I don’t hate this. Vogue Magazine’s August issue is devoted to gender fluidity and fashion, or basically, how everything is unisex. Men wearing women’s clothing, women wearing men’s clothing, or how the labels of “men’s clothing” and “women’s clothing” are terribly outdated. Which… I’m okay with this whole “gender fluidity fashion” thing, but I also feel like it only really works for people built like Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid – tall, slender, model types. There’s also a place in fashion for women’s clothes cut for the wide variety of women’s bodies too, you know? Anyway, Gigi and Zayn. So in love. So cute. So sexy together. In the cover story – which is mostly about gender fluidity dressing and how this is “the thing” for Millennials – Gigi and Zayn talk about wearing each other’s clothing. Some highlights:
Gigi & Zayn on wearing each other’s clothes:
“I shop in your closet all the time, don’t I?” Hadid, 22, flicks a lock of dyed-green hair out of her boyfriend’s eyes as she poses the question.
“Yeah, but same,” replies Malik, 24. “What was that T-shirt I borrowed the other day?”
“The Anna Sui?” asks Hadid.
“Yeah,” Malik says. “I like that shirt. And if it’s tight on me, so what? It doesn’t matter if it was made for a girl.”
Hadid nods vigorously. “Totally. It’s not about gender. It’s about, like, shapes. And what feels good on you that day. And anyway, it’s fun to experiment. . . .”Gigi & Zayn on how they dress the same:
“If Zayn’s wearing a tight shirt and tight jeans and a big, drapey coat,” Hadid says, “I mean—I’d wear that, too. It’s just about, Do the clothes feel right on you?”
Malik shoots Hadid a tender look and joins the conversation.
“With social media, the world’s gotten very small,” he says, “and it can seem like everyone’s doing the same thing. Gender, whatever—you want to make your own statement. You know? You want to feel distinct.”
“It can seem like everyone’s doing the same thing. Gender, whatever—you want to make your own statement. You know? You want to feel distinct.” So the answer is men and women dressing the same?? You know what bugs me about this? It’s not so much what Gigi and Zayn say or do – if they want to dress in each other’s clothing, so be it and God bless. But what bugs me is that gender fluidity is a real thing, and Vogue is treating it like a fashion trend (a fashion trend that Millennials invented, because the world revolves around them). It seems like a poor editorial decision.
Photos courtesy of Inez and Vinoodh for Vogue.
First off: Vogue has really fallen down the rabbit hole putting Insta-famous people on the cover that have done nothing. Gigi is an insta-model and Zayn has one good song off a bomb album. So I don’t get why they have the cover.
Anyways…the gender fluidity is a great topic but it’s more than “oh I like that top in your closet”. That’s insulting to those that LIVE a gender fluid life. If vogue wanted to capture the issue why didn’t they put Jaden Smith on the cover?
“That’s insulting to those that LIVE a gender fluid life.” then by all means let those people speak up and don’t be insulted in their stead. it’s quite patronizing to assume a gender fluid person would be offended by a vogue spread.
Its not the spread that’s insulting its characterizing gender fluidity as liking something from the opposite genders closet.
But I’ll wait for someone gender fluid to speak up
Better them than Kendull Jennings. At least Gigi can generate more than one facial expression for photographs and Zayn is famous for singer stuff, which beats reality tv. Though they are the last people I would think of as ‘gender fluid’ in their fashion.
Exactly this. Jaden Smith and Ezra Miller were much better choices. And they could’ve used Dilone or Erika Linder instead of Gigi. The way they spoke it seemed like they had no idea what they were talking about. Gender fluidity is not wearing your girlfriend’s big white shirt or coat.
Also i’m tired of those two, it’s like all they do has to be a joint thing. Zayn got that Versace collab (because of Gigi let’s be honest), Gigi took the pictures and her sister starred the campaign. They are pretty on their own, go do something different.
Also Anna Wintour’s time has passed. Vogue US hasn’t been great ever since she put Kim and Kanye on their cover.
Gender fluidity is healthy for all of us, it’s terrific that it’s featured. I have no idea who these people are, but in essence their faces aren’t very memorable. I’m more a fan of “ugly sexy”, meaning a face has grit and story. Maybe feature people w more impact, more staying power?
