His & Hers: A Commentary

What is one thing that you won’t be called when wearing a full circle skirt and a peter pan collar? A badass. 
Maybe this isn’t the look you are going after. Giving off an aura of femininity and charm is certainly appealing. Bows, lace, and tulle are an easy way to update a more casual wardrobe. Traditionally masculine pieces are usually thought of as too casual or sloppy to make the cut, especially in a certain subset of the fashion blogging community.

    I am thrilled with the diversity of content and styles that are available at our fingertips because of the internet. There are blogs dedicated to the lifestyle of a tomboy. On the other hand, there are bloggers who write, repeatedly, about how much they hate pants. I love seeing where my current ideal style lands on the spectrum, but I have a few qualms with some of the ideas I see going on here.

    First of all, I’ve often heard women lamenting the fact that our clothes are designated for women and women only. When women wear something more androgynous or gender bending, they are lauded for the styling tactic. But the thought of a man in a dress? I’m going to be honest here; it seems ridiculous.

    I’m not saying that this should be the case. The idea that men’s clothing is somehow respectable enough to transcend stereotypical boundaries is pretty blatantly against my values. When a female exhibits certain qualities that make her more of a “bro”,which extends to androgynous styling of hair or clothing, why is that more readily seen as cool than an effeminate male?

I don't think the solution here is as simple as men wearing women's clothing. The ideas go much deeper than that. That being effeminate is often used as an insult, even for women ("Stop being such a girl"...ever heard that one?) is a problem within itself. In a lot of ways the fashion industry pushes boundaries to promote more awareness of gender issues. Just take a look at Casey Legler or Andrej Pejic. But if it happened more often, and perhaps without so much fanfare, then this new equalization effect would perhaps have the chance to become the norm- in both style and society.