Androgynous Fashion: Breaking Gender

Stereotype

Submitted by: Ashima Khurana, DFBMMP150823 in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Masters in Fashion Marketing
2015-2017

Submitted to MAFMG Course Team

School of Creative Business
16th/October/2015

Pearl Academy
New Delhi
 Table of Contents
S.no Contents Page no.
1. Introduction 1
2. Androgyny 2
2.1 Background
2.2 Focus of Study
3. History of Androgynous Fashion 2-5
3.1 Across the Globe
3.1.1 Peacock Revolution
3.2 Across India
3.3 Critical Analysis
4. Rising Potential of Domestic Apparel Market 6-7
4.1 Product Categories
4.2 Forecast
5. Domestic Designers Take Androgyny to a new level: gender 8
neutral ethnic wear
6. Emergence of New Man in town 9
6.1 Metrosexual Men Revolution
6.2 Men In search of Individualism: Shopping Pattern of Men
6.3 Critical Analysis
7. Feminine Silhouettes: A new Fashion statement for Men in west 10-11
7.1 Men in Skirts
7.1.1 Skirts for men: Healthy Reproductive life
8. Is Indian Men ready for Androgyny 12-13
8.1 Gender Stereotype: A Comparison of Indian Consumer with
...Other Nations
8.2 Critical Analysis
9. Emergence of Career girl: Expansion of Niche Market 14
9.1 Tuxedo women: Independent women
10. Changing Paradigm: Emergence of Female Dandy’s 15-16
11. Reflections 16-17
12. Conclusions 17
13. References 18-19
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

Androgynous Fashion: Breaking the Gender Stereotype

Source: Pinterest

1. Introduction
What is the most beautiful in virile men is something feminine,
what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine
(Sontag 1961 cf. preface of LOVE Magazine, spring/summer 2011,
227).

Fashion is never static, never fixed, it is ever-changing. Fashion is a concept that signifies
additional and alluring values attached to clothing, which are enticing to, consumers of fashion
(Kawamura 2005, 4).As the new era is evolving so are the changing meaning of fashion and
lifestyle which is furthermore effecting the buying pattern of consumers broadly in terms of
clothing, thereby fashion has a direct relation with clothes . A human body is in contact with
clothes the most, the interaction causes the generation of belief and representation for the
same.(Adelman, 2008). The high level of intimacy with the body makes them a visible
construction of social identity in general and gender in particular (Joyce, 2005). However the
deconstruction of gender binaries and a move towards androgyny is taking root in fashion, and in
particular, retail and advertisements (Daly, 2015). The traditional retail outlets had created a
vision for audiences, segregating clothes according to gender, however with changes in society
where people are fighting for gender equality, focusing on eradication of crime against women
and trying to create gender awareness, styles of clothing can be connected in their relation to
structural changes in society and, thus, they cannot be taken out of the social context.Gender-
Neutral fashion is not a new concept but a creative energy in the stream, it is helping to
revolutionize the current scenario, where the world to some extend is still stuck on pink for girls

1
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

and blue for boys, which contradicts the essence of fashion that stands for individuality of who
we are but when gender boundaries are fenced the option of choosing for one is gone.

2. Androgyny
The famous dandy manifesto; androgynous silhouette walking the catwalks; the huge gap between
yin and yang is no longer there, as the feminine and the masculine present in all of us seem to get
along just fine for once.
British Vogue, March 2010

2.1 Background
The term “androgyny” derives from the Greek words for male and female, and suggests a state
intermediate between masculinity and femininity. To feminists androgyny represents escape
from the prison of gender, from socially enforced preconceptions of ways in which women and
men ought to differ in their psychology and behaviour. (Warren,1980). When we bring in the
context of fashion in androgyny it deals with the blurring gender lines of prevailing gender
oriented clothing stereotypes.

2.2 Focus of the study

The agenda behind this review essay is to study the androgynous fashion, also known as gender-
neutral fashion or unisexual fashion, and it’s potential in Indian market. The focus is on
cisgender i.e male and female and their compartmentalization in terms of clothing. However
where majority of the India is affected by westernization, the study thereby further guides the
reader about androgynous fashion of west and their expected penetration in Indian market.
Where androgyny started spreading it’s wings in 1920’s and became a named fashion statement
in 1960 around the globe, the designer Wendell Rodricks argues that androgyny has been a trend
in India since millennia, thus more than fashion androgyny has cultural as well as economic
relevance in India. The following section therefore talks about the rise of androgyny around the
globe and the further subsection describes the changing meaning of androgyny in domestic
culture.