@nicole
While I agree that they could have found better representation. I am really confused as to why you would think Jayden smith is supposed to be more legit? Especially as you are slamming Zayns accomplishments. I mean a guy who owes his whole career to his famous dad. I mean I love the Get up but Jayden, as pretty as he is, is the weakest link. He is completely unremarkable as an actor and has none of his dads charisma. At least Zayn is a self made guy who came from nothing . Jayden is just a young rich guy who is vaguely experimental he’s not exactly the effin vanguard or a spokesperson for gender. Tbh i find Zayn speaking out about mental illness far braver than Jayden dressing in a skirt in 2017.
at least Jayden has actually something to do with gender fluid clothes and has expressed his stance on it before very clearly?
what has Zayn speaking out about his mental health to do with a fashion magazine’s issue on gender fluidity?
there isn’t much male celebrity representation out there, obviously.
Choosing someone more famous, who has nothing to do with the topic just seems lazy though
Jaden isn’t self made but he speaks more on gender fluidity than Zayn or Gigi. So I don’t find these two good people for this topic. Someone else mentioned Ezra Miller which is another great option
And zayn only speaks out on mental health when he wants to cancel a gig. I’ve never seen him advocate for any groups working on mental health, never seen him work with groups dedicated to this issue or speak on it when it has zero to do with the fact that he is canceling a major gig. So its no more brave than as you said “wearing a skirt” which was a great patronizing statement btw.
Look Nicole, everything you wrote about this boy is beyond patronising. Especially the stuff about his mental health is both insensitive and patronising.
As someone whose brother has struggled all his life with mental health issue I just want to say it’s not zayns job to advocate for anything. It took my brother years to even face his issues and speak openly about it. Even longer to seek help. It’s not as clear cut as you seem to think.
I could handle seeing way way way less of them. They annoy me.
It’s not hard to wear each other’s clothes when you’re both on the coke.
Agreed. They’ve both seen better days.
I might be biased because I’m a little mix fan but these two annoy the crap out of me.
😃😄😂😆
They do look like addicts…there is a Christiane F. and Detlev vibe to it. Cocaine suppresses the body’s ability to store fat. As soon as you stop you blow like a ballon without eating much. I think this what happened to Rihanna…I love it when celebrities gain weight overnight, it tells me they are recovering (not ALL of them but I know a cokehead when I see one).
really?
I find this stuff super interesting. Like bulimia jaw, which i can now spot pretty easy.
I like the cover photo but this is a big, fat nope….gender fluid is not just “trying on each other’s clothes” and the overall tone is offensive to people who are actually gender fluid. If Vogue wanted to do a piece on unisex clothing and actual gender fluidity, they could have hired a gender fluid or LGBTQ model.
Right you are. I can’t wait to get the opinion of my daughter who has a degree in gender studies.
I’d be interested to hear her response, and yours, I wonder how she feels about it in terms of LGBT tourism.
I think theres some validity in the idea that mainstreaming LBGT and minority trends provides more acceptance for those in minority spaces, but at the same time it seems a blatant money grab combined with a ton of misinformation?
I can’t be sure, but her first response will likely be laughter. At 24, she is amused but tolerant of much of this nonsense, considers the true “enemies” to be people like Sessions and Pence in our government. She’s also gay [identifies as female] and numbers many gender fluid people among her friends. I certainly know that gender fluid dressing, which my little girl does all the time, is in no way the same as identity. Finally, I can tell you she has zero tolerance for filthy rich, uneducated celebrities like these two. She also has a degree in anthropology.
Interested in your daughters response as well, third ginger.
@detritus, if you care to hear mine (gender degree here, too), I believe both needs to happen. Mainstreaming unfortunately comes with both commodification and appropriation – but it’s the only way to go, and as devastating as the loss of community identifiers and culture will be, it’s standard procedure for niche / ‘minority cultures when being usurped, and I personallly believe the pros still outweigh the cons. (I.e. At some point, no one will care about assigning traditionally female / male clothing, “no one will care”, etc. that won’t happen in my lifetime, though.)
I,pet goat, 2. I hope you are right. I would love to see so many gender norms disappear. I am 64, and rigid gender norms have poisoned the culture. Here in the US[ not sure where everyone is from] we still have parents pushing the” tough guy” vs. “princess” norms on the smallest children. We let ours do what she liked. But she did grow up to prefer women. Oh my! Like you, my vote goes to “no one will care.”
Also, I might not speak to my little girl today. She is off with her rugby team. LOL
i like hearing everyone’s opinions! share away Pet Goat 2.
