Society should not be able to legislate what is correct or incorrect to wear based upon your perceived gender.
This does not count toward only cisgender men and women, which means a person whose gender corresponds to their assigned sex, though it does include them. A woman should be allowed to wear a tuxedo without fear of being judged or her sexuality or gender being assumed for her. A man should be able to rock a dress without his sexuality or gender being assumed for him. This also counts toward transgender men and women. A transgender man can wear a dress and not be any less of a man. And vice versa for a suit on a transgender woman.
Who decided that clothes need to be gendered anyway? Why are cars considered boy toys and dolls considered girl toys? I believe clothing stores should be divided by body type and not by gender. To me, this means by taking the three widely accepted body types, ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph, and then breaking those down into even smaller sections. An ectomorph is a person that is below average weight for their height and seen as “skinny”. An endomorph is the exact opposite of an ectomorph and is usually larger in appearance with heavier fat accumulation. A mesomorph is just between the two, displaying qualities from both and is usually seen as the “average” body type. I feel this is important because this applies personally to my life because I don’t want to walk through the “women’s” section of clothing stores feeling uncomfortable because clothes that are designated as “women’s” clothes are the only kind that fit me properly. I can’t shop in the “men’s” section because I’m too small for “men’s” clothes, even though I like that style much more than traditionally “female” styles, and it’s even more uncomfortable to shop in the “boy’s” section. I shop in the men’s section because I like wearing shirts that don’t cling to my body. I don’t care for really tight jeans or very short shorts. I enjoy wearing polos, button-down shirts, and anything that doesn’t hug my body in general. “Men’s” clothes usually are more simple and don’t have all the crazy designs and bright colors that give me headaches and are very straightforward. I couldn’t tell you the exact demographics of why I like this style, it’s just more aesthetically pleasing to me.
I had a conversation with my mother a month ago about how she thought that sports, or being really into sports makes a person more masculine. Then she said that being into arts and crafts was a typically feminine thing to do. I argued with her about it, pointing out that no specific activity determines whether you are more or less masculine or feminine. That you can enjoy any sort of activity and in the end it’s still you who decides who you are. The funny thing was that she said the comments offhandedly, without even thinking about it. I’ve noticed it in my little brother too, who is only 8, and knows that pink is strictly for girls and blue is strictly for boys. This shows how society has raised us all to believe gender norms, and you probably don’t even realize it. Be it through television, movies, magazines, newspapers, whatever. The media has implanted gender stereotypes in everything. You never do see a girl playing with action figures in an advertisement, or a boy using an easy bake oven. Another example is the character Penny in The Big Bang Theory. She plays out the stereotypical female: the ditzy, attractive neighbor, who exists solely to create sexual tension between herself and one of the show's leading men, Leonard. We have been raised knowing that there are rules for whatever gender you are, and you must follow these rules. Even I didn’t notice it for the longest time, but why should I? All I knew was what I had always been taught and why question authority?
Growing up, my parents decided, “Okay, we have a girl. We’re going to do every typical girl thing there is.” I went to ballet and gymnastics. I was miserable at ballet and refused to move, and stayed in gymnastics a bit longer but hated that too. I actually hated all the sports that my mom signed me up for. I absolutely despised wearing dresses and tights. I didn’t like that I had to grow my hair out long and get it done up nice for holidays or weddings. Not that I necessarily wasn’t allowed to do the things I wanted to, I just wasn’t aware that the option was there. When I got a little older and started breaking out of my shell and just doing those things, I realized how much I had been missing. After not getting chastised for it and not getting in trouble is when I started to question why the rules are how they are. All parents are different though and everybody raises their children a different way; I’m not saying if you were raised a specific way your parents were wrong. Most people probably just don’t realize that their options are not limited, that they can do whatever they want.
Granted, society has changed a lot, and people are a lot more accepting now than they were 45, even 10 years ago. In the 1960s you could get arrested if you were not wearing at least 3 items of clothing that were meant for your gender. Transvestites, or drag queens, were arrested regularly just for existing. I believe that there should be no rules, and I believe you should always ask a person what their pronouns are before you go making assumptions despite whatever they may be wearing. Even if their perceived gender is the gender they align with, then so be it.
