Queen Paula, female D.J., is ready to rumble in this
camouflage outfit.
-Carlington Wilmot photo
Alicia Roache, Staff Reporter
IN MODERN society the gender lines at least where it concerns fashion have become blurred. Men find it is OK to enter the female-dominated world of high fashion, manicures and pedicures, art and style without losing their status as 'real men'. Conversely, women are adopting male fashions without a corresponding loss of femininity. They wear baggy pants and Timberland shoes or tailored suits trim their hair, are CEOs, politicians, drive powerful SUVs and purchase and consume cigarettes and alcohol traditionally masculine products.
The changes have been a long time coming. The influence of the Women's Rights and the Women's Liberation movements of the 1920s and 1960s respectively have undoubtedly had an impact on gender roles and, consequently, prescribed dress codes. According to Brittanica Online "The Women's Liberation Movement's major accomplishments include not only legal, economic, and political gains, but also changes in the way people live, dress, dream of their future, and make a living".
WOMEN WEARING PANTS?
In the 1920s, when feminist women discarded their corsets and started wearing pants, it was a symbolic casting off of prescribed gender norms. The change in the male wardrobe eventually came, but it was not as dramatic and not as final. Their clothing was not about expressing individuality and style; it was not considered a symbol of social restrictions. However, it was not colourful, it was not attention seeking, it was not self-conscious, nor was it risky (or risqué).
Since then, though, men's wear has changed subtly. The cut of a man's suit has adopted an undeniable flair, the soles of his shoes have risen an inch or two off the ground, his ties have grown wider at the ends and his trousers inched closer to the thigh. But they were still distinctly 'masculine'. Today, however, more men are pushing the envelope even further and the gender lines are becoming even more blurred.
RULES NO LONGER APPLY
Whereas in the 60s, 70s and 80s, it was widely held that you could tell a man or woman by the type of clothes they wear, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so now. The idea that certain types of clothing were only suitable for men or women is being called into question. Today, the "blue for boys and pink for girls" rule no longer applies as strictly as it once did.
In an ironic twist to the ever-changing social landscape, many heterosexual men are looking and acting more and more in the way women are expected to look and act. They are moving out of Dockers mode. They want to express their uniqueness. They feel free to wear pink, get their eyebrows shaved and compliment their girlfriends on their shoes because they like them.
It is now perfectly acceptable for straight men to be interested in fashion and to be obvious consumers of clothes, accessories, grooming products and fashion and lifestyle magazines. What modern-day woman doesn't appreciate a man who loves his mother and shows it, works out, can cook very well, has patience while shopping, can take in a play, exhibit fashion sense and trim his nose hairs?
The novelty of the straight man who is in touch with his 'feminine' side, who knows art, and the difference between Diesel and Levi's jeans has prompted marketing officials in the United States to come up with a new term 'metrosexuals'.
Condé Nast, magazine publishing house, has now created a male version of the very popular women's consumer magazine, Lucky, called Cargo, which is reportedly set to launch in 2004.
For some men, especially in certain professions, image is more important than identity. Being stylish is part of the recipe and is often a result of being rich and/or powerful. As a result of this, at least where fashion is concerned, the gender lines are blurred so blurred that even in the severely anti-homosexual dancehall culture almost every male dancehall artiste has long, plaited hair.
Some have even gone the route of processing it, a forte normally reserved for women.
Elephant Man wears his hair blond and plaited and sings about being "dainty"; Sean Paul, the poster boy of dancehall, wears a pink shirt on stage at the Grammy awards; and dancer Bogle can sport multiple bangles and pierce his ears, all without being called 'gay'.
Bogle says as far as he knows he has had no criticism about the way he dresses. In fact, his 'fashion' sense (he does not like the word 'style') is what has kept, and is now keeping the dancehall fashionable. "No fashion was in the dancehall before I came back the other day. Dem mashing up the dancehall with Jerseys, everybody was wearing Jerseys", he says. He says like his dancing, his hair, clothes, and jewellery must cause people to think and to want to copy him. Bogle's 'fashion' has found so much acceptance that, he says, even an old woman from Seaview Gardens recently chided him for not wearing his "long boot".
The Associated Press (AP) reports that, even in parts of Africa, the gender-blending revolution is in full effect. In Ingal, Niger, a beauty pageant unlike any other takes place where "young men preen themselves, try to be charming, sing and dance in an attempt to be chosen as Mr. Sahara, or maybe just Mr. Oasis". Women do the judging and the reward for them is the hand of the winners in marriage. According to AP, in this pageant and "among the Wodabe, a 125,000-strong tribe wandering from oasis to oasis, brawn and brains don't matter. Beauty is what counts and male beauty in particular".
SHOCKING FASHION
While the fashion phenomenon is surprising for many 'straight' men, the effect of the gay community on fashion's 'gender blending' is undeniable. They have not only blurred the lines of what men and women ought to look like, but many of the greatest names in fashion were gay
or bisexual. According to glbtq.com, these include Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Norman Hartnell, Halston, Rudi Gernreich, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein and Gianni Versace.
Because gay men were often more willing to experiment with styles, fabrics and ideas in clothing, these designers often looked at what was happening in the gay clubs for ideas for their men's collection. Today, CK and Armani and Versace are names that are often dropped by the well-dressed, rich and powerful heterosexual man. But Yves Saint Laurent has not only contributed to the revolution of men's wear, but also to the life of the average woman. St. Laurent's goal in designing clothes for women, according to pbs.org, was "not just to make women more beautiful but to reassure them and give them confidence". In the 1960s and 70s, when women were joining the workforce in millions for the first time, Saint Laurent designed more gender neutral looks, based on pants and jackets. This style was met with resistance, but today pants suits are as much a part of the woman's wardrobe as are skirts and dresses.
Women are bending the gender rules all the way down to their underwear. Boy's shorts for women have become increasingly popular. With the return of the low-rise (hipsters) jeans and the micro mini, women want comfort, coverage and discretion in their underwear. So men's underwear, specifically designed for women, are among the newest gender-bending items.
Also on the list, is low-rise jeans for men. It affords them the comfort of a shorter crotch area that no longer hangs mid thigh and the convenience of not having to lower their pants waist to their hips.
Various social trends are still at work today. The 'hypermasculine' man and 'superfeminine' woman have in many cases given way to a more neutral being, secure enough in his masculinity and her femininity to 'bend' the rules a little.