I’m thinking maybe the pros are larger too, and I’m not sure there is any way to ‘mainstream’ without it? I’m not 100% sure it will ever happen. The human psyche just clings so dearly to the idea of us vs them.
Its very strange when political trends become consumer advertising (body positivity, feminism, socially conscious trade, gender fluidity?). I’m starting to wonder if its a sign of more general acceptance in a capitalist society. When a major company starts cashing in, you know the idea has hit a certain level of public support sort of thing?
And Ginger, for sure, these two aren’t the problem, they aren’t malicious, they are trying, they are just very out of touch sometimes. I think they both have their heart in the right place and will hopefully continue to grow.
I’m sure those kids mean no harm, but we just wonder why so few bother with a real education. I must admit I am coming from the position of a professor who sees so many kids struggle to afford an education. I asked my little girl about some other, older celebs [Perry and Swift} She said, “if they valued it, they would pay for it.” Anyway, thanks for great responses and interest. My best to you.
@Ginger, I think education is very important, but i wonder if some small amount of social justic should be included in highschool, like civics and english and basic maths for example.
I work with scientists, and there is a weird subgroup of thought that is very libertarian, in the sense that if you did not succeed you did not deserve to succeed? I’m not sure if I’m explaining this well, but I really ran up against it when I went into Public Health. Pure science background students had a really hard time coming around to the idea that public health outcomes are very much linked to factors outside of many peoples control. I know it was eye opening for myself.
For most of the students I see come through our department school is a tool to get a better job. Education is not done for edification or joy of leanring necessarily, but to get a leg up on the other side. We do get some that are just really really passionate about research, but it seems less so.
What do you think would be important for well rounded citizens? Also completely understandable if this is too late lol. Its unfortuante that CB comments don’t really age well, it can cut down on discussion sometimes for sure. always appreciate your viewpoint, so right back at you lovely!
Thanks for the question. I have spent 37 years as an English professor. Critical thinking and writing skills are so important. Here in the US, we have a genuine crisis with our citizens when it comes to being able to examine ideas objectively. You might have noticed this in our politics. LOL. I also think knowledge of history and government make better citizens, including major social justice movements. We certainly also have the idea in our universities that education’s purpose is to make more money. I tell my students the following: An education can show you that you are not the center of the universe. Many have come before you, and many will come after you. If you listen, you can begin to see your place in that long procession. Thomas Jefferson thought the entire purpose of education was to make better citizens. He and my little girl share an alma mater, the great[ and very old] College of William & Mary.
Well you know the saying “Money makes the world go round” and Im guessing Zayn and Gigi are likely to sell way more magazines.
I don’t think anyone owould describe Zayn as tall, isn’t he about 5″6?
He’s 5’10”. Not exactly tall for a guy.
I’ve seen that guy in person. No way is he up to 5′ 10!
@amide I concur. I’ve seen him a few times in real life (I work at an events venue near some fancy hotels) and he’s nowhere near 5’10. He’s about 5’7-ish, very slim and not as pretty in real life. He’s one of those cases where he’s super super *super* photogenic (even in candids, bizarrely) but not so much in reality, unless I kept seeing him on off days. I’m not saying he’s ugly, because he isn’t, but on camera he shines. In real life? Not so much.
I think he’s so photogenic because he’s 100% symmetrical. There was this picture where they mirrored his face and you didn’t. see. any. difference.
What an atrocious shoot. These colours make me want to poke out my eyes.
Um, seems like a Teen Vogue cover…bad styling, boring really.
I came her to say THIS.
just STOP at this point.
Teen Vogue is actually way better than Vogue in my opinion, especially of late, but I get what you’re saying.
They’re so hot, together and separately. But the clothes are super garish and why are these photos filtered to death like someone who just discovered Instagram?
I like the pattern on Zayn’s coat, but thats all the nice I’ve got for this nonsense.
This is just another example of mainstream borrowing a trend or choice from minority communities (PoC and LGBT) and trying to achieve ‘edginess’.
If they want to talk about gender fluid dressing, bring on Young Thug, or Jayden, or maybe Rachel Evan Wood, or even Kristen Stewart. Stewart dresses much more masc than Gigi ever has.
Young Thug wearing a dress isn’t being gender fluid though. He once was a serious gang member and his fashion was demonstrative of that group of people, of his environment. Then he got a record deal and started wearing dresses and carrying purses. His entire image is due to his record label and nothing to do with truthfulness. He is only wearing those clothes to influence a particular demographic. The whole thing is quite distasteful.
