I was on Facebook just browsing through my News Feed, and came upon this post. At first, I laughed at this picture, but the more I thought about it, this picture expresses a problem that is present in America.
America is known to be the land of freedom, where people have rights, including the right of freedom of speech. Just as words and art are a form of freedom of speech and expression, fashion and style are too. However, some styles are criticized and greatly frowned upon in society. In this image, the two males are wearing the exact same type of clothing, but are getting different responses with the only difference being the difference in location.
Korea is known to be have more conservative views, opinions, and principles compared to America, as it is an Asian country. Here in America, the topics of homosexuality, sexual activities, and etc. are more freely and openly expressed than they are in Korea. However, in Korea, the same style of clothing frowned upon when worn by males in America, is looked highly upon and is even idolized as can be seen through the fashion of Korean celebrities.
So, why the difference? How is it that in Korea, which is known to have a more conservative culture than that of America, people are more accepting of styles that are looked upon as "gay" in America? Since when did style have gender labels? When was the transition from it being acceptable for males to wear skirts, or togas (which are a lot like dresses) to it being frowned upon and laughed at?
This idea is so interesting! To think that even geographical locations plays a role in gender conflicts. When I think of gender roles and conflicts, my instinct is to think of them in relationship to where/when I am living-modern day America....but it is so much more eye opening to consider the similarities and differences of the gender roles, conflicts, and stereotypes of other countries compared to our own. When considering fashion, it is a really curious thing to think about the stereotypes that America places on people depending on what clothes they wear. But this thought leads me to repeat the question you asked, at what point did American fashion become all about gender lables?
ReplyDeleteIt's also worth noting that even within just America we can find several different Americas: the same clothing style may mean different things, and trigger very different reactions, whether you are in West Hollywood or South LA, San Francisco or Iowa, Compton or Tribeca. This is a state of affairs that requires daily maintenance and constant reiteration, and surveillance. It may be more useful to think about how this system is reinforced now then to figure out its genesis.
ReplyDeleteI was just with some friends talking about different styles between the west coast and east coast. Like in california, for the most part it's now common for guys to wear V neck tee-shirts which in the past has been typically thought of as a "feminine styled shirt". In California, V neck tees are acceptable, that is not true for the east coast. Two friends of mine, said not a single guy wears V neck tees and if a dude did, his sexuality would be questioned immediately. So its interesting the difference just between states.
ReplyDeleteI love that you pointed this out! I went to Seoul this past summer, where I saw a crossover of "feminine" and "masculine" styles: girls who wore more shapeless, androgynous clothing and men who sported clothing like tight pants, lots of accessories, and vibrant "girly" patterns. Interesting to see especially after walking out of a museum where I learned that during the Chosun Dynasty Korean women and men were so strictly segregated by their societal roles. Random but eye-opening fact - women weren't even to be seen by anyone outside the family and were confined to their homes. In fact, there was a traditional games in which young women stand on a teeter-totter to catch a glimpse of the world beyond the walls of her home.
ReplyDeleteI think this just further proves how the culture you grow up in determines what you believe are the norms for society, and in turn genders and gender roles. Subconsciously everyone is affected by what they see and hear around them and their views adapt to fit their culture.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting picture! It definitely captures the idea of how geographic location and culture can affect how individuals view what is normal. Coming from Texas, there was definitely a culture shock when I moved to LA, including the ways in which people acted, talked, dressed, and generally lived. It's interesting to observe how the environment you grow up in can influence how you view the world and what you see as normal.
ReplyDelete