ISSN 2411-9563 (Print) European Journal of Social Sciences May-August 2021

ISSN 2312-8429 (Online) Education and Research Volume 8, Issue 2

© 2021 Akdemir. This article follows the Open Access

policy of CC BY NC under Creative Commons attribution license v 4.0.
Submitted: 05/05/2021 - Accepted: 05/06/2021 - Published: 27/08/2021

Deconstruction of Gender Stereotypes Through Fashion

Nihan Akdemir
Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Altınbaş University, Turkey
Email: nihan.akdemir@altinbas.edu.tr

DOI: 10.26417/ejser.v5i2.p185-190

Abstract
This research aims to investigate the role of fashion in the context of the
deconstruction of gender stereotypes. Expectation of society and culture
related to the biological structure of the individual carries some roles and this
role also carries many gender stereotypes in it. But the individual can be use
the clothing style to express his or her gender identity which may not match
the expectations of the community and society. In the context of big role of the
clothing, stereotypes could be deconstructed because clothes are the visible
expression of gender identity of the person. And fashion is a big part of this
structure because fashion is a pioneer of what people wear. Nowadays fashion
has also mean about expressing identity independent of whether you were
born male or female. Many fashion brands prepare their collections in the
concept of ‘gender fluid’ by deconstructions. The representations of gender
fluidity through fashion help bring a sense of normality to people who are
trying to find the self-confidence to express who they want to be. And the
results are showed that the numbers of collections about it are increasing and
fashion sector takes this issue into consideration.
Keywords: fashion, gender identity, gender stereotypes, deconstruction, gender fluid

Introduction
Stereotypes are the common beliefs and values of the group, culture or religions and
the gender stereotypes are fixed ideas about men’s and women’s traits and
capabilities and how people should behave based on their gender. For example

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common gender stereotypes about the color blue and pink for boy and girl. In fact
these stereotypes could lead also to discrimination. But clothing for both men and
women is culturally defined by the society. Cultural norms and expectations are
related to the meaning of being a man or woman and are closely linked to appearance
means clothing, because the clothing is the most important point of representationof
the identity. At this point the clothing has a big role. When the concept of clothes is
concerned, the concept of fashion is emerging. And the essence of fashion is
transformation and innovation and Deschamps has come to the conclusion that
fashion is global. Three of Deschamps' twelve vector fashion devices are gender,
society, and norm.
So, the relationship between gender and fashion is an important point, even with
different parameters. It means that If society changes, norms changes and ıf the norms
changes, fashion changes or vice versa. And also these changes can come out with the
changes of perceptional perspective.
In this research the stereotypes in the perception of form and color appearances
about clothing has been tried to examine. Then, the gender stereotypes which are
deconstructed at fashion scenes have been explained over the examples. The role of
fashion in the adoption of change by society has been tried to explain through
examples.
The Roots and Construction of Gender Discrimination at Fashion
The common of the society has unspoken rules about gender dressing codes. The
stereotypical masculine or feminine qualifications are not personality characteristics
of individual men and women but socially constructed representations of gender, on
the basis of what society expects of each sex (Condor, 1987; Lloyd & Duveen, 1993).
As dress can be used as a communication tool to communicate information such as
one’s gender or status, it can carry some stereotypes according to the culture, religion
or society. Before 1649 – Puriten influences on dressing after King Charles I was dead-
there were no significant differences between sexes in their way of dressing. Both
sexes would wear decorated costumes. One’s class determined with the colours and
shapes of the gowns, not one’s gender. The aristocrats and bourgeois superiors, used
to show the abundant lace, rich velvets, silks, decorated shoes, elaborate hats, wigs
and plenty of perfume (Davis, 1992). A pink, silk suit with gold and silver decoration
was seen as entirely masculine. The clothing was the signifier of social class and the
more elaborate it was the higher the social class.
But later it had changed year by year. Instead of Macaroni’s floral, colorful garments,
Dandy’s slim, less colorful and less embroidered garments started to become popular
for men’s wearing. The Macaroni were aristocrats who tried to distinguish themselves
from the growing middle class with too quirky and weird clothes (Craik, 1993). The
Dandies are the movement introduced by Beau Brummel in London, a socially
ambitious man, who tried to join the higher social circles. It was continued by
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Beerbohm and George de Maurier. With simple, plain clothes he tried to create the
new aristocrat style. He wore starched white linen shirt with cravat and black pants,
black vest and tight waisted wool coat and breeches. Everything fit perfect, was clean
and crisp, and he was proud for the cleanliness. He wore soft yellow gloves and used
a black walking stick with ebony handle. He was the forerunner of the modern
business suit and tie (Entwistle, 2000) (pic.1).
As Flügel’s description (1930) it's the great male abandonment, the most important
event in the history of dressing in which men are no longer interested in "beautiful"
appearances and want it only to be useful. It won’t be wrong to say that it was the
important period of the concept of “wearing just like a man” and “wearing just like a
woman”, had accepted by the society.
As Hunt (1996) and Kawamura, (2016) said fashion has been feminized in the 19th
century and has become more powerful than the representation of the social class
representing the gender gap in clothing.