3. History of Androgynous Fashion

‘Of course there is a sex war; of course women despise men and of course men are jealous of women.
They have lived in different worlds; the man’s world has gone rotten and the woman’s gone silly. Let us
start again, as a symbol of our refounded unity of mind, let us wear the same clothes. (Grill.E,1931)

3.1 Across the Globe

Socio economic changes that occurred during the First World War 1914-18 and became accepted
changed the role of women in a way that no amount of campaigning by a few liberated ladies
could have achieved. The idea of gender neutral clothing was an unnamed fashion statement

2
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

which started to spread it wings from 1920’s when Chanel introduced the world to the jumper
and it was worn by both men and women. Knitted garments for men really took off in this era
and women eagerly wore the same knits too. Fair Isle patterns became very popular for both
sexes. (Thomas.P 2014)
The dawn of 1960’s brought many changes. Long, huge,
frilly and unmanageable gowns were the clothes of history,
with the movement towards more comfortable garment, a
sweeping change throughout the fashion world was
witnessed and thereby created fashion which still appears
modern today ( for example : Fair isle pattern). Fashion
was considered to be the taste of mouth, of just wealthy,
mature, elite. However a wave of change could be seen in
this era where young people became important. The shape
of clothes was soon transformed by new ideas emerging
from the London pop scene. Source: Pinterest
Men's suits became sleeker and were often accessorised with
bright, bold shirts and high-heeled boots. The flamboyant look was in, signalled by wider
trousers and lapels.

3.1.1 The Peacock Revolution

The peacock revolution was the mark of change and the most remarkable
development in 1960s dress. It was the dramatic change in menswear. For the
past 150 years, clothing for men had been tailor-made and plain and dark in
appearance. Now, following trends which first appeared in gay fashions,
colourful elements were introduced, such as the collarless jacket, worn with
slim-fitting trousers and boots.
During the mid-1960s frills and cravats came back in, together with vividly
printed shirts. Finally, lapels and trousers took on exaggeratedly wide
dimensions. With the development of bold styles and colors there was a
Suit, Tommy Nutter, 1969.Museum
preference for patterned garments and Edwardian style tailored suits. fashion style
no.T.75with longer
:1-3-1996. © Victoria &
hairstyles and boots with pointy ends for men Albert Museum, London

finished the complete look.Clothing became increasingly unisex as men

and womenshopped similar items.
Edwardian Style Tailored Suits

Source: WGSN, The Liberated1960’s

3
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

3.2 Across India

As mentioned above androgyny always existed in India starting from Indus Valley Civilization,
where the main agenda was to cover their body, how to cover the body was a personal choice but
a common culture was followed among men and women. The men wrapped a cloth around
theirlower body and fastened it at the back, the women did the same with reduced length till knee
leaving the waist bared.
One thing that was common among both the genders was the fondness of jewellery. The
ornaments include necklaces, bracelets, earrings, anklet, rings, bangles, pectorals, etc. which
were generally made of gold, silver, copper, stones like lapis lazuli, turquoise, amazonite, quartz,
etc. Many of the male figurines also reveal that men at that time were interested in dressing their
hair in various styles like the hair woven into a bun, hair coiled in a ring on the top of the head,
beards were usually trimmed.
During the Vedic era, the style of clothing changed but the idea remained the same which was to
wrap the cloth around the body. Orthodox males and females usually wore the uttariya by
throwing it over the left shoulder only, in the style called upavita.
There was another garment called pravara that they used to wear in
cold. This was the general garb of both the sexes but the difference
existed only in size of cloth and manner of wearing. The only
difference was in the type of fabric used by different class of people
where lower class preferred loincloth the elite class opted for muslin,
linen, silk, flax and the way they drapped the cloth was different from
the other class to show their opulence.
Sari was a style of drapping the cloth which was very common among
the women’s and later during this era the blouses to cover chest were
Source: Pinterest
introduced.

The Mauryan and the Gupta period followed the same ideology, however with the discovery of
new silhouettes and fabrics, the styles of wrapping the cloth changed. In the Gupta period the
stiched garments became the statement of elite class. The Ajanta painting are the evidence of the
anatriya worn by women changed into gagri, which has many swirling effects exalted by its
many folds. The men and women usually covered there lower body and the upper body was left
open at times, even after the emergence of blouses/choli’s the women left the bust part bare.
(Dhamija, 2009)
The change and the separation of clothing according to gender came into play with the Mughal’s
conquering India. The common public had a natural tendency to look upon the king’s and
queen’s and their clothing styles and innovation in the dressing styles came with changing
periods of rule. The Mughal ruled India for approximately 200 years and influenced the dressing
pattern of common public to much extend. The crucial reasons of change to gender oriented
clothing from androgyny was Mughal rule.

