tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/skirts-34221/articlesskirts – The Conversation2021-11-04T19:11:07Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1701122021-11-04T19:11:07Z2021-11-04T19:11:07ZFriday essay: will the perfect men’s dress ever exist – and would men wear it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429904/original/file-20211103-27-1c157l6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=53%2C49%2C2941%2C2074&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Rapper Lil Nas X in a Cinderalla-style, toile-inspired gown designed by Andrea Grossi</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jordan Strauss/AP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>More famous men are wearing dresses: from actor Billy Porter <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/billy-porter-oscars-red-carpet-gown-christian-siriano">on the red carpet</a> to singer-songwriter Harry Styles on the <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/harry-styles-cover-december-2020">cover of Vogue</a>. They have prompted much commentary, both <a href="https://www.novafm.com.au/show/smallzys-surgery/the-best-reactions-to-harry-styles-already-iconic-vogue-cover/">positive</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-porter-harry-styles-vogue-cover-fashion-1243781/">negative</a>, leading fashion commentators to ask if frocks might become a regular part of men’s sartorial landscape. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429897/original/file-20211103-25-1gibsfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429897/original/file-20211103-25-1gibsfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429897/original/file-20211103-25-1gibsfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=941&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429897/original/file-20211103-25-1gibsfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=941&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429897/original/file-20211103-25-1gibsfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=941&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429897/original/file-20211103-25-1gibsfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1183&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429897/original/file-20211103-25-1gibsfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1183&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429897/original/file-20211103-25-1gibsfo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1183&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Troye Sivan at the Met Gala.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Justin Lane/EPA</span></span>
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<p>At this year’s Met Gala, racing car driver Lewis Hamilton wore a <a href="https://vman.com/article/the-best-dressed-men-at-the-met-gala-2021/">white lace dress over a black suit</a> and singer Troye Sivan wore a <a href="https://www.esquire.com/uk/style/g37580185/best-dressed-men-met-gala-2021/">simple black gown</a>. More recently, rapper Lil Nas X wore a purple suit with <a href="https://www.popsugar.com.au/fashion/lil-nas-x-purple-outfit-at-mtv-vmas-2021-48498955">a matching train</a> to the MTV Video Music Awards and a <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/lil-nas-x-dress-bet-awards/index.html">Cinderella-style gown</a> at an earlier award ceremony. </p>
<p>The trend signifies a return to ancient sartorial norms, when more androgynous clothing was accepted and, indeed, required. </p>
<p>Such clothes were not “dresses” as we understand them today: the dress is a garment that has become indelibly “feminine”. But could skirts and dresses become mainstream garb for 21st century men beyond these celebrity trailblazers?</p>
<p>Our contemporary construct of masculinity is, of course, relatively recent. Until the early 20th century, boys and girls wore dresses until boys were “breeched” (put into breeches or “short trousers”) at around seven years old.</p>
<p>Pink was a manly colour, and it was almost impossible to tell boy and girl toddlers apart. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/girlie-or-girl-power-breast-cancer-and-the-cult-ure-of-pink-10477">Girlie or girl power? Breast cancer and the cult(ure) of pink</a>
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<h2>Androgynous frocks</h2>
<p>Before the 15th century, much clothing for men and women was fairly androgynous, particularly outside Europe – where in many cultures this continues today.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429898/original/file-20211103-19-1hlvp11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429898/original/file-20211103-19-1hlvp11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429898/original/file-20211103-19-1hlvp11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=729&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429898/original/file-20211103-19-1hlvp11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=729&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429898/original/file-20211103-19-1hlvp11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=729&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429898/original/file-20211103-19-1hlvp11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429898/original/file-20211103-19-1hlvp11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429898/original/file-20211103-19-1hlvp11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Ancient Egyptian schenti, circa 1448-1422 BCE.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
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<p>Japanese kimono are robes with only subtle hints at gender difference. In parts of North Africa, the jellabiya – a long, loose robe perfect for the warm climate – is worn daily by men and women. </p>
