Fashion

When thinking about this post, I originally planned on writing about the stereotype of the struggling/suffering artist. But. Then I stumbled upon this article while checking my email and have decided to rant about a different set of stereotypes instead.

So. What. Is up. With the majority of the male population being so terrified of any signs of "femininity" in their physical appearance and wardrobe? What is so "wrong" about shiny fabrics, tight pants, and the color pink? Why is taking the time to be perfectly coiffed and actually investing some thought into one's appearance strictly reserved for the female of the human species? Why is it so annoying to some that men's fashion is incorporating more "feminine" design elements? What does that even mean?!

From Wikitionary:

Feminine
Having the qualities associated with a woman or the female gender; suitable to, or characteristic of, a woman; nurturing; not masculine or aggressive.

Seriously? Seriously?? What ... I don't even know how to react to stuff like this anymore. What is "femininity" but a construct in our minds attributed to the stereotypes assigned to the female gender? Why is "feminine" automatically associated with "nurturing"? Even though we are capable of carrying babies, there are plenty of women out there who have children and completely fail at looking after them, disproving the myth of the nurturing female. And aggression is a characteristic solely reserved for men? We're not living in the 1800s--women need to be aggressive nowadays if they want to take care of themselves and take what in a fair world would be given to them freely: respect from their male peers, equality in vocational responsibility and reimbursement, and the independence to be comfortable in their position in society.

Back to "femininity" in current male fashion: our fashion landscape has changed so much through the ages, that what we now categorize as strictly female clothing may have once been worn by men. For example, the ancient Greeks and Romans almost exclusively wore togas, which anyone can see closely resemble dresses. Louis XIV was in the habit of wearing heels to bolster his height and show off his legs; and men throughout history wore tights and tunics and other items of clothing that would be considered extremely unmanly today.

It drives me crazy that anyone has the audacity to insinuate (or come right out and say) that it's inappropriate to incorporate "feminine elements" into men's clothing lines as though anything defined as feminine is inferior, and therefore an unsuitable choice for clothing a man's body. Art (and high fashion is undeniably artistic in its execution) that seeks to grow and make an impression on its viewers cannot restrict itself to any one category. It must push the boundaries we've constructed to make order of the world--whether they be gender, race, class, economic, or whatever other categories we use to pigeonhole people. I think it's great that fashion is taking a step in that direction and challenging our predetermined notions of what elements should be reserved for each gender's apparel. Maybe this will be one small step in the direction of eventually breaking down our gender stereotypes altogether. And I'm not just saying that because I like men in tight pants either :P