover of a book, a medium if you will, of judgment. The way we look is the way people perceive us. Society forms opinions, often wrong and judgemental ones, based on an unassuming piece of fabric, whether it is too long, short, transparent, opaque, or conforming to the gender you appear to present as.
However, I believe that when the world is such a diverse and colorful place, associating gender or character with clothes is borderline comical. On a closer examination of clothing norms, it is strikingly obvious that the very way we define gender seems to cling rather desperately to colors and fabric. The gender binary is so infused in our lifestyle that in fact, it can hardly be any more overbearing. From gendering colors, like pink for girls and blue for boys, to complete clothing styles like dresses and suits, nothing has been spared from falling into the rigid clutches of made-up gender roles. All the credit though must be given to patriarchy for structuring the world in a way that is so conducive to its existence. Unfortunately, therefore most of us have been conditioned to this reality and find it difficult to imagine anything even slightly deviant from the norm.
So when Harry Styles, a singer, and songwriter, appeared on the cover of Vogue, in nothing less than a fabulous dress and as the first solo male to do so, it is hardly surprising, though none the less disappointing, that it sent many conservatives and traditionalists in a real tizzy. Most notably were Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens, both American conservative political commentators who were seen mourning the death of “masculinity”. Apparently their version of which is fragile enough to be shattered by a guy wearing a dress. The irony in this whole debacle is that most pictures of Candace Owens online are of her sporting a blazer.
As is typical of most conservatives, they have attempted to completely twist the narrative. Claiming that an article of clothing is a direct attack or “referendum” on masculinity is ridiculous. No one praising Styles is forcing men to stop wearing clothes that are traditionally masculine, they are simply appreciating defiance of a norm that has no practical justifications whatsoever. Plus, at the end of the day, it is just a piece of clothing. How does gender even matter?
One of the major issues Owens had with the cover was that such behavior apparently encouraged the “feminizing of men.” This is a hugely problematic comment to even make and quite honestly, I do not see anything wrong with men possessing virtues traditionally associated with femininity. Especially since femininity is not a weakness and should never be perceived that way. That is plain misogyny. Masculinity and femininity are social constructs and people of all genders possess an amalgamation of traits that do not always conform to the norm of their gender and should not have to either.
It has been less than a month since International Men’s Day and instead of appreciating the diversity within their gender expression, we are still forcing men into these claustrophobic boxes of toxic masculinity. Manliness is not determined by the number of sports a man plays or his favorite color. Such things are so superficial and hardly a way to define someone. Let people, regardless of gender or sexual orientation wear and like whatever they want. Clothing does not make anyone gay or straight, or male or female. Anyone who believes otherwise has quite a shallow worldview.
As Kourtney Kardashian said to a crying Kim when she lost a diamond earring, “Kim. There’s people that are dying.” With a pandemic, deteriorating human rights, and a planet on its deathbed, I’m sure there are other more pressing matters to worry about, an abundance of them in fact.
That being said, something important that does come out of this is the fact that Harry Styles comes from a place of immense privilege as a white, cisgender man with a host of followers and celebrities to defend him. The nature of the attacks on the (absolutely fabulous) dressing of LGBTQIA+ people and especially the marginalized sections within it, is much more vicious and vile. They should have the freedom to express themselves too, their right to expression is what truly needs to be protected and celebrated.
Clearly, breaking gender norms requires a great deal of courage. The onus is now on our generation to de-stigmatize such things so that children who grow up after us can live in a world where their identity is not defined by the kind of clothes they choose to wear. Clothes, after all, are like the cover of a book and as we all know, to judge a book by its cover, is sacrilegious. So, to the person reading this, wear whatever you want, life is too short to waste wearing boring clothes anyway!