<p>Ancient Egyptian men, including pharaohs, wore the <a href="https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/schenti/">schenti</a>, a wrap skirt similar to a kilt. This garment was so practical and versatile it remained popular for over 2,000 years. </p>
<p>Ancient Greece and Rome saw universal wearing of the <a href="http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/The-Ancient-World-Rome/Tunica.html">tunica</a>, a simple gown that was shorter and looser for men, but constructed the same way for both sexes. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429901/original/file-20211103-23-1lufyjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429901/original/file-20211103-23-1lufyjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429901/original/file-20211103-23-1lufyjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1050&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429901/original/file-20211103-23-1lufyjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1050&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429901/original/file-20211103-23-1lufyjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1050&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429901/original/file-20211103-23-1lufyjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1320&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429901/original/file-20211103-23-1lufyjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1320&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429901/original/file-20211103-23-1lufyjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1320&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Book illustration of an Etruscan wall painting from the François Tomb at Vulci.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
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<p>The elite wore longer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiton_(garment)">chiton</a> and toga, which could be more elaborately accessorised to indicate the wearer’s gender. In these societies, the higher a man was on the social ladder, the longer his gown.</p>
<p>Divided garments (not then known as “trousers”) were generally worn only by soldiers and the working class. To ancient Greeks and Romans, leg coverings were <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Dress_Codes/Yo0TEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=dress+codes+laws+of+fashion&printsec=frontcover">more representative of the barbarian</a> than powerful, civilised men. </p>
<p>From 800 AD, bifurcated (divided, two-legged) styles slowly emerged in the Christian world, propagated by the medieval emperor Charlemagne as a way of linking physicality and aggression with new European concepts of “manliness”. Such garments later came to symbolise (male) control and authority.</p>
<p>This was a gradual process, however. In medieval Europe, men and women wore long, layered clothing and tunics until the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/men-in-skirts/">slow advent of tailoring in the 1400s</a>. Even armour, the most “macho” of male attire, could still feature a metal “skirt” pleated similarly to <a href="https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-20.html">contemporary tunics</a>.</p>
<p>From the 15th century on, shorter tunics took hold for men, beneath which they could wear hose or stockings and, later, breeches.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428432/original/file-20211026-21-julkd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="17th century male fashion" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428432/original/file-20211026-21-julkd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428432/original/file-20211026-21-julkd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=807&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428432/original/file-20211026-21-julkd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=807&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428432/original/file-20211026-21-julkd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=807&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428432/original/file-20211026-21-julkd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1014&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428432/original/file-20211026-21-julkd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1014&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428432/original/file-20211026-21-julkd1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1014&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Man in ‘Petticoat Breeches’, Romeyn de Hooghe, 1670-85.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam</span></span>
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<p>Aside from brief outlier trends, (for example the lampooned and short-lived “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petticoat_breeches">petticoat breeches</a>”) men’s hemlines continued to move north. </p>
<p>The advent of stockings and a codpiece and, until the 1820s, relatively tight-fitting pants for men, acted as a <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Berg_Companion_to_Fashion/hLUIEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=men+legs+codpiece+power&pg=PA155&printsec=frontcover">non-verbal reminder</a> of their political and economic power.</p>
<p>This was in stark contrast to the treatment of women’s legs, which as <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/A_Collection_of_the_Most_Celebrated_Voya/n2CexRE5z8MC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=A+Collection+of+the+Most+Celebrated+Voyages+%26+Travels,+from&printsec=frontcover">one writer put it in 1818</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>although dressed, are […] immediately connected with parts which are not, and which decency strictly conceals from view. </p>
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<h2>Repression of expression</h2>
