Are Fashion and Sexuality Linked?
Are Fashion and Sexuality Linked?
Fashion has always been a way that people can express themselves. It is an outlet that can help you show the world who you are. Confidence in your sexuality and fashion have a strong correlation; however, we wanted to delve deeper into this topic to gain better insight. Today we will answer how fashion and sexuality are linked and figure out if those two things are genuinely interconnected in today’s society.
An exploration into what society perceives
The fashion world emphasizes that it’s okay to express yourself in whatever way you please. Regardless of your sexual orientation, you have full reign over how you want to dress every day. What may tend to hold us back are the societal norms of how a man should look. Prejudicial thoughts against homosexuality are still prevalent depending on the region of the world where you live. Maybe you have a hard time expressing yourself outwardly in this way because you are afraid of what your friends and family will think of you. Even though the idea of coming out can be challenging for many people, the available styles of clothing have significantly expanded. Choosing to express yourself in the way you dress is a great place to start on your path towards becoming who you truly are.
Can you tell the sexuality from the clothes?
We all feel a need to express who we are as a person visually. Fashion is the perfect outlet to focus on that self-expression. However, does that mean that fashion is intrinsically tied to sexuality? Since everyone makes their own decisions on how to dress, we don’t think that is necessarily true. For the most part, no one is telling you that you have to look any particular way. It comes down to how other people view sexual orientations that make them have a particular opinion on the matter. For example, some people out there still believe that any well-groomed, well-dressed man is inherently gay. Many straight men care about how they look too, so this is a big misconception.
Well dressed determines what?
Arguably, the LGBT+ subcultures of the 1960s and 1970s strongly influenced both men’s and women’s fashion during that time. The drastic shift in popular clothing styles brought about a sense of rebellion and helped people go against the grain of typical mainstream ideologies. Additionally, the 1970s were when gay women started adopting the “butch” style, which helped move the world into accepting that women can wear trousers. Rock stars like David Bowie had a fashion sense that was influenced by gay culture, so there is an implication that this movement has also impacted the mainstream perspective. We cannot ignore how the fashion industry has had contributions from LGBT+ members such as designer Alexander McQueen. A gay aesthetic is definitely on the rise with up and coming fashion designers being the frontrunners. However, it is too simplistic to conclude that sexuality and fashion are inseparably linked together.
Conclusion?
We encourage you to choose to express yourself freely through the way you dress. No matter how you identify yourself, you deserve to dress the way that you want to. Nobody should have a say in the way you decide to dress except for you. Stand up and be proud and confident in who you are. Every day, choose to be unafraid to put on a colourful blazer or whatever other outfit and stylish accessories you want to wear. Even though society tries to dictate our appearances, it does not help if we lay down and surrender to their mainstream opinions. One way to combat their “ideals” is by choosing to wear men’s high heels. Whatever the occasion, typically, the sight of men wearing high heels has been frowned upon. To break away from that norm, we have to continue to prove to society that this is something that we choose to do no matter what.
Express yourself
Thank you for choosing to express who you are. We are proud to be a part of this community and look forward to a time when society will break free from deciding what is “normal” and just accept everyone for who they are. There has been no better time than the present, so continue to show off your personal style. Encourage others to do the same and show the world who’s boss. Even though the fashion world and sexuality have close ties, they are not as interconnected as some people might think. Each of us can dress precisely how we want to. Luckily, many fashion designers are making it even easier to find those clothing styles that will make us feel comfortable in our own skin.