12/4/2018
By Lauren Campbell
Gender neutrality in fashion: a fad or a revolution?
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Today’s world is ever-moving and evolving. We notice new hair, beauty and fashion trends everyday and with the increase of social media within the last decade, it is easier than ever to gain instant access to these at the tap of a finger. But with so many new trends coming and going, it can be difficult to dissect which will stay and which are a fad.
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The recent growth of gender neutrality could have been coined as a fad, easily confused with the comfort of pre-exisitng unisex and androdogy in style. However, it can be recognised as more than that, being one step further to breaking down those barriers between masculine and feminine aspects of the human recipe that are assigned to us from birth. Gender neutral fashion does not thrust any expectation onto its wearer, as portrayed by Jaden Smith who has famously modelled for Louis Vuitton in gender neutral dress, as well as promoting it in his daily life. Whilst some may see his style as a cry for attention, Smith instead speaks out more honestly than ever with the clarity that is enough to define the movement;
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Considering the words of the teen guru, we dare to ask ourselves why such boundaries still exist and why they are such a shock to the system in the 21st century, with everything else that has been brought to light. Are we all just conditioned to think and dress a certain way? Probably. Do we need to conform to such conditions? Definitely not. A garment is a garment, those who wish to admire and celebrate its craftsmanship should be able to rightly do so.
Alongside a rise in the issue of gender neutral children’s clothing and toys, we must consider that we need this re-programming to build a more open-minded society. From these changes in society towards gender, as well as the LGBT community and several rights movements we can draw conclusion that this is the beginning of a revolution within the industry.