<p>Women fought for a long time to wear trousers, making discreet strides in the adoption of bloomers as underwear in the 19th century. While gradually accepted as trouser-wearers in the early 20th century (and in the professional realm from the late 1960s), the same freedom of clothing choice has not been given to men.</p>
<p>For women, wearing trousers represented physical freedom, making certain jobs – and therefore, financial freedom – easier. Men do not have that same need, in a practical sense, to adopt dresses. </p>
<p>Arguably, a dress does not make any aspect of life easier, but it does allow an individual to express themselves in different ways. Restricting this suggests repression of far more than physical movement.</p>
<p>It could be argued that since the 18th century, (in the west at least), men have played second fiddle to women in terms of glamour and excitement in clothing. Contrary to popular belief, it was generally women who imposed what we now see as extravagant and restrictive sartorial customs, such as the cage crinoline. For many women, fashion was the one area of life over which they had some control. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-macaronis-to-mohawks-mens-fashion-has-always-been-political-96023">From 'macaronis' to mohawks, men's fashion has always been political</a>
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<p>During the 19th century, an era famously described by psychologist Carl Flugel as the “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Male_Renunciation">great male renunciation</a>” of brilliant fashion, men had eye-wateringly little choice of garments compared to women. The monopoly of the (male) suit has perhaps been a result of this one-sidedness. Promoting dresses for men could redress the imbalance. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428441/original/file-20211026-21-p5yrq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="1860s fashion plate" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428441/original/file-20211026-21-p5yrq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428441/original/file-20211026-21-p5yrq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428441/original/file-20211026-21-p5yrq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428441/original/file-20211026-21-p5yrq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428441/original/file-20211026-21-p5yrq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428441/original/file-20211026-21-p5yrq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428441/original/file-20211026-21-p5yrq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Men in muted colours – 1869 fashion plate from Le Musée des Tailleurs Illustré.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Fitting dresses to men</h2>
<p>If dresses are to become a genuine part of menswear once again, we need first to establish what differences, if any, there will be with women’s. How will the fit be determined? How will they be worn?</p>
<p>This is not necessarily the same as producing androgynous or gender fluid clothes. It is about dresses that will allow men, who wish it, to still feel masculine – as trousers can make women feel feminine. </p>
<p>While fashion slacks were often made to conform to a woman’s body (putting aside utilitarian and wartime uniforms) there seem to be very few dresses made exclusively for the male physique. </p>
<p>Billy Porter’s velvet tuxedo gown worn to the 2019 Oscars was an exception. A hybrid male and female garment, it used black to create a link to contemporary womenswear, and men’s traditional evening wear. Crafted by designer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Siriano">Christian Siriano</a>, it consisted of a tuxedo-style bodice with voluminous, ballgown skirt.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429877/original/file-20211103-23-j1hhew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429877/original/file-20211103-23-j1hhew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429877/original/file-20211103-23-j1hhew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429877/original/file-20211103-23-j1hhew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429877/original/file-20211103-23-j1hhew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429877/original/file-20211103-23-j1hhew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429877/original/file-20211103-23-j1hhew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429877/original/file-20211103-23-j1hhew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Billy Porter wears a black velvet tuxedo gown by Christian Siriano at the Oscars in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Richard Shotwell/AP</span></span>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/and-the-best-penguin-oscar-a-closer-look-at-the-tuxedo-23251">And the best penguin Oscar ... a closer look at the tuxedo </a>
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<p>This dress was elite rather than mainstream fashion, created exclusively for Porter. Styles’ ethereal Gucci number on the Vogue cover is likewise hardly accessible to the everyday consumer, demanding a high level of confidence to pull off. </p>
