The Breaking Of The Binary: Male Fashion Throughout The Modern Era

Male Tudor Fashion

Social status played a major role in Tudor society, to the extent that King Henry VIII validated Sumptuary Laws designed to keep the upper and lower classes permanently divided, with the punishments for violating these laws ranging from loss of property, to death. As fashion was a prominent indicator of status, certain materials and colours were prohibited for use by the lower classes, with many losing their lives and livelihoods over infringements of these rules. Legislation stated that only royalty was permitted to wear the colours purple or gold, or any garments made of silk, and further laws passed in 1509-1510 applied the same rules to horses. Luscious items were perceived as a mark of status and not gender expression, with King Henry VIII being described as the "best dressed sovereign in the world" as of his extravagant wardrobe and bounty of jewellery. The gender binary was apparent in fashion however, as men of high status tended to power dress to publicly display their masculinity, but by highlighting different features than what would be considered stereotypically masculine today. Bonnets laden with jewels were the item of choice for many tudor men, and many further opted to carry something sweet smelling in an item of jewellery, approximately the size of a toothpick. Thin legs were also a symbol of masculinity as they were seen to be a sign of an active lifestyle, with the majority of time spent fighting or dancing. Certain features upper class men yearned after then are consistent with features considered to be masculine now, for example, broad shoulders and a large chest. Portraits were often tilted and cropped to emphasise the chest area, creating an imposing presence, with large sleeves again broadening the shoulder area. Men were already seen as the dominating sex, which is apparent by their roles in society as the provider and fighter, however the development of Tudor fashion shows how masculinity began to be indicated through clothing expression.

Georgian and Regency fashion

Men in the Georgian times were no stranger to a little bit of embellishment, men often wore a powdered wig for formal occasions accompanied by a brightly coloured bow and tied in a ponytail. Similar extravagance can be seen in ornate and brightly coloured 'frockcoats' with many such outfits embellished with buttons purely for decoration- practicality was of little concern. Suits were taylored and coordinated, they could not simply be mixed and matched- these ornate creations were of high concern to the Georgian man and the donning of a cravat said more about his personality than his gender role. Interestingly, and contrary to later epochs, children of ages 0-5 (of any gender) wore dresses. During this crucial stage of primary socialisation, this tells a historian a lot about attitudes to gender in Georgian Britain.

In Georgian Britain, the study of nerves was just arising in which these nerves and anxieties were considered as prevalent in men as women, nerves were most commonly associated with the upper classes describing them as 'good blood with bad nerves' of course this came with it's own social and political implications possibly alienating the working classes with the reality of such emotions. However, it shows us that sensitivity and awareness of emotion was not exclusive to women and in fact in this time, very little gender roles were practiced and enforced. The showing of emotions was not specifically assigned to one gender and characteristics such as wisdom were prized in men more than their ability to keep a 'stiff upper lip.' This is not to say that gender discrimination did not exist however gender roles became clearly heightened after the victorian era.

During the regency period (in which King George the III was incopasitated and the Prince of Wales ruled as 'Regent'), there was a sort of fashion competition between Britain and France, the French revolution's despise for bourgeois culture triggered a distain for powdered wigs in the youth of the day which thus slowly faded out in France and hence Britain in this era. Natural curls, slicked back with the addition of a ponytail were preferred. Ultimately, what we can learn about masculinity and male fashion in this era is that it was far more fluid than later eras and that (in the bogeouse, at least) showing emotions was not considered 'effeminate.' However, it cannot be ignored that men did, indeed, own most large companies and single women ('spinsters') were highly stigmatised- women were still expected to marry however this was more on an economic, transactional level than a belief that women were sensitive and in need of protection by men.

The birth of modern masculinity and fashion

In the Victorain era, modern notions of 'masculinity' and 'femininity' began to develop and bleed into the Edwardian and modern day. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution involved discussion of male and female roles and biological 'normality' and 'abnormality' in behaviours of each thus creating solid scientific ideas about gender. Homosexuality was also demonised by these scientists as 'unnatural.' However, surprisingly, Queen Victoria did not believe that female homosexuality could even exist hence laws were not formally made against it. Futhermore, the gender studies or 'sexoligy' were beginning to develop highlighting a difference between men and women thus strengthening the binary. Industrialisation and imperialism resulted in need for men (the owners of business) to display more 'power' and 'dominance' within all social settings. Of course, in working class settings, men and women working in industrial labour positions were required to show similar levels of strength, however, the nature of high cultural scientific ideas in any era are in many ways the ruling ideas and how hegemony in society is established: essentially, in past epochs those in the upper echelons of society established many overarching meta narratives. We see these ideas percolated throughout art with the author Coventry Patmore (1854) describing women as 'angels in the house'. 

