Fashion is reflective of personal expression. Fashion is merely a medium to make one comfortable within their own skin. It is a showcase for individuality and personality, and it has lately started to gain traction as such. However, that begets the question, why has it been so boxed in certain stereotypes till now?

The rigid boundaries of gender norms imposed by the patriarchal society are the reason fashion has been so gatekept until now. People forget that the main purpose of fashion is to promote individuality and scream ‘this is who I am!’ which therefore makes it genderless. Gender is not defined by your biological sex anyway, it is a spectrum, but I digress.

It is only in recent years that the wave of escaping the traditional gender binary grasp of society has emerged, specifically in terms of fashion. Even now, in large parts of the world, specifically Asian countries that are held back by harmful patriarchal stereotypes, genderless fashion is looked down upon. The idea of a ‘strong man breadwinner’ and ‘dainty, pretty housewife’ is still their blueprint of how one should behave and look simply based on what biological sex one is born with.

In the first place, gender and sex are not the same which means people can identify with whichever gender or identity that they feel they embody, regardless of anatomy. In light of such obviousness, boxing fashion into ‘only for men’ and ‘only for women’ is certainly pointless. While many celebrities around the world like Ranveer Singh, David Bowie, Ezra Miller, and more have boasted gender-neutral looks and defied the traditional gender binary of fashion, it is best to note that is not something new but rather a revival of our ancient past.

Take high heels for example. Originally, they were exclusively made for men and worn by them long before the fashion item transitioned over to women.

High-heeled shoes were first worn by Persian soldiers in the 10th century to elevate their feet, giving them stability while shooting their bows and arrows. Since then, men’s heels symbolized high social stature, military power, and fashionable taste. Later, the European aristocrats adopted the new trend as a powerful military tactic to appear taller. Louis XIV was famous as the king of heels. Under his reign, it was considered that the higher and redder the heel, the more powerful the wearer.

As women empowerment started gaining traction in those times, more and more women took to adopting what was typically masculine elements of fashion then, including heels. By the 17th century, however, men started emphasizing practicality and rationality over luxury and fashion which started the trend of distinguishing heavily between the appearance of men and women.

Asian Genderless Fashion

When people speak of genderless or barrier-breaking fashion, they think of Harry Styles or Ezra Miller and while both are impactful in their own right, it is a must to bring attention to the genderless fashion history within Asian countries.

The reason even Asian fashion has been so gendered over the ages is their tight hold on patriarchy and desire to constantly depict the patriarchal cultural identity even through fashion. It is the youth of today that has emerged with the desire to keep fashion what it is – a movement of self-expression. Therefore, many brands have emerged with exclusive unisex clothing or genderfluid collections. Even as a cisgender person, you can buy a piece that does not play into heteronormative roles simply because it fits into your fashion sense and completes your individuality-based look.

Jason Arland modeling a makeup look. More and more men are starting to prioritize skincare and makeup with many emerging as influencers with great tips! And just so you know, skirts were originally worn by men. In fact, they were the obvious choice of wear by many of humanity’s most ancient civilizations on both sides of the biological sex divide. Gauzy wraps and loincloths for Egyptians, togas denoting class and status for Greeks and Romans, ornate military costumes for Aztecs: many ancient costumes were based around the idea of the skirt, purely because they were easy to construct and created huge freedom of movement. There were two major factors that determined the use of pants specifically for men – cold and horse riding. As patriarchy engraved itself deeper and men went hunting regardless of weather, pants were determined as the comfort wear gradually and then became a gender-specific item.

Look at some of the traditional clothing from major Asian countries and how much of the fashion of men was similar to what is currently considered typically feminine:

Each country has various versions of its traditional clothing according to location, time period, and other factors. India alone has thousands of different traditional clothing styles depending on which state one hails from.

Countries are rich in culture and fashion – it would be meaningless to box everything into gender-specific labels when so many beautiful options are available.