Gender and Alternative Dress

Gender is a really hot topic (no pun intended- I swear!) going on in the world right now. With transgender presence being portrayed more and more in television, Hillary Clinton being the first female presidential candidate for the upcoming US election, and transgender bathroom rights being fought for in the supreme court, people all over the world are talking about gender. How does gender relate to alternative dress?

Being nonbinary and being part of the goth subculture, I have a decent amount of experience with gender expression and gender identity in the subculture, but we're going to discuss punk and lolita fashion here as well (just because these were the three I felt were the most accessible for research)! Feel free to correct me if I have something incorrect or left something out, I'm not an expert, just passionate!

PUNK

A punk woman posing

In the punk scene, the whole idea is to reject mainstream and socially accepted ideas, so the concept of gender and gender expression are often toyed with to make others question their views on gender and its expression. In the height of the scene, people would often crossdress or present androgynously, and gender was seen as insignificant in regards to expression. Relevant in the 70's, and perhaps even more so today.

Women in the punk subculture are seen as equal to men, and women historically have this as a way to parody masculinity and toy with societal expectations of what "man" and "woman" truly mean. Women in the punk subculture can be openly and unadulteratedly  feminine, in a way that isn't "soft" or fetishized.

One issue with this expression of femininity was that women were expected to be "shocking" and this often involved women's nudity and sexuality being used to do so. Some believe that this was not progressive or a form of equality, but that this was just another method to objectify women's bodies.

GOTH

Goth & nonbinary Instagram and Youtube user VforVoid

Connected with punk (somewhat), In the goth community, makeup is essentially expected to be worn by people of all genders. Men wear makeup and skirts, as do the women, and the nonbinary people.  The gender boundaries are also blurred as they were in punk, as people in the goth subculture are encouraged to experiment and play with their clothing, hair, and makeup. In my own personal experience, the community as a whole is very accepting of transgender and nonbinary people. I have never viewed any sexism in the goth subculture, and I think this is due to goth originally branching off from the post-punk scene, where men and women were seen as equal.

One "issue" with goth is that femininity is more coveted than masculinity- everyone is expected to be feminine, but it's rarely heard of when a goth woman dresses in a masculine fashion. Men are to be feminine, nonbinary people are to be feminine, and women are often expected to be, perhaps, hyperfeminine.

(I, personally take little issue with this, I feel as though femininity is something that everyone should embrace, despite their gender, but I can see the issues with the expectations and harm in women having to subscribe to traditional gender roles when others are free to play with their expression more. But, I feel as though many women don't feel a pressure to be "feminine" in the goth subculture; it is due to a personal expression and a want to dress in more elaborate dress, rather than being pressured.)

LOLITA

a woman in "princess lolita" fashion

In Lolita fashion the gender roles are more rigid- but the floofy skirts and lace aren't only for girls in Lolita. Men in Lolita oftentimes are crossdressing  and as far as I know, men crossdressing and wearing makeup is accepted in the community.

I haven't seen many male Lolitas online, or at any sort of conventions, which makes me feel as though it's less accessible to men. (But perhaps it's just because I don't personally look at Lolita fashion online very often.)

I feel as though Lolita raises the same problem as goth did involving femininity, but perhaps to an even greater extent. Lolitas are expected to be and act cute and doll-like, common and ideal "feminine" traits, so there is an even greater pressure to conform to gender roles and be hyperfeminine, but again, I feel as though this is an issue of personal taste rather than an issue of being pressured to do something. But, I do feel as though Lolita's expectations for behavior may be harmful to women. (thoughts?)

Due to Lolita's enforcement of traditional gender roles being more so than other subcultures I've looked at, I was concerned that transgender people may be less accepted in the community, so I dug around and did some research. I was pleasantly surprised! I found this article about an older transgender Lolita, and she said that many people in her Lolita group are very accepting! Great!

CONCLUSION

All in all, I feel as though alternative people are more accepting of playing with gender expression and gender roles than "normal" people. Of course, each subculture involves issues, but they are leagues ahead of where mainstream society is with gender expression, equality, and identity.

Thanks for reading, and as always, creep it real!

Si