The Importance of Fashion in Identity and Expression

 Fashion and identity have always been heavily tied together. Fashion can be used as a way to communicate to the world how you are feeling. Not only that, individuals can utilize fashion as a tool to communicate their identities through what they wear. As more individuals are being more and more progressive, fashion is progressing as well. 

Women in the past have been confined by society to dress more feminine, which in most cases meant dresses and skirts; meanwhile men were expected to wear more masculine clothing like pants and suits. But as time passed, individuals began to challenge these boundaries through their clothing. This can be exemplified in women changing from wearing more feminine clothing to what is referred to as masculine clothing. Pants and suits, for example, have been a source many women use to dispute gender norms. This is exemplified in author Kimberly Wilmot Voss’ work “Who’s Wearing the Pants? How the New York Times Reported the Changing Dress of Women,” who asserted the saying “who wears the pants in the relationship” is in reference to who has the power in the relationship. As men usually wore pants, it meant that they had the power in the relationship, thus correlating pants with authority and the patriarchy. Women took this clothing of oppression and started to incorporate it into their own fashion, soon making it a normal thing for women to wear. This propelled women to start using fashion as a way to challenge the patriarchy and the status quo. 

This rejection of the patriarchy embodies itself in some of the Met Gala’s most famous looks.. For example, Janelle Monáe, a singer and actress, identifies as pansexual and is an activist for the LGBTQ+ community. According to CBS journalist Danielle Garrand, she wanted this part of her identity to be expressed in her outfit for the 2019 Met Gala; designer Christian Siriano gave her just that. Her dress looked like two outfits sewn together: one was more masculine while the other side was more feminine. The more masculine side was black and white with a high neckline, and the more feminine side included a bra and a pink skirt. While many may see this as an overzealous costume, it is so much more meaningful. She used this dress to depict her opposition to the status quo by pushing the boundaries of masculine  and feminie fashion. Her unapologetic look at the 2019 Met Gala inspired others to be themselves. 

Identity and fashion have always been interconnected. One can use fashion as a tool to present their identity to the world. This connection between identity and fashion is extremely important and people should be encouraged to dress freely and be able to express their individuality through fashion.