Hmm, ok he’s a pretty bad example then, pretty polar opposite to the point I’m rying to make in fact. Can you think of anyone who is a good example of this though?
I mean there aren’t a lot of gender fluid people, let alone gender fluid celebrities. Not since Bowie and that crop way back when, and i think that was fluidity in dress and sexuality not gender identity.
Or they’re copying The rolling stones. Keith used to wear Anita’s clothes.
The thing that tends to bother me about the whole unisex thing ( I wouldn’t call this geneder fluidity) is that it usually goes only one way – women dressing in men’s clothes, little girls getting boys names, it’s never the other way around because boys being feminine is still shameful.
I’m trying to change that with my two sons (3 and 5). Better believe they have more pink and purple in their wardrobe compared to their 6 month old sister lol!
I love it. The next time I’m having a fat day and all I want to do is slob about the house in my husband’s joggo’s and t-shirt cos nothing of mine darn well fits I can point to Vogue as my justification. Thanks. And when he complains of nothing to wear and boob shapes in his tops I’ll show him that and tell him to be more gender fluid and go to work in my dress. Oh my. Thank goodness for one good laugh today.
I know they annoy some people, but I really like them together & just think they’re both so damn hot. Also that pic with them both in the brown suits is really nice.
I never liked Vogue, but it’s really struggling with their fashion editoriaal. You main story is gender fluid fashion but they put it in the same magazine as the wedding dress story, which is not really representing that gender fluidity theme that they are trying to sell. Talk about festivals, invite other celebrities who put their mark in that sense (Janelle Monae, Evan Rachel Wood, Diane Keaton, ASAP Rocky). Emphasize how you can look professional and gender fluid at the same time. I think that they picked the wrong people to be the poster child of that trend, I would put Diane Keaton and some younger celeb on the cover. To put out notion that it’s a timeless look. Plus it would be a great cover story with Diane Keaton. They sound childish and superficial. Vogue has become juvenile in my opinion.
Instasdums everywhere. 😝 And this time it’s the other dead eyed Hadid on another monthly cover. When they both become inevitably Hollywood Square questions like the Hilton sisters, I hope they would be capable of more facial expressions by then.
And is this shoot before, or after, Malik cancelled his other appearances due to nerves, stage fright or some other BS I wonder?😃
Good point on the Hilton Sisters.
If Nicky had not made an advantageous jet-set marriage. they would both be ripe for VH1 ‘What Happened to…..?’ series.
Anwar Hadid also was photographed for this editorial and jesus christ. He makes Kendall and Bella seem alive. Same face in every single shot, it’s like they hit ctrl C + ctrl V. Worst nepotism model hands down.
He’s so effin beautiful!
He was a good looking kid but he just keeps getting more and more handsome as he gets older.
Imagine how ridiculous those hand tattoos are going to look in 20 years
I suspect that it’ s henna and it’s temporary. I think it looks lovely and he is quite handsome. I suppose it’ s supposed to signify gender fluidity as it’s traditionally painted on women. Agreed that they are a poor example of gender fluidity. Celebrities are rarely on the forefront of social change, self promotion though, yes!
Lovely shoot. He looks really beautiful and wears the hell out of these clothes.
“Malik shoots her a tender look”
Because they’re in LURV, and the writer is contractually obligated to make sure you know it. I really just don’t get any sense of familiarity or warmth between them, at all. But I don’t know their lives. *shrug*
All this shows is how absolutely vapid these peoples conversations are. These are both children pushed into fame too early and now trying prove they know something about real life. And by talking “deeply” about swapping t-shirts no less. Wow, whose lame idea was this?
This was my immediate reaction too. So enlightening!
Funny how this shoot has a lot of Little Mix and Harry Styles fans pressed.
Why would this have Harry styles fans pressed? He’s literally at his movie premiere today.
And again, why would Little Mix fans be mad? Perrie seems to be over the relationship as much as Zayn is.
Why? Stan mentality I guess. It rarely makes sense but it’s all over social media.
I will gladly defer to people who actually identify as gender-fluid, but I don’t see this as a terrible thing. The NYT had a piece sometime last year about the mainstreaming of gay fashion: think about your typical hipster look today, whether that’s undercuts and flannel on women, or super tight pants and fitted clothing on men, and it’s basically mainstreamed gay fashion. Straight people have been co-opting the former avant-garde for quite awhile. While gayness is different from gender fluidity, there are intersections: some gay men are feminine and dress in a feminine way, while some women dress in a masculine way.