Echoing all of the gender binary created within the academic world, fashion in men became increasingly minimal showcasing and accentuating masculine features with plain three piece suits, top hats worn possibly to accentuate male height and the gender binary becoming the norm in early childhood. Many due to the oppressive nature of these binaries, wanted to be percieved as 'normal' as possible, great embellishment of male clothing would mirror female sensitivity and emotional nature and hence the stiff upper lip was born. This was of course questioned and satirised by Oscar Wilde in novels such as 'The Picture Of Dorian Grey.' 

The gender binary was reinforced in the 20th Century- the first world war strengthened ideas of hegemonic masculinity such as 'power' and 'valour', the 'Red Scare' in America in the 1950's caused masculine values to boom due to the need for society to become 'strong' and 'powerful' against communism- a garish parading of American nationalism came with it a touting of the importance of the nuclear family. However, in this time, things were chaning: for example, in the first world war, women had to work while the men were at war proving that women had the power to fend for themselves (also boulstered in the second world war). In the UK the women got the vote in 1928 and the first female doctor (Elizabeth Garret) went to university in that same year. Movements for rights globally, such as the Civil Rights Movement in America and the Portugeese Revolution calling for democracy proved that nothing had to stay stagment and unchaning forever and thus gender was questioned and we saw Feminist movements globally causing for the questioning of hegemonic values. The legalisation of homosexuality in the 60's also lead to the breaking of the Binary. Cultural revolutions such as David Bowie's glam rock and the New romantics, figures such as Grayson Perry and popularity of Gay Bars completely changed perceptions of gender and rocked the darwinian view of 'normal' and 'abnormal.'

So why is this relevant to male fashion? 

Well, the slow and steady breaking of the binary has seen men once again sporting frills, highly decorative dress and even the odd powdered wig (look at Elton!) furthermore, in the past 20 years, technology has allowed communities to share their expressions of gender identity through fashion throughout the world. The process has almost been circular, although it is fair to say that we have more gender freedom than even in the Georgian and Regency period. To argue that the gender binary is just 'the way it has always been' would clearly, as we have learned, be ignorant of the history itself that surrounds it. 

Modern male fashion and blending with Femininity

So, we have learned that gender lines were blurring throughout the 19th Century, this was also reflected in high fashion catwalks (particularly in couture) from the early 2000s however, in practice from around 2000-2006 some of the most feminine clothing items (not across the entire population of men,of course) worn were skinny jeans once called 'girl jeans' due to the fit exentuating 'feminine' features. Perhaps the reason we did not see the ubiquitous blurring of the binary in fashion throughout society had something to do with the closed community of high fashion and the elitism felt- technology helped to break this exclusivity and thus arguably this is when many men in society began to break male fashion norms. 

There was a growth in male grooming with 56% of American men claiming to use concealer or foundation on a day-to-day basis, Brendan Gough from Leeds Beckett university highlights how 'men are interested in their appearance to some degree'. Cover stars such as Harry Styes and Timothée Chalamet are proving that 'feminine' clothing does not make one less masculine, celebrity culture is aiding in breaking the binary. The trend of mixing traditionally gendered clothing items and features such as skirts, blouses, frills and purses highlight a clear break from hegemonic and Victorian-esque notions of gender, freeing expression and allowing fashion to be a place of play, not a place of norms and rules. Women are also incoperating 'masculine' clothing into wardrobes such as Blazers and ties. Hopefully now, we can move forward in future generations free from the shackles of gender norms. 

Modernist Traditional Male Fashion

Despite the gender binary fading, especially in the fashion world, many still believe that men must dress as what is considered to be traditionally masculine. The epitome of this modern traditionalist fashion is apparent in what redneck males wear, prioritising practicality over appearance. The majority of their clothes consist of tough materials, such as denim or leather, made to withstand their arduous physical tasks and their hair is often cut short to stay out of their face. The contrast between traditional masculine fashion currently, and centuries of male fashion is shocking, masculinity transitioned from luscious embellishments to rough practicality, raising the question of, what will be masculine next? Artist Sarah Bahbah questioned in an interview with Vogue how it's possible that "our behaviour and characteristic are defined by the way we look" and further claimed that the "multiplicity of humans" cannot be encapsulated by the male or female binary. 

Why do fashion trends change?

Fashion fluctuates more than many aspects of our lives, but why? One theory is that it is moulded by current affairs of the time; in the 1960s there was shocking social and political change, with a new generation of teenagers not forced into war, recreational drugs becoming widely used, and a new era of rock and roll; it's no surprise that this lead to innovative fashion designs and an entire new market for youth fashion, one incomparable with the adult trends. However, currently, online influencers have a major affect over fashion and beauty trends, as their fan bases are usually very impressionable, which has lead to a steep rise in consumerism. Andy Coghlan, from New Scientist magazine 2009 stated that it is "rapidly outstripping the resources in the world needed to satisfy demand." Although, WGSN (a global authority designated to predicting trends), predicated that activism and ethics were going to be the major shift with consumers in 2020, and they were right, Vogue Australia even employed a Sustainability Editor (Clare Press) and dedicated an entire issue to sustainable fashion, hopefully pushing fashion in a more environmentally friendly direction for years to come.