<p>The same can be said of frocks and frock-spirations chosen by <a href="https://purewows3.imgix.net/images/articles/2021_09/Carl.jpg?auto=format,compress&cs=strip">Carl Clemons-Hopkins</a> at the 2021 Emmys and Queer Eye’s <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/a23067701/queer-eye-jonathan-van-ness-emmys-outfit/">Jonathan Van Ness</a> at the Creative Arts Emmys in 2018.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429902/original/file-20211103-17-nca58v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429902/original/file-20211103-17-nca58v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429902/original/file-20211103-17-nca58v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429902/original/file-20211103-17-nca58v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429902/original/file-20211103-17-nca58v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429902/original/file-20211103-17-nca58v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429902/original/file-20211103-17-nca58v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429902/original/file-20211103-17-nca58v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Carl Clemons-Hopkins at the Emmys.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chris Pizzello/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=_x2ssg6mRpsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=oscar+wilde+men+clothing&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju15_3mufzAhWPV30KHRQUCFcQ6AF6BAgCEAI">Oscar Wilde</a> put it when discussing women’s dress reform in the 1880s:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If the divided skirt is to be of any positive value, it must give up all idea of being identical in appearance with an ordinary skirt … [it must] … sacrifice its foolish frills and flounces.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Perhaps men’s dresses should aim for that same end: not to masquerade as anything else, but to take on a life of their own as new, separate garments. </p>
<h2>A viable option?</h2>
<p>Examples such as Porter’s and Styles’ frocks prompt intrigued debate. Other examples of men wearing dresses are usually associated with transvestism or those undergoing gender reassignment.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1454929592284815363"}"></div></p>
<p>Huge progress over the past few decades has made their visibility and acceptance far more widespread, along with gender fluid and queer identity becoming a regular part of the fashion landscape, thanks to designers such as <a href="https://www.harrisreed.com/about">Harris Reed</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/21/style/telfar-clemens-designer.html">Telfar Clemens</a> and <a href="https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers/charles-jeffrey-loverboy">Charles Jeffrey Loverboy</a>. Each, in their own way, are creating and championing fluid fashion, showing the world how it can be done. </p>
<p>However, we are not yet at the point where most men would consider a dress a viable option, or where a man wearing a dress would not provoke assumptions around sexuality or gender identity. We also seem to be at a crossroads in terms of how men in dresses are received by different communities.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Fashion designer Harris Reed" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428446/original/file-20211026-21-eewamv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428446/original/file-20211026-21-eewamv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428446/original/file-20211026-21-eewamv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428446/original/file-20211026-21-eewamv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428446/original/file-20211026-21-eewamv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428446/original/file-20211026-21-eewamv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428446/original/file-20211026-21-eewamv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Harris Reed: ‘The arbitrary criteria of defining a ‘manly man’ is so outdated. Being a man looks exactly how you want it to look. YOU define that criteria, no one else’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Instagram</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/apr/15/kid-cudi-dress-saturday-night-live-lgbtq">A controversy</a> arose earlier this year when cisgender man, the rapper Kid Cudi, performed on Saturday Night Live wearing a dress intended to pay tribute to Kurt Cobain. </p>
<p>In 1993, Cobain had boldly donned a similarly patterned, but shorter frock <a href="https://theface.com/archive/grrr">on the cover of The Face</a> magazine, attracting considerable backlash.</p>
<p>In 2021, wearing a fuller, longer, more classically “feminine” style, Cudi was met largely with praise. However, some commentators – particularly those from the LGBTQI community – felt his choice was nothing but a “costume” worn by a performer.</p>
<p>Some pointed out that what was a publicity stunt for him amounted to a “life and death” decision, for which trans people have been severely bullied. The reality is that however casually a man might wear a dress, and whatever his motivations for doing so, the choice is fraught with political, emotional and social ramifications. It will be commented on and judged, positively or negatively. </p>
<p>Earlier this year, singer Post Malone’s stylist Catherine Hahn <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/post-malone-nirvana-tribute-dress-kurt-cobain-style-youtube-covid-fundraiser-who">put the singer in a dress</a>, another tribute to Cobain. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1253808521981894656"}"></div></p>
<p>The success of this outfit inspired her to create “a unisex dress that could be worn every day. To work, to school, to skateboard in, or on a date.” The result is a <a href="https://assets.vogue.com/photos/6112e208de2801dbb8c10fe8/master/w_1600,c_limit/_MG_3399_hires.jpg">calf-length, oversized plaid shirt</a> that recalls 90s grunge styles and certainly offers a fun, fresh, casual option for men.</p>
<p>However, it is still unisex, rather than aimed specifically at men. Its shirt-like cut makes it a familiar, non-threatening segue for those wishing to experiment with dresses. This style is the closest we have seen to a potentially mainstream, workable male frock option. </p>
<p>Dresses are likely to remain a novelty for many men, a defiant show of bravery and individuality akin to the female pioneers of the rational and aesthetic dress movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. </p>
<p>Mind you, during this pandemic, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/mar/24/super-freeing-mens-skirts-emerge-as-pandemic-fashion-trend">there has been a surge</a> in male skirt designs by the likes of Burberry and Stefan Cooke. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1364388272944857090"}"></div></p>