I fail to see a problem with any cultural movement that makes gender expression outside the binary of male/female easier for anyone. Think about how hard it was – and still is- to present as “other” than a typical male/female in many contexts. People used to recoil in horror, or shock, or moral disgust at men and women in drag, as if it were an affront to humanity – check out Geraldo’s show on Club Kids in the 90s featuring Ru Paul for a taste of mainstream reaction to gender performance outside the norm around 20 years ago. It’s something else, and I think we’ve come a long way.
I think the main problem, if there is one, is that straight culture steals styles from those who suffer for their self-expression, and only then does it become ok, accepted, and occasionally cool. This seems unjust to the people who were made fun of and rejected for being outside the box before it was a thing.
Also, think of celebrating – rather than exploiting- the fashion and design culture of other countries in issues of Vogue. Fashion is never “just” fashion: it’s always tied to culture, history, ideas, and power. Therefore I don’t think it banalizes acceptance of gender-fluidity to feature it in a fashion issue of Vogue.
And, finally, a personal note: the last time I was in H&M I shopped both the men’s and women’s section of the store. Not everything fit right, but some of the men’s things fit better than the women’s things, and I’m definitely not a stick of a woman. I ended up with two men’s tees and some women’s pants and skirts. The men’s clothing tended to have higher-quality and thicker fabrics, higher necks, and longer torsos. The women’s clothing was better for accommodating hips and for a fitted cling. I actually agree that the concept of gender-divided stores seems slightly outmoded. Think about it: are all women equally curvy? No – so why not have more and less curvy fit models? Are all men equally tall, or built? No – so why not have a slender and athletic cut of things? What about people who want clothes that are not fitted or are somewhere in the middle, like weird cape things and jogging pants? Why not have a gender-neutral area for clothing that could work on men and women? It sounds like a big change, but it’s only a slight tweak to how clothing is marketed and designed, since some fast fashion retailers already produce a range of cuts and fits. More options are better for us all, and it’s time we, culturally, lost the negative gut reaction to identifying with things from the other side of the gender divide.
I love your post. As I say above, my daughter is gay, identifies as female, and also rejects gender norms in clothing. She’s very beautiful [I know all mothers say that] and wears her hair short these days. While wearing one of her bow tie and blazer outfits, she was mistaken for a young man by an UBER driver. He said “with your face, the girls must be all over you.” She could not stop laughing. As for clothes, she’s so petite, she can shop in the boys section of places like OLD NAVY.
great post senna. it touched on some of the things I was mulling on and more.
Great post! 👏🏻
@third ginger @detritus @Mia Thanks for the kind words, all! @Third Ginger: it’s kind of hilarious that your daughter was mistaken for a handsome man by an uber driver with a compliment about her looks to boot! Does she know of Rain Dove, Merike Palmiste, and Casey Legler? Those are three women models who model as male models and they are all fine as F :).
I don’t know, i think someone like Tilda Swinton would be better for representing gender fluidity in fashion, or better yet – Annie Lennox.
As a social construct, maybe, especially for confused teens and 20 year-olds. But biologically, gender fluidity is not real.
These two: so much PR.
The clothes they wear in this advertorial: ugly and ridiculous.
you’re failing to see that gender and sex are two separate concepts. so obviously from the biological perspective, gender fluidity is not real.
Biologically there are two sexes – male and female (and intersex, if you want), you can’t just decide you’re neither or both (again, this is simplified because of intersex people). Gender, however, is a social construct – see masculine and feminine.
in our society your biological sex usually determines which gender we feel assigned to, but actually Sex (biological) and Gender (social) are not interchangeable.
I think Gigi looks cute on the cover.
Everyone’s bitching about Zayn as usual.
Meanwhile first South Asian on the cover of vogue. #Desi
I don’t know any Vogue readers that will buy this cover. Like they need to stop putting children on the cover. Plus Gigi is so damn dumb, she doesn’t know what gender fluidity is. But your doing a photo shoot on it. And zayn claims he hates fame, yet is covering Vogue- the biggest fashion magazine. I’ll be glad when they both dissapear
While they’re lovely, for me gender fluidity= G-Dragon. I am a major Korean music/fashion/culture fan, however, so I am more than likely a bit partial.