Gender Identity in Fashion Technology

Male Fashion

As a male who is into the fashion industry, I have always looked at fashion and thought to myself that the idea of fashion and the industry itself is more of a field that piques the interest of Females. And it seemed as everywhere I looked it is always woman models, one does not hear much about a man who models or designs unless it is a big-name brand. Men have made their mark on fashion just as females have in the industry. Fashion is a great way to express oneself. This technology allows people to say things without saying anything. The number of big designer brands that have been founded by men; the list goes on. From Ralph Lauren to Dolce and Gabbana. Both of which also offer women's clothing along with their line of men's clothes.

The academic journal I will be focusing on for this men's section of fashion and authorship is called, "Fashioning Masculinity: Social Identity and Context in Men’s Hybrid Masculinities through Dress". This article analyzes how men from all ages, races, ethnicities, sexualities, social classes, and occupations make dress decisions in their personal and work lives. The author explores how there is an intersection between fashion, social identities, gender practice. Ben Barry does this by introducing three ways men do hybrid masculinities based on the extent to which they associate with hegemonic masculine ideals and the extent to which those ideals shape their contexts. This study is based on interviews on men done in Toronto, Canada. A quote from the findings of the article states, "Irrespective of their various constellations of privilege, men concealed feminine performances because failing to do so could put them personally and professionally at risk. However, the extent to which they deviated from masculine dress depended on their social locations and social contexts" (Barry p. 658). A lot of the time, menswear does not see gender and vice versa for female fashion. That is essentially what this journal looks at. Men who disavowed feminine dress were a part of the most privileged social classes and professions. They essentially did not want to relinquish their image by dressing or looking a certain way. On the other hand, men who reigned-in feminine dress were able to comfortably say so and they primarily worked in contexts associated with status. In these environments they were able to express whatever without any fear. And in which moderate expressions of men’s femininity could be valued. I highly recommend taking a look at the chart provided in the journal as you can find that here.

The image on the left is a look from Thom Browne from the show they had in 2018. Image is from Vogue. While the image on the right is from the Dolce Gabbana Men's Spring/Summer fashion show last year. The image from a site called NumeroThailand where the showcased the show. Anyway, as you can see both outfits can be worn by anyone. That is the beauty of fashion as one can mix and match with any style they want. But more importantly, it is a way to express your identity as you choose without having to use words, you just strut your stuff!

Here is the Dolce and Gabbana Spring/Summer show from last year. With a variety of different looks and a variety of different people showcasing their stuff. If the video does not work, the link is here.

Female Fashion

There is much more to fashion other than just choosing the clothes you out on when you wake up in the morning. Above, we looked at the clothing part, for the female portion we will be analyzing more of the modeling aspect. Again, there are also so many models of both genders. But on the surface, it has always seemed to be a largely dominated female industry.

Fashion Modeling has always been something where people think higher of all the pretty girls and boys, they see on tv or in magazines. A quote from "Sociology of Fashion: Order and Change" discusses how societies use or see fashion, "most societies use clothing to define class- and occupation-based identities. Social groups such as subcultures have been identified as being a highly relevant site for the exploration of fashion and its relationship to lifestyles and identity. Nevertheless, the expression of identity through fashion remains ambivalent, mostly because interpreting fashion is loaded with uncertainty" (Aspers, Godart p. 16). This article offered another very interesting point. The fact that yes anything can be worn but it is still open to interpretation from others and sometimes it is not always certain. This is because one can interpret it in so many ways, like where you are from or your social class and even someone's sexuality. But in reality, really only the person that is wearing the outfit knows the story behind it. The article talked about gives background on the origin of fashion, but then really gets into the culture and the meaning of the clothes we wear.

The above picture is from the Gucci release in 2015 (Photo: Gucci A/W_15-16/Release). This was a big step for gender fluid fashion as Gucci is a huge worldwide designer fashion brand. From the shoes they are wearing on their feet to the accessories they have on their hands, there is so much to amplify with what is being worn. With all these brands, not just Gucci, but so many other large brands like Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga using both women and men to demonstrate gender fluidity in what is worn in their shows. Inspiring all sorts of people, the express their identity with what they wear.

Above is the show from 2015-2016 season for Gucci. Where the designer made a huge leap for gender fluid fashion. That video can be found here. Designers have been opening doors and taking on expressing yourself through fashion for quite some time. Once this first stared and took off, a lot of designers followed suit. When gender identity came into play for fashion, designers saw an opportunity to make some money and also help people express themselves in what they wear.

The Argument: Bridging the gap Between Gendered Fashion

With the links between what is being worn in the fashion community for both male and female work, why is expressing one's identity through dress still seem to be controversial? The fashion industry is growing larger and larger every day. And people should feel free to design and dress however they feel. Expressing identity through dress offers people a route a lot do not go a whole lot in wearing what they want to. That is why fashion is such an interesting technology to begin with. Now that there is some information on both male and female fashion. Them together work as a whole different entity. So, the argument is bridging the gap between gendered fashion and expressing that it is ok to wear YOUR style. Because I have seen and heard way too many times people judging people on what they wear or jumping to conclusions about their identity.

The view of fashion is further advanced not only in clothes that people wear, but also in various other products like shoes. As they show an expression of art form and empower the wearer of the fashion. Jewelry is also incorporated into self-identity. This is because one can see how bodily adornments enhance self-identity and social position and give the individual a certain stature. In all such instances, the wearer looks to a combination of clothes, jewelry, shoes, and other adornments as objects of desire and fulfillment, enhancing the somatic value for the consumer (Deschenes p. 467). All aspects of fashion are different for every gender. For example, a male wearing rings is seen as 'gay' because rings are, as society looks at it, something only a woman should wear. I will say, I myself wear rings because it offers a unique look and amplifies my fashion sense. People have said things to me about it but at the end of the day it looks good, and I can wear what I want!

It was interesting seeing this article and making connections to gender and identity. People go out and want to look good or not and that is what I viewed in this ted talk. How important fashion is to some people to show an identity. We all want to be seen and we all want to be attractive. So much goes into what makes an "outfit". The link is here

Now, this video talks a lot about how fashion and identity are related and not so much about gender. But after reading all of these academic journals and doing research on specifically gender identity fashion does do that for some people. In the video she says that finding your true personal style means that you have to find style that is in tune to you. So, in the argument of bridging the gap between gendered fashion, connections between male and female fashion for me I often see someone wearing something interesting and think, good for them for not caring what others think freely express themselves in whatever they wear. That is a lot of the time not the case because people can see that and think it goes against their views on what is ok to wear or not. But at the end of the day the fashion industry is embracing it hard and so should everyone else.

To leave the blog with this, a quote from my last source, "As a material and cultural artifact, fashion has been instrumental in defining the self— whether consciously or unconsciously. In this discussion, our aim has been to question key assumptions about the nature of fashion, its relationship to modernity, and its presumption of change" (Buckley, Clark p. 28). With an ever so changing industry, we as people also have to change with it and redefine what fashion is. Knowing without a doubt in our minds that people can wear what they want to and express their gender identity. Despite if a clothing item is seen as only something a female will wear or only guys cloths. Fashion can be taken in so many directions to form a look and the gap between male and female fashion shouldn't restrict that.