<p>Many of these take inspiration from the traditional “man skirt”, the kilt. But longer, calf-length, pleated and A-line examples have been championed too. More men may have felt comfortable experimenting with a skirt or dress during the privacy of lockdown. </p>
<p>The year 2020 was a seismic shift in life as well as fashion. But given the highly gendered and ingrained nature of clothing codes, it seems unlikely we will see men’s dresses go mainstream anytime soon.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170112/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lydia Edwards does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More famous men are wearing dresses, harking back to ancient times, when androgynous clothing was the norm. But for male dresses to truly take off they might need a style separate to women’s.Lydia Edwards, Fashion historian, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1344642020-03-26T12:12:49Z2020-03-26T12:12:49ZThe fashionable history of social distancing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322997/original/file-20200325-168872-1heqp1w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=49%2C10%2C3583%2C2350&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Crinolines, by design, made physical contact nearly impossible.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/lady-is-inconvenienced-by-her-wide-crinoline-skirts-and-her-news-photo/3097219?adppopup=true">Hulton Archive/Stringer via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the world grapples with the coronavirus outbreak, “social distancing” has become a buzzword of these strange times. </p>
<p>Instead of stockpiling food or rushing to the hospital, authorities are saying social distancing – deliberately increasing the physical space between people – is the best way ordinary people can help “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/science/coronavirus-curve-mitigation-infection.html">flatten the curve</a>” and stem the spread of the virus.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u1bGBV54clU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Fashion might not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of isolation strategies. But as a historian <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_Zhsg9oAAAAJ&hl=en">who writes about the political and cultural meanings of clothing</a>, I know that fashion can play an important role in the project of social distancing, whether the space created helps solve a health crisis or keep away pesky suitors.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/newsletter"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320030/original/file-20200312-116261-a6ugi0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=90&fit=crop&dpr=2" alt="Sign up to The Conversation" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>Clothing has long served as a useful way to mitigate close contact and unnecessary exposure. In this current crisis, face masks <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/style/face-mask-coronavirus.html">have become a fashion accessory</a> that signals, “stay away.”</p>
<p>Fashion also proved to be handy during past epidemics such as the bubonic plague, when doctors wore pointed, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/reference/european-history/plague-doctors-beaked-masks/">bird-like masks</a> as a way to keep their distance from sick patients. Some lepers were forced to wear a heart on their clothes and <a href="http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/objects/display?id=5273">don bells or clappers</a> to warn others of their presence.</p>
<p>However, more often than not, it doesn’t take a worldwide pandemic for people to want to keep others at arm’s length.</p>
<p>In the past, maintaining distance – especially between genders, classes and races – was an important aspect of social gatherings and public life. Social distancing didn’t have anything to do with isolation or health; it was about etiquette and class. And fashion was the perfect tool.</p>
<p>Take the Victorian-era “<a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/ensemble-charles-frederick-worth/ywF5EtUlXNXHDQ">crinoline</a>.” This large, voluminous skirt, which became fashionable in the mid-19th century, was used to create a barrier between the genders in social settings.</p>
<p>While the origins of this trend can be traced to the 15th-century Spanish court, these voluminous skirts became a marker of class in the 18th century. Only those privileged enough to avoid household chores could wear them; you needed a house with enough space to be able to comfortably move from room to room, <a href="https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/http%3A%2F%2Fcom.ft.imagepublish.prod.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fca7e34fc-01f6-11e6-ac98-3c15a1aa2e62?fit=scale-down&source=next&width=700">along with a servant to help you put it on</a>. The bigger your skirt, the higher your status.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322992/original/file-20200325-168876-yyz0d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322992/original/file-20200325-168876-yyz0d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322992/original/file-20200325-168876-yyz0d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322992/original/file-20200325-168876-yyz0d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322992/original/file-20200325-168876-yyz0d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322992/original/file-20200325-168876-yyz0d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322992/original/file-20200325-168876-yyz0d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A satirical comic pokes fun at the ballooning crinolines of the mid-19th century.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/1850-g-cruikshank-crinoline-parody.png">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the 1850s and 1860s, more middle-class women started wearing the crinoline as <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/108689">caged hoop skirts</a> started being mass-produced. Soon, “<a href="https://archive.org/details/punch32a33lemouoft/page/30/mode/2up">Crinolinemania</a>” swept the fashion world.</p>
