I’m sure by now you’ll have seen Harry Styles’ Vogue cover, the first male cover in US Vogue’s entire 127 years, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week. He posed for the December 2020 edition of US Vogue in a stylishly fitted black suit jacket, an array of chunky gold rings…and a dress. It is an understatement to say that the internet has blown up ever since the pictures were released, but in more negative ways than you’d think.
Image credit: vogue.com
Most significantly, Candace Owens, an American conservative political author and commentator who has become known for her pro-Trump activism as a black woman, called for society to “bring back manly men”. She continued to say “there is no society that can survive without strong men”. This event raises the centuries long question of what defines a ‘manly’ or ‘strong’ man and forces us to ask: are men strong because of what they wear? Do their garments change their mental or physical (depending on how you want to define the word) strength? Is it the dress that is, supposedly, taking away the aspect of strength? If so, are women who wear dresses not strong?
Of course, anyone with any common sense would realise how ridiculous it is that these questions have to be asked.
All of this reminded me of the events occurring in the 1930's, when women were looked down upon for wearing trousers, which were seen as a strictly male piece of clothing. Trousers were widely seen as unacceptable for women to wear, and some were even sent home from work, or refused service in a store because they were wearing trousers. The sight of women in trousers was described as ‘disgusting’, ‘immodest’ and ‘scandalous’ by those in the 1930s.
Image credit: glamourdaze.com
I’m assuming if she is disgusted by the cross-dressing of Harry Styles, Candace Owens never wears trousers. If she believes that gendered dressing is static and is dangerous to be challenged, she must dress in traditional nineteenth-century dress. A corset and floor-length skirt, right? She wouldn’t want to wear trousers that are strictly for male-wear, or ever cut her hair short, right? Because if she did, I would be inclined to say that society needs to bring back feminine women and that challenging the boundaries of gendered dressing could mean women stop being compassionate and understanding people- as they are traditionally seen.
Candace Owens must be disgusted at the Scottish tradition of wearing a kilt. Originating from the late sixteenth century, the kilt was viewed as a symbol of strength and masculinity. In the aftermath of the Jacobite rising of 1745, the British government called for more Gaels in the army, because they were a ‘hardy and intrepid race of men’.
Image credit: eccentricbliss.com
From my experience studying history, it has become even more apparent that those who believe that everything that is considered ‘socially acceptable’ is the final basis of morality and should never be challenged or changed, are making an ignorant and boringly repetitive mistake. The critics of women wearing trousers made the same mistake ninety years ago. Consider the advances in popular fashion in the last ninety years, and now think of the advances that will happen in the next ninety years. I say ‘will’ because, contrary to what some critics of Harry Styles think, fashion and everything else in life will inevitably change and evolve. It is so conceited to think that everything that has come before us has just led up to our lifetime and that every development and change will stop here.
It is for this reason that I think Harry Styles’ Vogue cover is amazing. It is this that demonstrates the flexibility of fashion and the lack of rigidity in the boundaries of masculine vs feminine dress. Most other aspects of dress that are considered feminine actually originated with men. The origins of makeup and heels were designed for men of the upper-class during the Renaissance period to make them appear superior to others- by perfecting their complexions and making them appear taller. At one point it was actually considered outrageous for women to wear heels.
Image credit: pinterest.com
Harry Styles has already been challenging the norms of gendered dressing, when he wore a Commes Des Garcons tunic for the cover of Guardian Weekly, a tutu for the advertisement of his appearance on SNL and a sheer blouse for the Met Gala, and I am sure he will continue to.
I just hope that Candace Owens is okay in that corset….maybe that’s why she’s so uptight…
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