There are countless LGBTQ+ musical style icons who express themselves through bold clothing, hair, makeup and overall style choices. Among them are Tyler the Creator, Lil Nas X and Miley Cyrus. Their aesthetics range from bright and bold to feminine and funky. One thing is for sure: they each have individualized styles that give them their iconic reputations in pop culture.
Tyler, the Creator and Lil Nas X are prime examples of black LGBTQ+ singers who have stood out for their unique styles. Tyler, the Creator is often seen wearing colorful suits and loud prints. He created a clothing line, Golf Wang, which is mainly streetwear patterned with vibrant, cartoon-like designs and has collaborated with huge companies like Converse. Most notably, he regularly challenges the typical ideals of masculinity by sporting blonde wigs and painted nails. Tyler, the Creator is a style icon, especially for the skating and streetwear community. His versatility is what makes him truly stand out.
Lil Nas X is another LGBTQ+ style icon who has blown up in the past few years. His go-to look puts a spin on a typical western outfit, complete with cowboy boots and a hat. He makes this style his own by incorporating neon colored or shiny materials into his traditional western outfits. Lil Nas X is known to stand out in a crowd with his experimental looks, which he carefully crafts with his stylist, Hodo Musa. One of his more recent ventures is his partnership with designer Christian Cowan for his Spring 2021 collection. The collaboration revives the punk look through spiky hair and graphics while also giving light to a more glam look with glitter and latex. It is seen being modeled by various members of the LGBTQ community, which Lil Nas X says is a cause that is important to him. One of my favorite looks is one Nas X modeled himself, which was a light pink, satin suit with matching pink glitter covering his body and spiked hair.
On a more drastic note, Miley Cyrus has gone through one of the biggest style transformations of the 10s. Shifting from an innocent, toned down look in the early days of Disney stardom to radical, outlandish outfits, her style has been a hot topic of conversation. She debuted a blonde pixie cut in 2012, which some could say sparked a new era of style for Cyrus. The years following featured her in a bizarre one-piece fuzzy suit, along with a unitard with marijuana leaves during her Bangerz tour in 2014. There was also a series of scandalous, wild outfits at awards shows and concerts. Her next style phase was a drastically toned down version of herself, with casual and relaxed outfits taking over her wardrobe. The most recent version of Cyrus can be seen sporting a rocker glam style by wearing black leather, sequined tops and a bleached blond mullet with bangs, similar to Dolly Parton’s signature look. There’s no telling what comes next in her cycle of changing styles.
Tyler, the Creator, Lil Nas X and Miley Cyrus are just some of the musical style icons who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. They all have chosen to express themselves in unique and memorable ways that will not be forgotten and will influence pop culture for years to come.