4
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

The Mughal dynasty included luxury clothes that complemented interest in art and poetry. Both
men and women were fond of jewelery. Clothing fibres generally included muslinsof three types:
Ab-e-Rawan (running water), BaftHawa (woven air) and Shabnam (evening dew) and the other
fibres were silks, velvets and brocades.(Dey, 2013)
The Mughal queens followed purdah system where wearing of burqua in public was an important
aspect of female’s attire. However even though the luxurious cloth and design they wore were
covered by the burqua but this did not compromise with their fashion quotient. Nurjahan for
example designed clothes and fabrics, dresses in a style all of her own that established the
fashions for many years to come. She introduced the delicate art of white embroidery. The
renoundchikankari now associated with Lucknow, to the Mughal court, where it becomes the
height of fashion. (Dey, 2013)

What made Mughal’s female to wear burqua in

public?
The answer to this question lies in Qur’an
The Qur'an has been translated as stating:
"O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters
and the women of the faithful to draw their
outergarments close around themselves; that is
better that they will be recognized and not
annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle."
— Qur'an, Surah 33 (Al-Ahzab), Verse 59
Another verse in the Qur'an is translated as:
"And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to
display their beauty except what is apparent of it, and to extend their headcoverings (khimars) to
cover their bosoms (jaybs), and not to display their beauty except to their husbands, or their
fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers, or their
brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or
the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the
nakedness of women is not apparent, and not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make
known what they hide of their adornments. And turn in repentance to Allah together, O you the
faithful, in order that you are successful".
— Qur'an, Surah 24 (An-Nur), Verse 31
3.3 Critical Analysis
The distinction of clothing styles among male and female started emerging from the maurayn’s
period due to difference of choices by the two gender’s but became ethical during the Mughal
era. However these differences in clothing styles grew and with emergence of more feminine
silhouettes, the choices of female started drifting to fashion which was designed particularly for
them. Later with the development of stereotype of what a women should wear started fencing the

5
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

boundaries on their fashion freedom. Henceforth with the women fighting for their rights and
equality in terms of gender did affect the fashion industry, thus India at present recognizes
unisexual apparel as a separate product category and has a potential to grow in further years.

4. Rising Potential of Domestic Apparel Market

Economically apparel is the second largest retail category in India. There are a number of factors
that have contributed to a definite swell in apparel market size. The rising affluence of the
middle class due to rising disposable income and strong per capita income have considerably
helped the industry to move ahead from a commodity level garment purchasing to a life style or
a branded level product.
Overall Indian retail projected to double to $1 trillion by 2020 from $600 billion in 2015 thus
retail market expected to grow by 12 percent in line with historical trends
Rapid growth in retail driven by four factors
1. Income growth -3 times increase in average household income from $6,393 in 2010
to $18,448 in 2020
2. Urbanization : 40 percent population to live in urban cities by 2020, up from 31
percent in 2010
3. Nuclearisation : Over 200 million households to be nuclear by 2020- with 25-50
percent higher consumption per capita spend
4. Attitudinal shifts: 75 percent of population by 2020 will belong to generation I1 with
markedly higher consumption levels.

SOURCE : HARMINDER SAHINI MANAGEMENT

CONSULTANT, 2011

4.1 Product Categories

The Indian apparel market has broadly being classified in 5 categories
1) Menswear
2) Women’s wear
3) Kids wear
4) Unisexual
5) Uniform

6
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

A section of modern Indian society does not discriminate in the upbringing of male and
female child. With equality in the level of upbringing, a large section of women use male
uniforms. This trend is more pronounced with women professionals who increasingly use
‘male’ outfits such as trousers, shirts, jackets etc. This has created a unique opportunity for
Indian manufacturers to create a separate segment that suits the requirements of both the
genders. The demand for unisex clothing is continually on the rise in India.

4.2 Forecast

The unisexual apparel market is expected to show an increase of 5.6% till 2016 and these
apparels in unisexual wear includes :
 Jeanswear
 Woolens
 Sweater
 Pullovers
 Cardigans
 Casual blazers
 Jackets (including leather jackets)
 Active sportswear
 Socks
 Scarfs
With increasing adoption and bend towards western culture the Indian designers have paved way
into gender neutral fashion by giving it a new look , new aspect and a new name other than the
traditional unisexual wears. The domestic designers brought another category to gender free
clothing. And these types of apparels hold fashion as well as social value.

