Dress like a girl?

TV presenter Emma Willis’ caused a mini social media storm last week when she posted a picture on Instagram of her 9 year old son wearing a pink t-shirt and sporting shoulder length blonde hair,

I was as perplexed as I'm sure most of you are that a picture of a boy wearing a pink t-shirt and long hair provoked any reaction at all, but perhaps not everyone has made the journey into the 21st century just yet.

Earlier this year Gucci launched a dress designed for men in an effort to bust “toxic gender stereotypes” and while i think on a day to day basis were a way off seeing men wearing dresses, the boundaries of male/female fashion are being pushed, so do we really still believe that old adage thats its blue for a boy and pink for a girl?

Trail blazers such as David Bowie were instrumental in busting gender stereotypes, Bowie’s androgyny knew no bounds; from his scarlet red mullet to his piercing neon-blue eye makeup, his experimental hairstyles revolutionised masculine fashions in the 1970s, has all that been forgotten?

Cultural Icons like Bowie cleared the path for others like Boy George, Prince and more recently One Direction Heart Throb Harry Styles who with the help of Gucci has been breaking down every stereotype about what men can and cant wear, from sheer frilly blouses and pearl earrings to carrying a clutch bag. This isn't about sexuality or gender binary this is about choice, so why is it we often label a man who chooses to dress in a way we don't recognise as flamboyant or dandy? while women gets the slightly less attractive label of butch if their wardrobe fails to conform to the expected female stereotype.

High Fashion labels Celine and Saint Laurent have made a point of having gender neutral (or unisex as its more widely known) clothing in their collections and I have been shopping in the mens department for years because they do the best t-shirts and blazers.

Its a brave new world and fashion is leading the charge. 

Image Credit: Esquire