We judge people based on their clothing. True, our judgments are often inaccurate, and we cannot know everything about a person by looking at their outfit only. Yet our clothing inevitably sends a nonverbal message to others. The main message it sends? Our gender.
If you’re not familiar between the difference between sex and gender, it’s pretty easy to explain. Our sex is what’s between our legs, and our gender is what’s between our ears. My love for BKE jeans is not innate, nor is my desire for beautiful, long hair. I wear these jeans and style my hair because I’m acting out my gender. It really has nothing to do with my biological sex. From the day we are born, society starts to expect things from us, completely based on our gender. Girls will like dresses and pink. Boys will like trucks and the outdoors. It’s not always straightforward, and nobody completely fits under the umbrellas of masculine or feminine, but a general pattern is pretty easy to pick out.
How did you act out your gender today? Maybe you wore skinny jeans and jeweled flip-flops. Perhaps you spiral curled your hair. You might have worn earrings. Although there are many men who may have earring or long hair, these characteristics are still largely gendered as female.
We act out gender every day. Not all actions match up with our biological sex, but many of them are still likely gendered male or female. Think about how you act out your own gender. When we recognize why we do these small things, it gives us more power of them. Never feel obligated to wear a dress if you hate dresses! Hate fixing your hair? Cut it short! Don’t like fitted t-shirts? Stop wearing them! Know a guy that wears makeup? Stop judging him. Allowing flexibility with gender will make for a more equal society and a better world for everyone.