7
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

5. Domestic Designers take Androgyny to a New Level: Gender Neutral

Ethnic Wear
Two of India's leading designers sent male models down the
runway dressed in lehenga skirts and anarkali suits. Designer
RohitBal, the maverick of fashion, dressed his men in ankle-
length mulmul skirts and tapered lehengas for his couture line
at the India Bridal Week. Bal even fashioned ankle length
voluminous anarkali-churidar styles in crushed silk and heavy
embroidery for his guys. Anarkalis have been a favoritewith
women and bridal wear for almost a decade nowRohitBal isn't
the only one who has ventured to experiment with this trend,
even designer Anju Modi known for her traditional style tried herSource:
handMail online India © Ramesh Sharma
with androgynous styles
for men
Modi's male models were dressed in voluminous anarkalis that reached their toes. She added a
womanly touch with shawls draped from the waist rather than over the shoulders or wrapped
around the chest as men usually do.
The majority population had
their eyes on domestic
runway and when men in
skirts made their way on
ramp, the eyes couldn’t get
off the new look taking
androgyny to another level
of fashion where no longer
androgynous dressing and
gender-bending fashion was
restricted to women ditching
their dresses for masculine
inspired clothing like the
blazer dress, the sexy pant-
suit or even the boyfriend jean. . Source :IndiaToday

While many described the look as "atrocious", leading trend analysis’s and fashion stylists say
that the fad is here to stay and that men will try their hand at it. But it will take a man who is
truly confident in his skin and who is sure about his masculinity to join the trend. (Banon, 2013)
Who are these men? Answer’s resides in the upcoming part.

6. Emergence of New Man In Town

The phenomena New Man was coined by marketers in the 1990’s and according to Craik (1994,
1-16), the New Man was viewed ´partly as a reaction to the impact of feminism and partly as a

8
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

reassessment of masculinity and male identity.´ The New Man is a man who is becoming more
fashion conscious and trend savvy when it comes to apparel (Sondhi&Singhvi 2010).

6.1 Metro Sexual Men Revolution

The Metrosexual man and the New Man may be classified as being the same. Though similarities
exist between the two the difference may lie within that the New Man embodies the changes
which have occurred in male behaviour, whereas the Metrosexual was more ambitious and in
search of uniqueness and a way of life. The New Man is concerned with how sociocultural
changes have affected men, e.g. women are working, thus men spend more time at home with
their kids, and the Metrosexual is more concerned with fashion, appearance and other lifestyle
issues. This new type of consumer has a more individual, committed, independent and
knowledgeable approach to consumption (Lewis & Bridger 2000).

6.2 Men In Search of Individualism: Shopping Pattern of Men

Shopping has always been classified a female activity (Kruger &Byker 2009). Insufficient
attention has been put on men as fashion consumers; however, this field of knowledge is
expanding alongside the development of male fashion consumption and the emergence of the
Metrosexual man.One of the differences in men and women’s fashion consumer behavior may be
found within our ancestors’ foraging patterns, i.e. hunters and gatherers (Kruger &Byker 2009).
Kruger &Byker put forward that ‘the unique features of hunting and gatherers may have
influenced modern male and female shopping experiences and behaviors.´Thus men as hunters
are task-oriented, they recognise a need they seek to fulfil it. Hence, focus is more on getting the
job done than enjoying the process thus men are more oriented on the result (Larsen 2002). On
the other hand women are more into gathering. . A popular saying ´She went shopping while He
worked´ fitted well in that scenario (Larsen, 2002). According to Jennifer Craik (2009) ´Men
dress for fit and comfort, rather than for style; women dress for men and buy clothes for men;
men who dress up are peculiar (one way or another); men do not notice clothes’. Encapsulates
the entire essence of the dominating perception of stereotypical gender roles occurring up until
the late 1960’s.The need for being fashionable, started to emerge in the masculine behaviour in
the 1960s when designers started to change the ideology of male clothing. More importantly;
they started to take an interest in men’s clothing as fashion. Thus ´The taboo that men should not
be interested in fashion or in looking good has been erode , at least for a younger generation of
men.´ (McNeil &Karaminas 2009).
6.3 Critical Analysis
Thus with the changing shopping pattern of men the possibility of them trying hand in feminine
silhouettes increases. The designers for now have paved way into gender neutral ethnic wear but
the influence from west may lead to construction of new western wear that are gender free. Thus
the below section talks about the new fashion statement of west which could be expected to
come in India.