<p>Despite <a href="http://www1.assumption.edu/whw/done/horrors%20of%20hoops/horrorsofhoops.html">critiques</a> by dress reformers who saw it as another tool to oppress women’s mobility and freedom, the large hoop skirt was a sophisticated way of maintaining women’s social safety. The crinoline mandated that a potential suitor – or, worse yet, a stranger – would keep a safe distance from a woman’s body and cleavage.</p>
<p>Although these skirts probably inadvertently helped mitigate the dangers of the era’s <a href="https://www.history.com/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-smallpox">smallpox</a> and <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cholera">cholera</a> outbreaks, crinolines could be a health hazard: Many women burned to death after their <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1858/03/16/archives/the-perils-of-crinoline.html?searchResultPosition=1">skirts caught fire</a>. By the 1870s, the crinoline gave way to the <a href="https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/bustle/">bustle</a>, which only emphasized the fullness of the skirt on the posterior.</p>
<p>Women nonetheless continued to use fashion as a weapon against unwanted male attention. As skirts got narrower in the 1890s and early 1900s, large hats – and, more importantly, <a href="https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1903-05-27/ed-1/seq-3/">hat pins</a>, which were sharp metal needles used to fasten the hats – offered women the protection from harassers that crinolines once gave. </p>
<p>As for keeping healthy, <a href="http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/techniques/germtheory">germ theory</a> and a better understanding of hygiene led to the popularization of face masks – very similar to the ones we use today – during the Spanish flu. And while the need for women to keep their distance from pesky suitors remained, <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/5QWuYhBcdUKxyhTK9">hats</a> were used more to keep masks intact than to push strangers away.</p>
<p>Today, it isn’t clear whether the coronavirus will lead to new styles and accessories. Perhaps we’ll see the rise of novel forms of protective outerwear, like the “<a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90469200/this-coronavirus-suit-protects-you-inside-a-literal-bubble">wearable shield</a>” that one Chinese company developed.</p>
<p>But for now, it seems most likely that we’ll all just continue wearing pajamas.</p>
<p>[<em>You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-help">Read our newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134464/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Einav Rabinovitch-Fox does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the past, maintaining physical distance was an important aspect of public life – and clothes played a big role.Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, Visiting Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1126232019-03-14T10:37:22Z2019-03-14T10:37:22ZWhy shouldn’t men wear skirts?<p>Year on year, predictions are made that skirts will finally <a href="https://indie-mag.com/2018/01/fashion-men-in-skirts/">be adopted by men</a> as an <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/skirts-for-men">extension of their regular clothing</a>. Prompted by international fashion weeks and glittering award ceremonies, the idea seems to be that men who make bold statements on red carpets and runways will prompt a trend which will shake up men’s clothing once and for all, and end the apparent tyranny of trousers.</p>
<p>Despite the hype, however, the fact appears to be that men still only tend to wear skirts and dresses to make fashion statements in public, or as a display of cultural heritage. Take actor Billy Porter’s “tuxedo gown”, which he wore to the 2019 Academy Awards, for example. The ensemble, which looked like a normal tuxedo at the top, had an <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/fashion/billy-porter-steals-the-show-on-the-oscars-red-carpet-with-velvet-tuxedo-gown-a4075251.html">enormous velvet skirt on the bottom</a>. </p>
<p>Already known for making bold fashion statements, Porter’s dress was another act of fashion rebellion on his part. <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/billy-porter-oscars-red-carpet-gown-christian-siriano">Writing later for Vogue</a>, he said, “My goal is to be a walking piece of political art every time I show up. To challenge expectations. What is masculinity? What does that mean? Women show up every day in pants, but the minute a man wears a dress, the seas part.” By wearing a dress, Porter is demonstrating that, although it is uncommon, diversity in clothing for men is entirely possible. Skirts and dresses can be more than just statement pieces.</p>
<h2>Power and clothes</h2>
<p>Traditionally, men are <a href="https://indie-mag.com/2018/01/fashion-men-in-skirts/">no strangers to wearing skirts and dresses</a>. The kilt, for example, was initially a <a href="https://www.scotclans.com/history-of-kilts-worn-in-battle/">battle dress for Scottish men</a> and is still worn today. Or take the <a href="https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-clothing/kurta.html">shalwar kameez and kurta</a>, a long collarless shirt worn over matching trousers by many Indian men, and those from Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. </p>
