grey

is
the
new
black!
By Radwa Radwan
Grey Is The
New Black!
An Inroduction to Gender Codes,
Gender Neautrality and its Im-
pact on the Fashion Industry

Radwa Radwan

T0014208
BA(Hons) Fashion Design
XXFTK10001: Design, Culture & Context
2017-18
Group 29
Rhian Solomon
Fig 1. British woman Harmaan Kaur, by Brok Elbank,
2017: We The Urban magazine
“In general, the
only time we might
have to stop and
think about sex
categorization
is when there’s
some doubt as to
the sex catego-
ry of the person
with whom we’re
interacting. But
in most cases, be-
cause we put peo-
ple into sex cat-
egories without
even really having
to think about it”
(Ryle 2015, P.34)
Fig 2. Jimi Hendrix performing live onstage in England on
February 24th 1969, by David Redfern
“In Stottenberg’s
(2006) imaginary
world, then, there
are no sex catego-
ries. There are no
males with penises
or females with va-
ginas or intersexed
people who don’t fit
into either category.
There are just highly
unique people who are
different each from
the other in a broad
variety of ways”
(Ryle 2015, P.161)
Fig 3. Bowie: A Life In Pictures, by Mick Rock: Uncut magazine
Fig 4. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972
Fig 5. David Bowie with Lamp & Phone, by Mick Rock, 1972

“Sex describes the biological dif-

ferences between people we call
males and people we call females;
gender is the social meanings that
are layered onto those differenc-
es. This neat division leaves sex
to those concerned with biology and
gender up to those interested in in
the social world” (Ryle 2015, P.6)
Fig 6. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972
“A sex role is then
the set of expecta-
tions that are at-
tached to your par-
ticular sex category.
What are the expecta-
tions that people in
society have for you
based on your status
as a man or woman?”
(Ryle 2015, P. 31)

Fig 7. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 8. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972
Fig 9. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

“I have no gender,
no sexuality and
no fucks to give”
(Shamir, 2015)
Fig 10. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972
Fig 11. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

“One way function-

alist sociologists
such as Talcott Par-
sons explained these
differences was in
terms of instrumen-
tal versus expres-
sive roles (Par-
sons & Bales, 1995)”
(Ryle 2015, P. 31)
Fig 12. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972
 Fig 13. David Bowie: Owl Eye Performance, by Mick Rock, 1973

“I believe in gender fluidi-

ty and sexual fluidity. I don’t
really identify as anything”
(St Vincent, 2014)
Fig 14. David Bowie: Owl Eye Performance, by Mick Rock, 1973
Fig 15. David Bowie & Mick Ronson, by Mick Rock, Oxford
Town Hall, 1972
Fig 16. David Bowie & Lou Reed, by Mick Rock, Dorchester Hotel,
London, 1972

“It is easy to be assumed at the social

taboos around such apparently harmless
activities as dressing male babies in
pink or men in skirts, but they reflect
deep-rooted fears of effeminacy and homo-
sexuality. Even at the height of ‘unisex’
baby and child dressing by feminist par-
ents in the 1970s few boy babies or chil-
dren were dressed in pink or in dress-
es (although it was the custom for male
children in earlier periods of British
history to wear dresses and remains cus-
tomary in other cultures)”.
(Kirkham 1996, P.6)
Fig 17. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972
“I don’t relate to being
boy or girl, and I don’t
have to have my partner re-
late to boy or girl”
(Miley Cyrus, 2015)

Fig 18. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 19. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972
“Bowie’s re-
bellion
against gen-
der stereo-
types opened
the eyes of
an audience
who had seen
nothing like
him before.
He offered a
different way
of being a
man or a wom-
an - and the
seductive
idea that you
didn’t have
to choose”
(Welsh, 2014)
Fig 20. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972
Fig 21. David Bowie & Mick Ronson, by Mick Rock, 1973
Fig 22. Bowie & Jagger, by Mick Rock, 1972: Another magazine
 “Hermaphrodites,
comes from the
Greek name for a
mythical figure
formed from the fu-
sion of a man and a
woman”
(Ryle 2015, P. 113
- 114)
Fig 23. David Bowie: Circle Mirror, by Mick Rock, 1973
Fig. 24: David Bowie, Aladin Sane, 1972
Fig 25. David Bowie, Hunky Dory, 1971