9
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

7. Feminine Silhouettes: A New Fashion Statement of Men in West

"Self-respect is the noblest garment with which a man may clothe himself,
the most elevating feeling with which the mind can be inspired." - Samuel
Smiles

Androgyny has always revolved around the myth of women adapting menswear and that’s what
the past trend has always brought in the limelight, however now turning tables can be noticed
with the designers blurring the lines between the genders. For years runways have shown women
stealing their boyfriend’s shirts, jumpers and most recently ripped jeans deriving the concept of
“boyfriend jeans”, the designers have turned the coin with the emergence of “the girl friend
look”. Famous for its swaggering macho men, Italy was a surprising location for such a moment.
At a recent Gucci show in Milan, louche, long-haired male models sauntered down the runway in
chiffon and lace, pussy-bow blouses and high-waisted flares. It was gender blurring as never seen
before at the venerable Italian fashion house, courtesy of the label’s new creative director
Alessandro Michele. And that wasn’t the only surprise. The Gucci girls, meanwhile, walked the
runway in boyish, geeky styles. (Baker, 2015)

Source :BBC Credit : Rex Features

7.1 Men In Skirts

Until now, men have considered the idea of wearing something other than pants or long shorts in
public to be nothing less than a sacrilege against humanity .although throughout history men
wearing skirted garment was all too common. After all pants were not widely used by the society
more than three hundred years ago. Pants or two legged garment was originally an invention to

10
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

make it easier to ride a horse. The idea stuck, and this became standard apparel for working men
to stave off cold and abrasion.
It seems that many men are rediscovering the comfort and practicality of the skirt. Men's skirts
are often referred to as kilts, sarongs or pareos for those who are fearful to associate the word
"skirt" with men.
7.1.1 Skirt’s For Men: Healthy Reproductive Life
Skirt’s for men is often confused and imagined with those feminine skirts on male body, and this
makes the idea of “men in skirts” little absurd and unacceptable as it seems to challenge the
heterosexual male making them to look more homosexual. In order to replace the imagination
the designer use to word “kilts” which by definition means “skirts” for men.
In the history of world’s clothing for men, ancient men have always wrapped their lower body in
a cloth,the ancient Egyptians wore dresses and skirts. Going further back, so did the ancient
Sumerians. Alexander the Great conquered the whole world while wearing a skirt. (Steinkamp.S
2014)
Looking at the anatomy of men , a men has a penis and two
testicles suspended in scrotum. The testicles need to be a
few degrees cooler than the rest of the body to effectively
produce viable sperm. Wearing restrictive clothing is bad
for virility. Thus the idea behind underwear was to provide
a smooth, soft garment against the skin instead of the rough
outer garment. Secondly, it was to keep the outer garment
clean. Washing machines and modern fabrics have
eliminated the need for these functions. There is no health
benefit to underwear, and there are possible health
consequences. One of these consequences is sweating and
chafing. Other, more serious consequences can be the
fostering of yeast, fungal, and bacterial infections.
In a study cheekily titled “Real Men Wear
Kilts,”researchers at Erasmus MC University Medical
Center in Rotterdam say men who regularly wear kilts
without underwear have better sperm quality and greater Source: Menswearstyle.com
rates of fertility than the tightie-whitie sporting cohort. While it has long been known that
maintaining a cooler scrotal temperature can aid in reproductive success, the study says the best
way to ensure a healthy sperm count is by wearing garments that keep the genital area at least
three degrees cooler than body temperature. Researchers also found that not only do tight pants
increase the temperature inside the testicles by 3.5C, but the rise in temperature can adversely
affect the rate of sperm production within otherwise fertile men.
According to Scottish medical journal: “Men should wear skirts and avoid trousers, at least
during the period during which they plan to conceive children as men who wear kilts have better
sperm quality and better fertility”

11
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

8. Is Indian Men Ready For Androgyny?

According to International designers androgyny has always existed in

India, and that’s what domestic people have received from their
ancestor’s clothing style. The world perceives dhoti and lungi as skirts
however the home-grown people share a different view where dhoti
and lungi is mere a dressing pattern and has nothing to do with men
turning androgynous. Moreover this clothing style has more to do with
affordability and comfort as it is one of the cheaply priced patterns.
However this clothing style helped the men to retained virility due to
above given medical reason but a challenge stays for the metrosexual
men and his adoption for choosing this style of clothing. India today is
Source:WIFW’15
the impotent capital of the world (Krishanamurthi 2010) which
suggests that men in India suffer from bad virility and this is the crucial reason as to why Indian
men should adopt this concept. Designers Arjun Saluja shares that “A men wearing a skirts has
more to do with the emotions and utility.Indian men are ready for androgyny but it depends on
how you perceive it. It’s all about the attitude. A lot of men wear skirts but they still look
masculine”. However the fear of being perceived as feminine makes lot of domestic men to step
back from this dressing pattern and here comes the sole difference of why it’s an easy adoption
for west and not for India. The gender stereotype is so strong in the society that even if willing
the consumer won’t adopt this dressing style.

