Vogue’s December 2020 Issue was monumental to the breaking of gender roles in society, so let’s talk about it.
If you know me, then you should know by now that my life revolves around Harry Styles. The music I listen to, the movies I watch (everyone keep an eye out for Don’t Worry Darling), and the clothes I wear are all influenced by Harry Styles. It’s only right that I discuss his social impact, no?
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If you haven’t heard, Harry Styles recently made history as the first male to be photographed by himself for the cover of Vogue magazine in December of 2020. The fact that he was on the cover of Vogue isn’t what put some panties in a twist though; it was the fact that Styles was pictured in a dress. Yes, a dress. A custom-curated Gucci dress tailored specifically for Styles by Alessandro Michele. Harry has mentioned in the past that he is comfortable in his sexuality and that he believes that there’s fun to be had in breaking the barriers of clothing, which makes him the perfect candidate for a Gucci dress, right? I definitely think so, but others not so much.
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Enter stage left: Candace Owens. The infamous Black right-wing conservative known for stirring the pot. Owens felt personally compelled to comment on Styles wearing a dress by saying in a tweet, “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.” This tweet sent teenage girls across the globe into a frenzy for two reasons: 1. This was an “outright attack” on Harry Styles, and 2. Standards are changing, who cares about who wears what? The clothing that another individual wears shouldn’t be bashed because of who they identify as. The world of fashion is changing too, and it’s becoming more accepting with the blurring of gender roles.
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There is no longer a standard that implies that men must wear pants and women must wear skirts and dresses; that standard was actually thrown out years ago. For example, back when Yves Saint Laurent worked for the House of Dior in 1966, he created what could be considered the commencement of gender-bending in the fashion industry. His “Le Smoking” look was literally a men’s suit that was tailored to fit a woman. Despite the backlash from men, this was a huge step in a new direction socially. Women felt more comfortable experimenting with new clothing to express themselves. Men had a similar awakening in the ’80s when Jean Paul Gaultier designed his first male skirt. Gaultier was interviewed about his decision to include a skirt in his men’s collection and he said, “Masculinity doesn't come from clothes. It comes from something inside you. Men and women can wear the same clothes and still be men and women. It's fun.”
Le smoking |
Et dieu crea l'homme collection |
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So yes, Harry Styles in a dress and a couple of kilted skirts ruffled some tail feathers, but the actual impact of him simply expressing himself was worth more than what Candance Owens could tear down with a tweet. Styles is advocating for everyone to express themselves exactly in the ways that they want to - I mean, most of his brand is to Treat People With Kindness. The overall reality is that times are changing, and they have been for a while. Clothing shouldn’t be used to measure masculinity or femininity, but instead should be used to express creativity and ingenuity. Clothes are meant to be played in. Clothes are meant to be a reflection of who you are. So wear that set of pearl necklaces. Wear that dress you were thinking of, or even come up with something completely new and unheard of. Wear what makes you happy, and don’t give any outsiders the satisfaction of thinking twice about it.
Clothes are there to have fun with and experiment with and play with. What’s really exciting is that all of these lines are just kind of crumbling away. When you take away ‘There’s clothes for men and there’s clothes for women,’ once you remove any barriers, obviously you open up the arena in which you can play. ~harry styles |
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There’s so much joy to be had in playing with clothes. I’ve never thought too much about what it means—it just becomes this extended part of creating something 
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