<p>Over time, men who are not in the public eye have worn skirts – but they’re usually used as acts of rebellion. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jun/22/teenage-boys-wear-skirts-to-school-protest-no-shorts-uniform-policy">British schoolboys</a> and French bus drivers have all <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/21/french-bus-drivers-don-skirts-protest-shorts-ban-heatwave/">donned skirts or dresses</a> when they have been banned from wearing shorts for practical purposes in hot weather. However, they were not asking for greater tolerance or diversity for men’s clothing, or for men to embrace skirts as part of everyday attire. </p>
<p>Generally, men have never adopted the garments in quite the same manner that women have adopted trousers. Women initially started wearing trousers out of practicality, to take on men’s jobs during the war years, albeit amid <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.602.769&rep=rep1&type=pdf">some resistance</a>. Designer Coco Chanel was the first to pioneer them as <a href="https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/09/04/seven-wonders-how-coco-chanel-changed-the-course-of-womens-fashion/">women’s fashion items</a> in the 1930s. </p>
<p>Skirts now appear to be intrinsically allied to femininity. My forthcoming research addresses the innately masculine role of men’s suits, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/style/anne-hollander-scholar-of-style-dies-at-83.html">outlined by historian Anne Hollander</a>, and suggests that women in power often adopt a trouser suit when they <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/angela-merkel-wide-legged-pants_n_3467370">wish to be taken seriously</a> in a traditional gender order which puts <a href="http://www.raewynconnell.net/p/masculinities_20.html">powerful men at the top</a>. </p>
<h2>‘Boring’ menswear</h2>
<p>But fashion is considerably different from everyday clothing, and skirts still suggest femininity. Yet besides the assumptions that people may make of someone wearing a skirt, the garments do add variety to womens’ wardrobes. Clothes designer Marc Jacobs – who attended the prestigious 2012 Met Gala Ball in a <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/marc-jacobs-met-ball-2012-outfit-red-carpet-designer-look">sheer black lace dress with white boxer shorts</a> underneath – has previously said, “I didn’t just wanna wear a tuxedo and be boring.” This suggests how difficult it is for men to stand out from other men, and also hints at the general lack of diversity in men’s clothing.</p>
<p>Tuxedos are “boring” because they have a homogenising effect on the wearer, and seem to be the only choice for men to wear to red carpet events. Failure to dress up and try to differentiate yourself from others means that your presence might be missed, and there is also a suggestion here that men have limited means by which to achieve a glamorous appearance. </p>
<p>But men like Porter, Jacobs and others – including Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire who <a href="https://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/article/gymwxj/a-fancy-hotel-first-date-with-nicky-wire-of-manic-street-preachers">regularly wears a skirt</a> on stage – are at the top of their professions, and so are unlikely to be marginalised as a result of sporting skirts.</p>
<p>They occupy very specific and narrow spaces in the entertainment and creative industries, and with the exception of Jacobs, use skirts or dresses for performance, rather than for daily attire. Jacobs inhabits the exclusive world of fashion design where creating difference through clothing can be more difficult, with innovative competitors all seeking the same spotlight. So Jacobs wears skirts as a way of showing his design style, as well as a feature of his personal style. </p>
<p>Fashion is all about change and risk. While men donning skirts on an everyday basis might at present be a <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/men-in-skirts/">future form of fashion</a>, changes in men’s trousers have already started. Skinny jeans, tapered and cropped trousers, tailored shorts and loose culottes are now <a href="http://www.topman.com/en/tmuk/category/clothing-140502/mens-trousers-joggers-6608240?geoip=noredirect">regularly worn by all kinds of men</a>. At least some men are ready to wear a greater variety of clothing, and there’s no reason why skirts shouldn’t be a part of this.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112623/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ashley Morgan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Will men ever escape the tyranny of trousers?Ashley Morgan, Researcher and Senior Lecturer in Theory for Constellation, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/692802017-01-08T19:22:22Z2017-01-08T19:22:22ZWhy do we still make girls wear skirts and dresses as school uniform?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147139/original/image-20161123-19722-1cs1iap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Wearing a skirt can prevent girls from participating in sports.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">From www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>While the wearing of school uniforms has a long history across Australia, we are only just starting to talk about the expectations around what girls wear to school.</p>
<p>From discussion about the lack of change in girls’ uniforms over time, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/21/lets-scrap-gender-divide-school-uniforms">questions</a> about why schools need to divide students down gender lines at all, various groups are asking why girls are still required to wear skirts and dresses at schools.</p>
<h2>Girls’ uniforms and physical activity</h2>
<p>For some parents, requiring girls to wear skirts and dresses to school is an outdated expectation that amounts to gender disadvantage and discrimination. As <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09589236.2012.745680">research shows</a>, skirts and dresses </p>
