In 2013, Gucci launched a campaign for gender equality alongside Beyoncé and Salma Hayek called CHIME FOR CHANGE. In the five years since it started, the brand has run several campaigns and initiatives including a biannual report with Irregular Labs that surveys people ages 13-24 about their feelings on gender and fluidity. This year, some of the most interesting findings in the report have to do with the way we see gender neutral clothing, or even what is considered men’s and women’s clothing in the fashion industry.
In a section that asks why gender-neutral seems to always translate to “boy” when it comes to fashion, several people surveyed explain feelings that might not surprise anyone who understands how misogyny (and transmisogyny) still impacts so much of our culture. The general vibe to the responses was that, when it comes to gender-neutral fashion, masculine cuts are the norm while feminine clothes don’t get to be considered genderless.
Hannah, 18, from New York, says, “I think the issue is not that gender-neutral fashion seems to lean towards ‘boy’ clothes, I think the problem lies in people’s perception of ‘boy’ and ‘girl’.” Sthefania, 22, from Venezuela adds, “People are used to putting things in a box. If it’s not ‘feminine’ then it’s definitely boyish. Without knowing that both things can make ONE, without having to separate it.” Another respondent, 20-year-old Katya from South Africa, highlights that part of the problem also has to do with how what a person wears can sometimes lead others to make presumptions about their sexuality. “Seeing feminine males is triggering for consumers, whereas a woman dressed in a suit or masculinely can still be taken seriously, if not more serious. She can just mean business, without it alluding to her sexuality.” On the other hand, people who defy conventions to embrace femininity often say they are fetishized.
Like many of the survey respondents highlighted, gender-neutral clothing is often thought about in terms of style but part of the problem is that all clothing is just clothing except there are sizing issues with who can fit into clothing. “I really dislike when products are gendered that don’t need to be,” Megan, 20, continues, ” I was in middle school, and my mom wouldn’t let me get them [glasses] because they were in the men’s section. They are just GLASSES!”
Other parts of the report include respondents thoughts on everything from what feminism means to interviews with the first trans prom king Alan Belmont and fashion designer Harris Reed.
