The idea that women’s fashion in the 19th Century demonstrates the wearer’s ‘abstinence from productive employment’ supports the idea that fashion helps and is part of the process of creating an identify. This can be seen by the fact women wore bonnets, long skirts long hair that prevented and restricted their movement to a minimum, thus the idea that they were dependant on men was strengthened and their position in society. However BLOOOOMERS
(Williams 1981) also agrees with the idea that fashion and clothing are markers in which class position is signalled and constructed. It has been suggested that the equality of gender has made fashion more androgynous. However it has also been stated that this idea has been made to represent a more masculine gender identity, for example feminists tend to wear trousers to prove a point to men whilst by standing up to them by using their conventional dress codes.
(Wilson 1992) suggests that fashion underlines sexuality so when clothes are worn to produced gender bending ideals it makes the majority feel threatened. He also thinks that exaggerated standards of beauty ‘can be disempowering and even offensive’. My first example (see appendix 1) is Christina Aguilera at the Music awards in Edinburgh 2003. The clothes she chose to wear to this event do not reflect conventional ideas of femininity, and for this she has been criticised by the magazine. Her first outfit is a torn tie-dyed dress and seems to be ‘Tasteful’ due to the fact it is a dress and reflects the gender identity allocated conventionally to it. In total contrast the next outfit is very domineering. It consists of leather trousers a bra and a little lace top. In contrast to the last outfit she wears her hair up as apposed to wearing it naturally. In wearing this she is creating an aggressive masculine image however, the magazine writer has mocked her by saying she has ‘forgotten her top’ suggesting that what she wears is not acceptable in society as it does not reflect her sexuality. The next outfit creates a strange image for her. We suppose it is a female one as she is in a skirt; however this outfit goes completely against convention and makes the viewer slightly uneasy as we try to guess what identity she is trying to convey. This could be seen as Wilson’s idea of exaggerated standards of beauty. In her next outfit her image again has undergone a complete change. She is in trousers which do add an n image of dominance it is toned down by the neutral colour of it. However the top with it reflects femininity by the fact it has a bow, which is quite a feminine idea or has been allocated female identity. In contrast the next outfit uses the same colour as the previous shirt, in a way that exaggerates femininity. However it is paired with a pair of trouser s that create a very masculine image. The fact that she does not reflect a set gender in her clothes again or the viewer is slightly uncomfortable. In her next outfit seems to create a gothic image that the magazine takes the piss out of perhaps because it does not reflect female gender identity. This is in contrast to the last outfits she wears which do create and conform to the identity of a conventional woman, however the last one in particular is again a very extreme version of this thus the magazine calls it ‘ridiculous’.
It can be said then that the clothes Christina Aguilera wears on this night does create a certain gender identity, however whether we as viewers accept her decisions to wear the clothes depends on whether the reflect already existing gender identity in a way which is not excessively extreme. It can also be said that she is trying to escape the false and constricting ideology of feminism. She is in a way reversing gender roles by wearing trousers
As we feel almost uncomfortable with women in trousers and taking on masculinity, when men do it we see it an acceptable way of dressing. Women can be seen as attempting to refuse or escape the ideology of femininity by the wearing. An example of a reflecting fashion of gender identity Sean Connery and Pearse Brosnand are wearing clothes that reflect their masculinity (see appendix 2). They are wearing simply jackets and shirts in plain colour and design however this use of blandness gives them an air of control, confident and powerful.
By the fact that clothes create an idea or identity means that there must be the basic idea of gendered clothing to start with. In this view Rouses argument could be seen as contradicting itself. (Larrain 1979) suggested that reproduction was the continued existence of institutions, practices and products and relative social positions of people. If we see reproduction in this way the idea that fashion must reflect existing gender and sexuality can be seen as equally true. Tilkner 1977 suggests that there is some kind of distinction in dress, however the particular attributes emphasised as masculine or feminine vary widely according to time and place. For example (Crawley 1965) drew attention to the fact masculinity in Europe is signified by the wearing of trousers, while in parts of Africa masculinity is signalled by the wearing of an apron. There has also been the same idea of different emphasis at a diff period of time for colour too. (Steele 1989) brought to light the fact that in the 18th Century Pink was worn by boy babies and Blue for girl babies as pink was seen to be a more dominating and strong colour. It was not associated with femininity until the 1920’s.
(See appendix 3) the example of Justin Hawkin, lead singer of the Darkness shows us that he is wearing a bright pink and white leotard with what seems to be giant trousers pieces as to make it look like a skirt. Gender identity is almost inverted and this creates confusion for the viewer. As his outfit does not really reflect any gender the viewer is left thinking that what is worn is unacceptable, thus again the magazine people make a joke of the fact Justin is wearing this to ‘dress down’
in the next example we see a girl wearing the classic black dress. This idea of the little black dress does reflect gender identity and strongly ties in with it. Thus this idea is being promoted for a shop, suggesting that this is what it is to be female, just as selling James Bond is promoting the idea that this is what it is to be male (see appendix 1, 2, 3).