Fig 26. David Bowie, The Man Who Sold The World, 1970
 Fig 27. Ruby Rose: WeTheUrban
Shoot, 2015
“Regardless of
who you are,
it’s about
dressing for
what you want
to express,
I’ve always
been a tomboy,
and been
gender-fluid”
(Ruby Rose,
2016)
“It’s weird, some of the androgynous
photos I have taken lately really make
me wonder what I’d have looked like if
I did a FTM (female to male) transi-
tion like I wanted to when I was young-
er. Happy how I am.. I am a woman, but I
would have been just as comfortable as a
boy. I know a lot of people don’t under-
stand that, but I know a few of you do”
(Ruby Rose, 2014)
Fig 28. Ruby Rose, by
Ellen Von Unwerth,
2016
Fig 29. Ruby Rose, by Ellen Von Unwerth, 2016
Fig 30. Andreja Pejic for American Vogue, May 2015, by Patrick
Demarchalier: Vogue
Fig 31. Andreja Pejic for American Vogue, May 2015, by Patrick
Demarchalier: Vogue
Fig 32. Casey Legler, by Michaelle Neff, 2017: Vogue
 Fig 33. Casey Legler, by Michaelle Neff, 2017: Vogue

“I was put in men’s clothes because I fit in

men’s clothes. The only thing that’s particu-
larly unique is that I’m biologically a wom-
an” (Casey Legler, 2015). Legler is also an
artist in her own right and a vocal support-
er of non-normative gender identities and ex-
pressions; “If the image of me out there in
the world makes it easier for one more kid
to think that there’s some fucking space for
them, then that’s the business I’m into.”
(Casey Legler, 2015)
Fig 34. Rain Dove, by Mark Anthony Chen, 2017
Fig 35. Rain Dove, by Mark Anthony Chen, 2017
Fig 36. Rain Dove, by Mark Anthony Chen, 2017
Fig 37. Rain Dove, by Charl Mais, 2017: Phoenix magazine
 Fig 38. Rain Dove, by Cole Sprouse, 2017

“I am I. I like the forest. Prefer to cook

my own meals. Have a penchant for manu-
al labour. I am passionate about acquiring
food, shelter and water for all living be-
ings. I often wear mismatching socks. And
I will promise that if I ever see you down
and out, I will not ignore you”
(Rain Dove, 2017)
Fig 39. Rain Dove, by Nomi Ellenson, 2016
“When walking home in a dress
at night, I leave my headphones around my neck
so that I can be aware of all the things around
me because I often will experience catcalling,
physically violent transphobic attacks or appear
more vulnerable for predators. I will wait until
the train/bus to sit back to my favourite tunes.
But when I’m walking in, as labelled, ‘men’s’
shorts and a collared shirt I can put on my
headphones and listen to music every step of the
way because I feel safe and confident”. “It is
not right. I am not a victim by any means, but I
am a bit miffed at this inequality”
(Rain Dove, 2017).

Fig 40. Rain Dove, by Joe Cardamone, 2017: Rain Dove Instagram
@raindovemodel
Fig 41. Rain Dove, by Shena Lee, 2017: Rain Dove Instagram
@raindovemodel
Fig 42. Rain Dove, by Ames Beckerman, 2018: Rain Dove Insta-
gram @raindovemodel
Fig 43. Rain Dove: Prom Photo vs Career Photo, 2017: Rain Dove
Instagram @raindovemodel
Fig 44. Tasha Poupee, by Savanna Ruedy, 2017
Fig 45. Tasha Poupee, by Savanna Ruedy, 2017
Fig 46. Tasha Poupee, by Savanna Ruedy, 2017
Fig 47. Tasha Poupee, by Savanna Ruedy, 2017
Fig 48. Tasha Poupee, by Renell Medrano, 2017
“It means to com-
bine my masculinity
and femininity and
to be whomever I
want to be; howev-
er, I want to dress
without being la-
belled. Being com-
fortable with my-
self without fear”
(Tasha Poupee,
2017)
Fig 49. Tasha Poupee & Mohamed Ouedraogo, by Noa Grayevsky,
2017
“I love it! I
think it’s a great
idea and I love
how the fashion
industry is moving
with it. I love
wearing ‘menswear’
and look just as
good or even bet-
ter than when I
wear ‘womenswear’.
I am my most com-
fortable when I
dress in my ‘mas-
culine form’”
(Tasha Poupee,
2017).
Fig 50. Tasha Poupee & Mohamed Ouedraogo, by Noa Grayevsky,
2017
Fig 51. Tasha Poupee & Mohamed Ouedraogo, by Noa Grayevsky,
2017
Fig 52. Tasha Poupee, by Tanner Abel, 2017
 “Any woman
who was
brave
enough to
wear trou-
sers in
mid-nine-
teenth-cen-
tury Ameri-
ca posted a
threat to
this sym-
bolic or-
der, and
was seen to
be acting
‘out of
sphere’,
whether
this was
her inten-
tion or
Fig 53. Amelia Bloomer, 1850, not”
Bowles, Hamish: Vogue 187.8 (Kirkham
(Aug 1, 1997): 220
1996, P.
141)
Fig 54. Cycling Bloomers, 1894, Bowles, Hamish: Vogue 187.8
(Aug 1, 1997): 220

