(Un)conventional Relationships, Gender Fluidity and Our Value System, By Osmund Agbo
And so, the world faces serious and difficult issues that upset value systems, whether in politics, marriages, sexuality, and between conservatism and liberalism. For democracy to thrive, we need rules that will serve as safeguards to protect it. Along the same lines, I think the world also needs to revisit those values that in the past were used to define certain classes of relationships, marriages, sexuality and everything else.
One of the standout trends from Paris Spring 2022 Fashion Week which ended on Tuesday October 4th and Milan which took place earlier in the year, was not a silhouette or a particular color. Rather, it was the idea that many designers, in fact, defied convention to put both women and men on their catwalks in what would have been considered feminine attire. As someone who shamelessly professes a love of fashion to the point of getting into the business side, I gave this some serious attention and I have to say I was a little puzzled.
Seeing the parade of young men dressed in long skirts with matching baggy tops, one was curious to ask the question; when did the world say goodbye binary? As fashion continues to evolve and no one can honestly claim to know where its future lies, what is however beyond doubt is that fashion houses in New York, Paris and Milan are all warning us that they are right on target. at the heart of gender agnosticism.
The truth is, I can't trust the instincts of the fashion houses of the world, and I'm not willing to bet on the morality of the choices they often make. Shit no! After all, these are the same people who have gone to great lengths to convince us that a woman's sex appeal is defined by how long she can go without food and how easily you can count the number of ribs in the torso of a living being. To be human. But then we've all come across the phrase "forward-thinking" and seen how hungry young and old are to be among those who matter. I think it's safe to say that paying attention to emerging fashion trends is akin to taking the pulse of society to determine what, in the future, will fall within the realm of acceptability.
While gender agnosticism may seem like a recent fad, it's actually not. The progression began about a century ago in the 1920s, when Gabrielle Chanel, known worldwide today for her iconic "Coco" Chanel brand, introduced women to trousers, which was traditionally a male attire. Today, we accept women in pants without batting an eyelid, an idea that decades ago seemed as revolutionary and radical as today's men in skirts. But the future, it seems, is even promising that the term women's clothing and its corollary men's clothing may soon become obsolete.
According to an article in the New York Times, the New York City Commission on Human Rights interpreted the office dress code law a few years ago as follows: “An employer could require employees to wear certain clothes, but only if both sexes could wear the same clothes (for example, if women had to wear heels, so did men).
Since 2014, a travel agency in Kyoto, Japan has been offering self-marriage packages to women. Self-marriage or sologamy is becoming a trend in Europe and Asia, especially among wealthy women. In June 2022, Kshama Bindu, an Indian, got married, following an elaborate ritual in line with Hindu wedding traditions. She identified as bisexual and the reason she got married was because she always wanted to be a wife but not a wife.
It seems to me, however, that in the world today there are very interesting and, in fact, quite significant systemic changes characterized by cultural and social changes, especially among the younger generations, mainly Millennials and Gen-Z, who go beyond fashion. Take for example the issue of sexual orientation and gender.
In an interview with Elle UK, Miley Cyrus, who starred in popular Disney show Hanna Montana, described herself as pansexual. When asked to explain it further, she said: 'I'm literally open to anything that's consenting and doesn't involve animals and everyone is an adult. Anything legal, I'm down...
And so, the world faces serious and difficult issues that upset value systems, whether in politics, marriages, sexuality, and between conservatism and liberalism. For democracy to thrive, we need rules that will serve as safeguards to protect it. Along the same lines, I think the world also needs to revisit those values that in the past were used to define certain classes of relationships, marriages, sexuality and everything else.
One of the standout trends from Paris Spring 2022 Fashion Week which ended on Tuesday October 4th and Milan which took place earlier in the year, was not a silhouette or a particular color. Rather, it was the idea that many designers, in fact, defied convention to put both women and men on their catwalks in what would have been considered feminine attire. As someone who shamelessly professes a love of fashion to the point of getting into the business side, I gave this some serious attention and I have to say I was a little puzzled.
Seeing the parade of young men dressed in long skirts with matching baggy tops, one was curious to ask the question; when did the world say goodbye binary? As fashion continues to evolve and no one can honestly claim to know where its future lies, what is however beyond doubt is that fashion houses in New York, Paris and Milan are all warning us that they are right on target. at the heart of gender agnosticism.
The truth is, I can't trust the instincts of the fashion houses of the world, and I'm not willing to bet on the morality of the choices they often make. Shit no! After all, these are the same people who have gone to great lengths to convince us that a woman's sex appeal is defined by how long she can go without food and how easily you can count the number of ribs in the torso of a living being. To be human. But then we've all come across the phrase "forward-thinking" and seen how hungry young and old are to be among those who matter. I think it's safe to say that paying attention to emerging fashion trends is akin to taking the pulse of society to determine what, in the future, will fall within the realm of acceptability.
While gender agnosticism may seem like a recent fad, it's actually not. The progression began about a century ago in the 1920s, when Gabrielle Chanel, known worldwide today for her iconic "Coco" Chanel brand, introduced women to trousers, which was traditionally a male attire. Today, we accept women in pants without batting an eyelid, an idea that decades ago seemed as revolutionary and radical as today's men in skirts. But the future, it seems, is even promising that the term women's clothing and its corollary men's clothing may soon become obsolete.
According to an article in the New York Times, the New York City Commission on Human Rights interpreted the office dress code law a few years ago as follows: “An employer could require employees to wear certain clothes, but only if both sexes could wear the same clothes (for example, if women had to wear heels, so did men).
Since 2014, a travel agency in Kyoto, Japan has been offering self-marriage packages to women. Self-marriage or sologamy is becoming a trend in Europe and Asia, especially among wealthy women. In June 2022, Kshama Bindu, an Indian, got married, following an elaborate ritual in line with Hindu wedding traditions. She identified as bisexual and the reason she got married was because she always wanted to be a wife but not a wife.
It seems to me, however, that in the world today there are very interesting and, in fact, quite significant systemic changes characterized by cultural and social changes, especially among the younger generations, mainly Millennials and Gen-Z, who go beyond fashion. Take for example the issue of sexual orientation and gender.
In an interview with Elle UK, Miley Cyrus, who starred in popular Disney show Hanna Montana, described herself as pansexual. When asked to explain it further, she said: 'I'm literally open to anything that's consenting and doesn't involve animals and everyone is an adult. Anything legal, I'm down...
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