<blockquote>
<p>restrict movement in real ways; wearers must negotiate how they sit, how they play, and how quickly they move. Skirt-wearing, consciously and unconsciously, imposes considerations of modesty and immodesty, in ways that trousers do not.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Wearing a skirt can also inhibit a girl’s ability to participate in sports. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/18377122.2012.666198?scroll=top&needAccess=true">A study</a> conducted in one Australian primary school in 2012 found that girls did significantly less exercise over a two-week period when wearing a school dress than they did when wearing shorts.</p>
<p>Research by the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/1DA0C56919DE176BCA257AA30014BFB7?opendocument">Australian Bureau of Statistics</a> shows that young women do significantly less physical activity than young men. </p>
<p>Reasons given for this include the fear of being <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/media/10083/insight_go-where-women-are.pdf">judged or ridiculed</a>, and the tension between wanting to appear feminine and attractive, and the sweaty, muscular image attached to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/her/article/21/6/826/608268/Understanding-participation-in-sport-and-physical">active girls</a>.</p>
<p>It can be argued that making girls wear skirts and dresses plays directly into this tension and their fears.</p>
<p>In an attempt to support girls exercising more, the Australian government launched a campaign in February 2016 called “<a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/girlsmove/publishing.nsf/Content/about">Girls Make Your Move</a>”. </p>
<p>The focus on girls is important, as regular physical activity and exercise are <a href="http://www.sportni.net/sportni/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/getting_Australia_active.pdf">associated with</a> improved school performance, a greater sense of personal responsibility and group co-operation, and reduced drug and alcohol consumption.</p>
<p>While expensive education and awareness campaigns may encourage more girls to engage in sport, a simple change to what they are required to wear to school could have a far greater impact.</p>
<h2>Education policy</h2>
<p>While state education departments have the power to enforce uniform policies that are equitable, they largely leave it to individual schools.</p>
<p>All states require schools to comply with anti-discrimination legislation. In Queensland, for example, the Department of Education’s <a href="http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/management/Pages/Student-Dress-Code.aspx">school dress code guidelines</a> require that “student dress codes offer gender-neutral uniform options for all students”. </p>
<p>However, these policy documents are often wordy and wishy-washy. This leaves schools with a lack of clarity about exactly what is required. </p>
<p>Principals and parents may be confused by the language used in policy documents, and can conclude that allowing flexibility for students who request “special circumstances” is enough. </p>
<p>When this occurs, it is highly likely that most school children will continue to wear the same uniform as the majority of their same-sex peers, as fitting in is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fitting-Standing-Out-Navigating-Challenges/dp/0521182034">crucially important for children</a> and adolescents. This means girls will likely continue to wear skirts and dresses.</p>
<p>While principals may be open to allowing “special circumstances”, it could be argued that the right of girls to wear shorts to school needs to be a given, and not a privilege that needs to be argued for in each individual case.</p>
<h2>Will legal challenges be the way forward?</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/news-and-events/commission-news/item/1399-female-student-wins-in-fight-to-wear-pants-%E2%80%93-how-does-the-eoa-apply-to-school-uniform?">The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission</a> identified school uniform policies as an area where schools could find themselves vulnerable to legal action. </p>
<p>The commission said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Requiring female students to wear dresses instead of pants may amount to direct discrimination.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Despite this, many schools continue to require girls to wear skirts and dresses. </p>
<p>To date, there has been no reported case of a school having to remove its requirements for girls to wear skirts and dresses as their only option in order to align with Education Department policy. But the desire for change is growing among parents. </p>
<p>A Melbourne mother recently created a petition on <a href="https://www.change.org/p/victorian-department-of-education-uniform-gender-equality-in-schools-needs-to-be-legislated">Change.org</a> after her daughter was refused the right to wear trousers to her Catholic school, despite the fact that boys had this option. The petition called for the Victorian Department of Education to legislate that all schools must offer non-discriminatory gender uniform choices.</p>
<p>With 17,951 signatures supporting the petition, the issue is proving to be one that a number of parents think is important. </p>
<p>Will a school need to face legal action before all schools move to have uniform policies that allow girls to be as comfortable and free to move as the boys sitting beside them?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69280/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Mergler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Wearing a skirt at school can make girls less likely to participate in physical activity, and it’s time schools changed their uniform policies.Amanda Mergler, Senior Lecturer, School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.