8.1 Gender Stereotype: A Comparison of Indian Consumer with Other Nations

Researches show that more boys than girls showed masculine personality traits whereas more
girls than boys described themselves as having feminine traits. This result is in consonance with
past research done on gender identity where the respondents described themselves on personality
traits and found that men had higher self-ratings on masculinity and women had higher self-
ratings on femininity (Ravinder as cited in Ravinder, 1987; Blanchard, Roussel, & Hertzog,
1994; Twenge, 1997). Similar findings on social desirability of personality traits have also been
found which showed that the male stereotypical characteristics were judged more desirable for
men and female stereotypical characteristics were judged desirable for women (Ryhal, 1988;
Holt & Ellis, 1998). Despite new freedoms and options, more for women than men, domestic
arrangements in Indian society and career choices continue to exert influence on inculcation of
stereotypical traits for the two sexes. The result of the present study was found in contradiction
with earlier studies which indicated that there is less possibility of boys adopting feminine
identity as boys face more negative consequences than girls who adopt masculine behavior
(Feinman, 1981). Some of the boys in the present study were also found to have feminine gender
identity. This might be the result of exposure to the global media as boys are shown in the
nonstereotypical roles for example working as fashion and interior designers or models in the

12
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

fashion industry. They increasingly are becoming conscious of their looks and are working on
becoming more attractive.
Studies done in other cross-cultural contexts support this finding. For example, Diekman, Eagly,
Mladinic and Ferreira (2005) highlighted in their cross-cultural study that United States
participants are more likely than Brazilian and Chilean participants to perceive men as gaining
feminine characteristics.

Source: Pinterest

Indeed the term metro-sexual has been coined to reflect the subset of men for whom fashion and
appearance are a priority (Roeper, 2003). A study on Japanese students found that male students
had less sex-typed perceptions of themselves than female students (Kasturda& Sugihara, 1999).
This has been attributed to changing gender roles in contemporary Japan.

8.2 Critical Analysis

The consumer of India is still gender oriented however a change can be seen but the change is
slow in motion as compared to cross culture. If a look at another perspective is highlighted then
acceptance of female adopting masculine silhouettes is higher than the male adopting feminine
silhouettes, and the males who adopt are termed or mocked as homosexuals. Thus the fear of
society forbids the metrosexual men to move beyond the traditional clothing pattern. The drift
has happened but is limited. On the other hand the movement of women towards being career
oriented and the encouragement from society has somehow helped them to move out of the
traditional feminine silhouettes.

9. Emergence of Career Girl: Expansion of Niche Market

´A shirt is a shirt; but if you are a guy you will make it masculine, if you are a girl you will make it
feminine, so I think it gives a lot of power to the wearer.´ -ACOINS

In contemporary India, the status of women has been changing because of industrialization,
modernization and urbanization along with the principle of democracy, social legislation and
influence of transnational media. Women now have greater access to educational, employment

13
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

opportunities, age of marriage has increased, preference for kind of marriage and traits of
marriage partner have undergone a change. Research has also shown that identification with
feminist movement or enrollment in a women’s studies course has also led to gender role change
among women (Smith & Self, 1981; Steiger, 1981).

9.1 Tuxedo Women: Independent Women

The changes in society has reflected in female consumer behaviour and according to Kruger
&Byker (2009) women are categorised as gatherer who before purchasing, seek more
information searching for products, comparing prices and features reading the signs in the
product display areas.’ Looking at the pros and cons of a particular purchase, thereby they think
before they buy. With the societal changes where women are fighting for equality and freedom
has led to the demand of gender neutral fashion which corresponds to individuality of who we
are rather than what gender we follow. Thus, leading designers to flirt with unisex inspired
clothing (Eurowoman 2010).Hence, enhancing the demand for the unisexual brand.

With women's workwear going

beyond saris and salwar
kameezes, and a shift to
tuxedo’s has created a full
flegedmarket in India under
category of “career girl”.
Indus League Clothing's
Scullers was one of the first
few brands in this space as was
Madura Garments which
ventured aroun 2001 with
Allen Solly. Madura followed
up with Van Source: Ssbcrack.Com
Heusen, Blackberry and Philips-Van Heusen's Arrow.
"With more working women, there has been a natural expansion of what was once considered a
niche market. Besides, trousers or denims with a top isn't really considered 'western ' anymore,
since it's so much part of the way Indian women dress," says Shreyas Joshi, president, Raymond
Apparel.
The market for branded women's western wear is seen to have grown from barely Rs 500 crore
in 2001 to Rs 5,000 crore by 2007. That's still a small percentage of the overall branded apparel
market that's estimated at Rs 30,000 crore, but industry insiders are looking at 45% annual
growth in this market. Raymond noted that 25% of the footfalls at their stores were by women
and took their cue. Madura noted that women were at the mercy of local boutiques to get that
perfect pair of trousers till 2007.