Picture 1. Left:Macaroni Look- https://unframed.lacma.org/2016/06/08/styling-

macaroni-male19.06.2018
Right: Dandy Look- http://www.messynessychic.com/2011/04/05/who-is-the-
dandy-man/ 19.06.2018
Gender Stereotypes which are Deconstructed at Fashion Scenes
Since 1920, pants for women began to be tolerated in sports and some limited
activities such as cycling and horse riding (Sawyer, 1987). In 1949, Richard Curle
unleashed a damning indictment of women who revolt against traditional forms of
femininity; calling them “sour spinsters”. Earlier, in 1939, the fashion designer
Elizabeth Hames argued that women were not yet ready to wear trousers at work. It
took a world war to remove their corsets; will need another one to accept the trousers
(Arvanitidou, Gasouka, 2013). During the 1960s society reflected the rising wave of
gender politics and the sexual revolution. The 1960s and 1970s are seen to be the era
where in gender stereotypes were questioned and dismantled, a time where in
feminist and gay rights movements were gaining a voice, and the fashion industry
reacted to these movements.

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While we’ve seen gender stereotypes challenged and occasionally defeated in fashion
and popular culture throughout history such as David Bowie, the Disco era; these
breakthroughs were not necessarily about removing the labels within gender, but
about crossing and breaking those boundaries. In 1966, one of the most important
revolutions for woman dressing had come into the scene with YSL, the collection
called ‘Le Smoking’ (Pic. 2). In the same period, jean pants which were the term unisex
and had a counter stance about gender discriminatory, spread in the United States,
also in Europe. It has been the symbol of the liberating of the body from rituals and
social roles.

Picture 2. Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), Le Smoking Collection,1966.

https://www.designer-vintage.com/en/masterclass/article/masterclass-yves-saint-
laurent-s-le-smoking, 19.06.2018
Those periods were another important points at fashion not about the construction
of gender stereotypes but about the deconstruction of gender stereotypes. Because
they were the first steps of the deconstruction of gender stereotypes and basis of
today's fashion styles. As Waquet and Laporte (2011) said that the development of
the form, use and color of a garment over time; the social change of women and men
wearing these clothes reveals change of own society. Nowadays the bridges between
gender roles are becoming progressively more narrow, not only in the fashion
industry but throughout society, mainstream media and politics.
The clothing style that looks like the shadow of the otteritan is disappearing. On the
one hand, socialist social struggles, on the other hand, the unisex approach of the
developed market system, as well as the evolving democratic human rights
consensus, abolished gender discrimination (Anger, 1998). New approaches, new
concepts, new terms emerged such as gender fluidity, gender free collections, mix
gender shows.
Today’s fashion revolutionaries are not interested in feminising men or emasculating
women, rather they are aiming to blur the masculine/feminine divide and eliminate
those labels. And it means gender fluidity in fashion. From the runways, through to
the high street, the emergence of genderless fashion is slowly beginning to distort the
line between traditional gender roles in the industry. As seen at picture 3, Calvin

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Klein’s collection is for women and men to wear virtually interchangeable clothes, in
restrained, minimalist androgyny at New York Fashion Week.