“May I be allowed in your columns to ask

why the British public is so horrified at
the idea of women dressing in trousers,
seeing that they have for many years tol-
erated a number of men from the North
of the Tweed in wearing petticoats, and
shockingly short petticoats too?”
(Bloomer, 1854)
 Fig 55. Gucci, by Kevin Tachman: GQ

Fig 56. Andreas Kronthaler fall/winter 2016/2017 show.

Photograph: Benoit
Fig 57. Rick Owens Fall 2016 menswear, by Marcus Tondo: Vogue

“It seems only natural to me to

present my men’s and women’s col-
lection together. It’s the way I see
the world today. It will not nec-
essarily be an easy path and will
certainly present some challenges,
but I believe it will give me the
chance to move toward a different
kind of approach to my storytell-
ing.” (Michele, 2016)
“More and more, it feels in-
stinctively right to translate
the same idea for both genders.”
(Prada 2015, P. D1)

Fig 58. Mooi Kind, 2015: WGSN

Fig 59. Claire Barrow AW16, 2016
Fig 60. Rad Hourani: Online store radhourani.com
Fig 61. Rad Hourani: Online store radhourani.com
Fig 62. 69 SS17, 2017: Online Store sixtynine.com
Fig 63. Vaquera SS17, 2017: Online Store vaquera.com
Fig 64. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 65. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

“Unisex is good for the en-

vironment. Couples would not
have to buy so many clothes,
if they only shared their
wardrobes.”
(Westwood, 2016)
Fig 66. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 67. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 68. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 69. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
“The unease experienced
by the disruption of ap-
parently minor details
of gender differentia-
tion, such as the loca-
tion of buttons on the
‘wrong side’ of a shirt
or a jacket, appears to
be far greater in men than
in women who, in general,
are more used to ‘appro-
priating’ aspects of male
dress than men are aspects
of female dress. It is Im-
portant to recognise these
deep rooted anxieties;
it is precisely because
of the importance of pow-
er and gender identity in
our society that fears for
men of appearing female,
with its concomitant loss
of power, are so great”
(Kirkham 1996, P.6)
Fig 70. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 71. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 72. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 73. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 74. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo
Fig 75. Caitlyn Jenner’s front cover of Vanity Fair’s June 2015 issue, by
Annie Leib, 2015: Vanity Fair
“it is important to
recognise these deep
rooted anxieties; it
is precisely because
of the importance
of power and gender
identity in our so-
ciety that the fears
for men of appear-
ing female, with its
concomitant loss of
power, are so great”
(Kirkham 1996, P.6)
Fig 76. Lavarne Cox on the cover of We The Urban December 2017
issue, by Ryan Pfluger, 2017: We The Urban Magazine
Fig 77. Lavarne Cox, We The Urban December 2017 issue, by Ryan
Pfluger, 2017: We The Urban Magazine
List of Illustrations
Fig 1. British woman Harmaan Kaur, by Brok Elbank, 2017: We
The Urban magazine

Fig 2. Jimi Hendrix performing live onstage in England on Febru-

ary 24th 1969, by David Redfern

Fig 3. Bowie: A Life In Pictures, by Mick Rock: Uncut magazine

Fig 4. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 5. David Bowie with Lamp & Phone, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 6. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 7. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 8. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 9. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 10. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 11. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 12. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 13. David Bowie: Owl Eye Performance, by Mick Rock, 1973

Fig 14. David Bowie: Owl Eye Performance, by Mick Rock, 1973
Fig 15. David Bowie & Mick Ronson, by Mick Rock, Oxford Town
Hall, 1972

Fig 16. David Bowie & Lou Reed, by Mick Rock, Dorchester Hotel,
London, 1972

Fig 17. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 18. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 19. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 20. David Bowie, by Mick Rock, 1972

