Gender-Neutral Fashion
Generation Z is becoming less and less concerned with the gender associated with the clothes they’re wearing.
It is no question our society is slowly, but surely, reaching the point of shopping for clothes based on what people prefer, rather than what’s in just the men’s or women’s section. In light of this transition, Harry Styles broke the internet after posing on the December cover of Vogue in a dress. The ex-band member mentioned in a following interview with the magazine that shopping outside of your gender was nothing out of the ordinary and that 56% of generation z does it too.
I’ll go in shops sometimes, and I just find myself looking at the women’s clothes thinking they’re amazing. It’s like anything – anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself.”
While Styles received mostly love and support from the internet, others made it into a debate on whether or not masculinity was at stake.
Candace Owens commented on twitter stating that “There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men,” the conservative said with pictures of Styles in the dress attached.
19-year-old Sam Moore says those people fail to realize that what somebody wears is not necessarily to make a statement. For some people, fashion and clothing are more of a hobby or interest they have. It can be a way to express yourself or to increase your confidence, says the fashion enthusiast.
Moore says, he’s always loved being creative with clothing, styles, and trends. Since the pandemic, he’s been doing embroidery and sewing. These trends have increased on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook since the quarantine, and CNN reported that sewing machines had an acceleration in sales (nytimes.com).
“Customizing your own clothing is a great way for you to copy-cat designer trends or make clothes that are unique to you.”
He says that having fashion as one of your pastimes doesn’t need to be expensive. Local thrift stores will surprise you with their hidden treasures. Moore and Styles are similar in the way that they can build their confidence by wearing things that please them rather than others.
“I love all types of art, drawing, painting, fashion, photography. So, it would be a shame for me to ignore that simply because some people view it as feminine.”
Moore added that Harry Styles should be given some credit for his fashion statements because society needs influential people like him to discuss and inspire other people. Social media is a useful platform for people to share their ideas and inspire other people to follow-suit.
Harry’s Instagram of him posing on the Vogue’s cover received over six million likes and the singer has over 34 million followers’ totals. To say he is inspiring our younger generations would be an understatement.
“It’s a way of encouraging people who may not have been comfortable or confident enough in the past to dress outside of their gender and I think that holds a lot of value in a society that can be as critical on one another as ours is.” Says Moore.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/fashion/sewing-patterns.html