Picture 3. Calvin Klein by Raf Simons Spring 2018

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nt5eT6d89kA/WbYOwWkxx3I/AAAAAAABi0I/kH-
t9Beb2mchsWgaLk1VwG0r_E2o0Xv1QCLcBGAs/s640/CK_4_Fotor_Collage.jpg
20.06.2018
Then it won’t be wrong to say that the speed of this situation will increase with a high
speed time by time with the influences of fashion shows. Traditionally, men's and
women's collections are shown at different times—in fact there are two separate
biannual fashion weeks, one dedicated to each sex. But especially at last two or three
years fashion shows have been started to arrange for both sexes. Starting in 2016
September, Burberry and Bottega Veneta combined their men’s and women’s
collections into one show, held on the women’s show schedule. Bosse Myhr who is the
director of Menswear, Selfridges, said “The key point of interest for me is a new sense
of fluidity and freedom in the industry. All formats are relevant now. There was a
point when people thought fashion shows would be a thing of the past in the digital
age. Flexibility and new ideas can only bring new and expanded opportunities”
(Abnett, 2016).
If we talk about the “color”: of course color is one of the most well-known stereotypes
about clothing as Martin (1998) says “When clothing genders the body, the color of
clothing is an important element in that gendering process”. But it changed nowadays
because men have started wearing vivid colors as never before except Renaissance
and Rococo periods. But also gender stereotypes about using color on clothing have
been started to deconstruct.
For example Gucci’s mostly colorful collections are absolutely deconstruction of
gender stereotypes through fashion not only about the color but also forms (Pic. 4).
Gucci followed suit with a collection of loose silks, floral prints on suiting and shorts
and bows and embellishments – all of which could, and more importantly were worn
by all genders. Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele stated: “It seems only
natural to me to present my men’s and women’s collection together. It’s the way I see
the world today. If the clothes are beautiful, what does it matter who’s wearing them?”
Michele’s explanation also can be supported with Bourdieu’s enunciation at
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“masculine domination”. “Bourdieu’s main concern was to create any kind of effect
that would heighten the unequal relations between the sexes” (Maton, 2005).

Picture 4. Gucci Catwalk, 2016

https://media.gq.com/photos/5703c96b99ca77a949c75f2e/master/w_800/gucci-
unisex-runway.jpg 20.06.2018
Another example about deconstruction of gender stereotypes through fashion can be
given above leopard design because we are used to seeing leopard patterns in more
women's collections. It is often found to be unusual for men. But leopard patterns
were seen in male fashion anymore as Dolce&Gabbana fashion show (Pic. 5),

Picture 5. Dolce&Gabbana,Spring/Summer/2017
http://www.brandlifemag.com/2017-ilkbaharyaz-erkek-modasi/ 20.06.2018
Michele’s ideas and other designers’ ideas that create unusual looks, mixgender
shows, new concepts like gender fluidity, gender free collections, can be also
supported with Derrida’s deconstruction theory. According to Derrida (1981) every
element of the system will change all connectivity, so every element will change again
and again. In this direction, the deconstruction must be considered as a two-stage
radical critique. The first stage is disruption, the second stage is rebuilding. The
structure of meaning of the subject is disrupted at the first stage. In the second stage,
the subject is rebuilt in a completely different context. Instead of imposing itself as a
truth claim, the re-establishing process that emerges in the second stage leaves the

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endless meanings into new possible chains of meaning as a trail in the chain. In this
respect, deconstruction is not a mere demolition. It is a structure that operates to keep
the possibility of constantly building new constructions alive.
It can be said that the functions of fashion is very important at those points. Fashion
makes an unsual styles - I mean outside the norms of the society and the style which
is surrended with stereotypes- visible. Then fashion has a big role about adaptation
of people to tthem and has a power on normalizing them.
Of course it is still hard to see exactly the same looks that we have seen at catwalks,
on streets. But ıt can be said that it has started with small steps on streets. For example
high street hero H&M; who have pioneered genderless collections before, are doing it
again with a fashion forward denim line that truly blurs the lines of feminine and
masculine clothing. Offering a laid-back range of stylish separates, those are actually
super wearable (pic 6).

.
Picture 6. H&M are changing the face of fashion with gender fluid denim line
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/hm-changing-the-face-of-fashion-with-
gender-fluid-denim-line-484269 20.06.2018
Conclusion
The existence of the gender concept in the fashion sector in the context of
discrimination has been created in the past by power relations, social structure and
sociological reasons. But especially nowadays, it has become a situation that is being
tried to be removed again. At this point, this research shows how fashion takes a part
in society about the deconstruction of gender stereotypes. The research shows that
the role of fashion is making visible some situations about this subject and
deconstructing norms about forms, colors which had been adapted to person from
childhood by the society. And I won’t be wrong to say that today’s fashion
revolutionaries are not interested in feminising men or emasculating women. Fashion
wants to eliminate those labels. This means fashion wants to deconstruct gender
stereotypes in the context of wearing styles. Also this means that the fashion is aiming
to blur the masculine/feminine divide because of idea which argues that garments
have no gender.

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