14
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

Today with more exposure, increased travel and newer international brands entering the market,
we're seeing a surge in this market," says Vikram Rao, group president of Madura . "Women
demand trendy, younger, fuss-free clothing."

10. Changing Paradigm: Emergence of Female Dandy’s

The association of female with being home-maker is weakening with
generations to come. The look and the dressing pattern among women
is lot more different if we compare GenX and GenY. Where in the era
of hour glass figure being the idealist the flat chested figure is gaining
the popularity a paradigmal shift can be seen. The clothing is more
oriented towards comfort, trend and simplicity. The “cool look” is the
new look of GenY, thus the introduction of boyfriend jeans fits the best
in the look. The idea behind boyfriend jeans is the fit of the denim
which looks like borrowed from boys and have a slouchy, loose,
relaxed fit that were actually his but tailored for her (Fok.V, 2014). The
feminine silhouettes involved more of skinny and tight fitted clothing
which might and might not be comfortable and easy to wear, moreover
the women wear fashion has something always refreshing and adopting Source: Pinterest
something from opposite sex. However it doesn’t always mean that this denim type is supposed
to be worn in an extra baggy way but another way could be more slimmer and tapper version
without losing theessence and charm of comfort.(Fok.V, 2014)

.
Source: India Tv

Thus the slouchy shirts, baggy pants and the increasing craze to boycut inspired from Anushka
Sharma encapsulate the essence of female dandy’s and has led to it’s emergence. In the ancient

15
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

times the common public looked up to king’s and queen’s dressing styles to get inspiration for
their own. However today a look is up for the celebrities either Bollywood or Hollywood and
these people can be regarded as trend setters.

Source: Vogue India

Bollywood as always inspired the common man to step out of the comfort zone and try
something new and more individualistic. Everything you wear is a fashion it’s just the way you
wear it. In the image above two Bollywood Celebrities share the same print on the fabric,
however difference in the silhouettes is much visible. However this can be perceived as a start of
trend and a step ahead towards androgyny.

11. Reflections
India is the nation of diverse culture and languages. North-South-East-West have one
common thread passing, of being Indian-Anonymous

According to history of Indian clothing one thing becomes visibly clear that androgyny has
always existed in India. Inspired from ancestors where men had always wore skirts, naming it
with lungi or dhoti, today’s youth (both men and women) has tried their hand in this style of
dressing but on special occasions, typically under ethnic wear. Where anarkali’s have dominated
Indian female market for over a decade now the domestic designer’s have brought the same line
for men. But it is expected to be a fad where metrosexual men may try it in search or something
new and different to wear but acceptance from the generation X can be a question mark. In future
this dressing style for men may catch fire but that future is bit far away.
Increase in disposable income and fast adoption of western culture has brought lot of changes in
Indian apparel market as well as Indian young consumer in past decade, where now 2-legged
garment or t-shirt is not something masculine but a cloth to be wore by anyone. However today t-
shirts and pants and not considered as western wear either. Androgyny which is considered to be

16
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

a fashion in west may not grab as much attention in India in near future since the consumer differ
a lot, niche population will try it but can face rejections as being categorized as homosexuals.
Another reason could be that women here are still miles away from the women’s of west in terms
of freedom & opportunity, few sectors of India look down to women as inferior and this has been
the era few decades back, situations are different now but primarily for metrosexual women rural
sector still continue with same set of thoughts thus in such a scenario a male dressing in feminine
silhouettes raises a question of him being part of “being look down” society i.e women questions
his masculinity and we being human beings always look up to follow.
However with women empowerment movements and feminists coming up a better future is
expected for Indian women and thus a better future for series of unisexual clothing which Gucci
has introduced in west now. At present gender neutral fashion has paved it’s way in terms of
shirts, scarfs, pants, boxers to some extend for the sense of comfort and ethnic wear majorly
where dhoti-kurta has become the fashion statement for both men and women.
The acceptance of dhoti/lungi over sarongs or kilts since they are also form of skirts is because
these we have acquired from our ancestors and youth won’t lag behind trying out fashion cycle
keeping societal norms in mind. Henceforth these norms are expected to break and to some
extend generation Y has tried breaking but the strength is limited.
Women nowhere has lag behind adopting menswear, where men hesitate to adopt feminine
dressing considering it to be inferior, women don’t mind ditching their traditional silhouettes. If
wearing suits, covered and socially considered protective clothing doesn’t protect them from
rape rather provoke for the same then adopting menswear and more of what they want to will
atleast give them a sense of individuality and self satisfaction.