Fig 21. David Bowie & Mick Ronson, by Mick Rock, 1973

Fig 22. Bowie & Jagger, by Mick Rock, 1972: Another magazine

Fig 23. David Bowie: Circle Mirror, by Mick Rock, 1973

Fig. 24: David Bowie, Aladin Sane, 1972: Legacy.DacidBowie.com

Fig 25. David Bowie, Hunky Dory, 1971: Legacy.DavidBowie.com

Fig 26. David Bowie, The Man Who Sold The World, 1970:
Legacy.DavidBowie.com

Fig 27. Ruby Rose: WeTheUrban Shoot, 2015

Fig 28. Ruby Rose, by Ellen Von Unwerth, 2016

Fig 29. Ruby Rose, by Ellen Von Unwerth, 2016

Fig 30. Andreja Pejic for American Vogue, May 2015, by Patrick
Demarchalier: Vogue

Fig 31. Andreja Pejic for American Vogue, May 2015, by Patrick
Demarchalier: Vogue

Fig 32. Casey Legler, by Michaelle Neff, 2017: Vogue

Fig 33. Casey Legler, by Michaelle Neff, 2017: Vogue

Fig 34. Rain Dove, by Mark Anthony Chen, 2017

Fig 35. Rain Dove, by Mark Anthony Chen, 2017

Fig 36. Rain Dove, by Mark Anthony Chen, 2017

Fig 37. Rain Dove, by Charl Mais, 2017: Phoenix magazine

Fig 38. Rain Dove, by Cole Sprouse, 2017

Fig 39. Rain Dove, by Nomi Ellenson, 2016

Fig 40. Rain Dove, by Joe Cardamone, 2017: Rain Dove Instagram
@raindovemodel

Fig 41. Rain Dove, by Shena Lee, 2017: Rain Dove Instagram
@raindovemodel

Fig 42. Rain Dove, by Ames Beckerman, 2018: Rain Dove Insta-
gram @raindovemodel

Fig 43. Rain Dove: Prom Photo vs Career Photo, 2017: Rain Dove
Instagram @raindovemodel
Fig 44. Tasha Poupee, by Savanna Ruedy, 2017

Fig 45. Tasha Poupee, by Savanna Ruedy, 2017

Fig 46. Tasha Poupee, by Savanna Ruedy, 2017

Fig 47. Tasha Poupee, by Savanna Ruedy, 2017

Fig 48. Tasha Poupee, by Renell Medrano, 2017

Fig 49. Tasha Poupee & Mohamed Ouedraogo, by Noa Grayevsky,

2017

Fig 50. Tasha Poupee & Mohamed Ouedraogo, by Noa Grayevsky,

2017

Fig 51. Tasha Poupee & Mohamed Ouedraogo, by Noa Grayevsky,

2017

Fig 52. Tasha Poupee, by Tanner Abel, 2017

Fig 53. Amelia Bloomer, 1850, Bowles, Hamish: Vogue 187.8 (Aug
1, 1997): 220

Fig 54. Cycling Bloomers, 1894, Bowles, Hamish: Vogue 187.8

(Aug 1, 1997): 220

Fig 55. Gucci, by Kevin Tachman: GQ

Fig 56. Andreas Kronthaler fall/winter 2016/2017 show. Photo-

graph: Benoit

Fig 57. Rick Owens Fall 2016 menswear, by Marcus Tondo: Vogue
Fig 58. Mooi Kind, 2015: WGSN

Fig 59. Claire Barrow AW16, 2016

Fig 60. Rad Hourani: Online store radhourani.com

Fig 61. Rad Hourani: Online store radhourani.com

Fig 62. 69 SS17, 2017: Online Store sixtynine.com

Fig 63. Vaquera SS17, 2017: Online Store vaquera.com

Fig 64. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 65. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 66. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 67. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 68. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 69. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 70. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 71. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 72. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 73. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 74. Unruly: Innovation Project, 2017: Own photo

Fig 75. Caitlyn Jenner’s front cover of Vanity Fair’s June 2015 issue,
by Annie Leib, 2015: Vanity Fair

Fig 76. Lavarne Cox on the cover of We The Urban December 2017
issue, by Ryan Pfluger, 2017: We The Urban Magazine

Fig 77. Lavarne Cox, We The Urban December 2017 issue, by Ryan
Pfluger, 2017: We The Urban Magazine