Are you a male or masculine-identifying person who happens to recognize that gender is nothing but a social construct? Well, this is the article for you, because toxic masculinity isn’t fun and you could easily shift societal norms by wearing a skirt or a dress.
We, as a society, need to normalize the fact that clothing isn’t gendered. If you think about it, clothing is nothing but fabric, thread, and graphic designs that usually cater toward people’s interests, whether it be a band or a show someone might like. The fact that society shuns guys for wanting to wear a skirt or a dress rather than pants is rather ridiculous. As girls fight for women’s rights, it’s become more acceptable for us to wear men’s clothing, but the same can’t be said for men.
This, however, is starting to take a turn. In December of 2020, the magazine Vogue published an issue of Harry Styles, ex-member of One Direction and solo song artist, wearing a Gucci dress with a Gucci tuxedo jacket over it. This caused an uproar from Harry Styles fans and was a major turning point for society’s opinions on guys wearing dresses. With a major celebrity wearing a dress, it’s become more open for other guys to wear them. Though you don’t see your average man sporting a cute skirt out on the street, people are starting to accept the possibility.
Women, on the other hand, have an easier time wearing whatever clothing they want. There is still some sexism aimed toward them, but because of the women’s rights movements, it’s been easier for girls to wear whatever they’d like. One reason why men feel like they can’t wear dresses and skirts is because of toxic masculinity and the fact that men put other men down for “not being manly enough” or “acting girly.” This also connects with homophobia toward gay men, as they’re mostly made fun of for acting like a girl, which connects with misogyny, believing that acting like a girl is bad. It ends up coming around full circle with all of the equality issues that we’re having in our society today.
The idea of guys wearing dresses and skirts isn’t new. In the Victorian era, it was really common for children of both genders to wear dresses. There are many records and pictures of little boys wearing dresses alongside little girls. Anatomically speaking, it makes sense for guys to wear dresses and girls to wear pants.
After a quick Google search, nobody really knows why clothing is gendered. The things that pop up consistently are other articles saying why clothing shouldn’t be gendered and going into depth about it. If you’re interested enough, I would recommend doing your own research about the topic as well.
People are allowed to wear whatever they’d like. This includes more than just guys and dresses. As a functioning member of society, it doesn’t take a lot to not openly judge someone for their clothing choices. You can easily learn how to mind your own business and keep your thoughts inside of your head instead of bringing others down with them.
If you happen to be masculine or male-identifying and want to wear a skirt or a dress, but you’re scared to because of other people judging you, then I can’t do much besides wish you luck. As society starts to overcome prejudice and become more accepting, it’ll be easier to express yourself however you want.