12. Conclusion
Thus a new trend can be predicted to enter India and can be a further area of exploring new
opportunities since the potential and the required market is there. The designers have started with
the ideation of the same and the trend setters have ignited the execution as well. The look up to
the west and the influence from the west will cause androgyny to enter India in future but that
future isn’t near since the acceptance of generation X and partially from Generation Y is causing
the delay. The gender stereotypes so strongly influence the clothing pattern that such dressing
style has a chance to face rejection at present but the strong inspiration from western clothing
style will cause the adaption of same in the future.

17
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

13. References

 Ace Global Private Limited (2009), ‘The Textile Apparel & Clothing Industry In India,
Market Research.’ Retrieved on September 26, 2015 from
http://italiaindia.com/images/uploads/pdf/textile-apparels-clothing-in-india.pdf
 Asante, L (2013),‘ Real men wear kilts': Men boost sperm quality, fertility rates by
wearing traditional Scottish garb, study find.’ Retrieved September 22, 2015 from
http://news.nationalpost.com/health/wearing-a-kilt-boosts-male-sperm-count-study-says

 Banon, T (2013), ‘All the rage: Realmen don’t wear pants is the new gender bending
fad’. Retrieved September 20, 2015 from
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2383685/ALL-THE-RAGE-
Real-men-dont-wear-pants.html
 Baker, L (2015),‘ His or Her: Will androgynous fashion catch on?’ Retrieved September
22, 2015 from http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150331-womens-clothes-for-men
 Dey,S (2013), ‘ Fashion, Attire and Mughal women: A story behind the purdah’, The
Journal of Humanities and Social science, Vol 4, pp.105-109
 Dhamija, J (n.d), ‘India’. Retrieved on October 6, 2015 from
http://www.bergfashionlibrary.com/staticfiles/Encyclopedia/India-Overview-Fashion-Dress.pdf
 Gligorovska, K (2011), ‘Exploration Of The Gender Myth Via Fashion Media:
Androgyny and Dandyism in Contemporary Fashion Magazines’, Magister Thesis,
Stockholm University. Retrieved on September 20, 2015 from Center of fashion studies,
Stockholm University
 Jensen, S and Rasmussen, L (2010), ‘Fe(-Male) Fashion: A Feasibility Study of the
Marketability of a Gender Neutral Fashion Brand’ , Bachelor Thesis, BAMMC.
Retrieved on September 23, 2015 from Department of Language and Communication.
 Kenoyer, J.M (1991), ‘Ornament Styles of the Indus valley excavations at Harappa,
Pakistan’, Pale`orient, Vol 17, pp: 79-98

 Kompanje, EJO ( 2014) ,‘Real men wear kilts- The anecdotal evidence that wearing a
Scottish kilt has influence on reproductive potential: how much is true?’Scottish Medical
Journal, vol 58, pg1-5.
 Krishnamurthi,S and Ahmad,O (2009), ‘India is the Impotenet Capital of the World.’ Retrieved
on October 5, 2015 from http://www.outlookindia.com/article/india-is-the-impotence-
capital-of-the-world/239548
 Mishra, M (2013),‘ Is India ready for androgyny.’ Retrieved September 20, 2015 from
http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-is-india-ready-for-androgyny-1840022

 Sen, M (2006), ‘Metrosexuality the changing Indian Masculine’, paper presented at ‘ All
India Sociological Conference’, Kolkata Mulana Azad College, Department of

18
Ashima Khurana
 Androgynous Fashion: Breaking The Gender Stereotype
MAFMG
Semester 0

Sociology, Chennai, pp 1-4. Retrieved on September 24, 2015 from

http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=sociology;id=1;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwebspace%2Ew
ebring%2Ecom%2Fpeople%2Fgh%2Fhusociology1%2Fmetro8%2Ehtm
 The Liberated 1970’s, (2010). Retrieved September 17, 2015, from
http://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/12970/page/13

 Tiwari, N and Ghandailly, R (2009), ‘Changing Gender Identity of Emerging Adults’,

Journal Of Indian Academy Of Applied Psychology, vol 35, pg 313-321

 The Boston Consultant Group (2015),‘Retail 2020: Retrospect, Reinvent, Rewrite

Leadership perspective Of Trends In Indian Retail’. Retrieved on September 26, 2015
from
http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=sociology;id=1;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwebspace%2Ew
ebring%2Ecom%2Fpeople%2Fgh%2Fhusociology1%2Fmetro8%2Ehtm
 Why women are buying men’s underwear (2015). Retrieved on September 24, 2015 from
http://www.newsflow24.com/why-women-are-buying-mens-underwear-b4zh
 Victoria and Albert Museum-History of 1960’s Clothing. Retrieved September 17, 2015,
from http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/history-of-1960s-fashion-and-textiles/

19
Ashima Khurana