Gender-Bending Fashion Goes Mainstream

Androgyny has been a steady part of pop culture for years: Remember David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust in the ’70s, Grace Jones’s flattop hair in the ’80s, Kurt Cobain’s queer grungy looks in the ’90s, and Prince’s endless array of glittery numbers throughout his career? Subtler versions of these looks end up trickling into fashion: Yves Saint Laurent created boxy menswear-inspired suits for women, Calvin Klein had a series of black-and-white ads featuring women with shaved heads and men with luscious long hair side by side, and Marc Jacobs featured Andrej Pejic, a trans woman, as the face of his brand. But in 2016, is fashion androgyny more than just a passing fad? Some startups are making the case that wearing gender-bending clothing is not particularly transgressive anymore. This is partly due to broader cultural changes that have made society more accepting of differences in people’s gender and sexuality, thanks, in part, to the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage and the current fight for transgender rights. While older generations might perceive these moments as big cultural turning points (which they are), many millennials and gen Z’ers see them as givens. Brands say these changes are tied to an increased demand for clothes that don’t conform to traditional gender norms and reflect a person’s sexuality, gender identity, or simply their taste. Read more at Fast Company.