deeperthanallroses · Today 04:15
That is ‘gender bending’ really though. you make it sound like they were trying to be sex bending. They wanted to look male in an ornate decorative way. And amen to that I say- let them all dress however they want and if that’s sequin skirts that’s ok.
I am not sure what you mean by making it seem they were sex bending rather than gender bending.
That they wanted to look male in an ornate and decorative way is what I was saying too. I was just emphasising their intention to signal maleness. Ornate and beautiful does not mean ‘female’ gender in other cultures, or past customs in Europe. In a peacock it can’t even possibly be called ‘gender’. It would be easier to get rid of the word.
Anyway, I think the intention of men in the 70s and 80s was to be free from rules, free from strictures their fathers had lived under, and to look wild, slightly bad, sexy and beautiful in a creative way. Art school people had an influence I think.
So clothes as expression however you want. Good.
The fashions did not seem to involve wearing traditionally women’s clothes though. The 70s huge platform boots had men’s own designs, and so did the 60s Cuban heeled ones which were a bit like male Spanish dancers’) The men’s platform boots were far more exaggerated than the women’s. Blouses and shirts were copies of men’s from earlier eras. Velvet and satin was too.
But there were some unisex clothes like Afghan coats, floppy hats, women wearing men’s levis and lovely old army clothes with buttons etc from markets.)
A lot of less creative young men, had another look:Jesus hair and beard, tight trousers and a tee shirt, with a necklace. They were not so glamorous and sometimes a bit grizzly even then.
Male and female sexes clearly used clothes and hair differences to signal each other’s sexes, to signal their differences from the past, and to signal freedom from the older generation and their rules. ‘Gender’ is not a big enough concept for all this.
This generation was born in a release from war, but grew up under a distant but persistent nuclear threat. So there may have been a feeling of live while you can.
There was plenty of gaze freely going on in all directions, even though women should not feel they have to dress for the male (female) gaze, and men should not have to dress for the female (or male) gaze.
As our two sexes underpin our existence it is not surprising there is a human drive to express them to each other in in what ever shifting fashion.
ASOS may be picking up on a new freer fashion with women’s styles for men, but it will only take hold if men look attractive that way, or evidently more relaxed and comfortable (not likely with those particular boots!).