I really enjoyed this weeks readings on gender expression. In Alok V. Manon’s book “Beyond the Gender Binary“, Alok does an amazing job at articulating the struggles many if not all nonbinary individuals face. Things cisgender people might deem as “normal” or “innate” become real-life struggles for the gender non-conforming, expanding to them even fearing for their lives. It’s crazy to think that a social construct could land some people to feel completely alienated and marginalized just for choosing not to conform to it. Gender is non consensually decided for most of us before we’re even born, forcing people like Alok and many others to feel restricted in the way they represent themselves, “Repression breeds insecurity breeds violence.” Alok writes as he recounts events of them getting severely bullied for dressing effeminate growing up. It’s then revealed that said bully contacted him years later to apologize, admitting that their own gender suppression lead them to act out against Alok for daring to be so open about his. This goes to show that being so strict and sticking with these gender roles don’t truly benefit anyone, as they can breed insecurities that wouldn’t otherwise exist without them, as well as promote toxic masculinity.

I really liked Nazir’s choice of snapshot for this week as it shows a famous rapper Kid Cudi wearing a floral dress during one of his performances. As someone with a predominantly male fanbase, this is a bold choice as it would inevitably cause people to speculate and ask questions regarding his sexuality. I don’t believe Kid Cudi has ever come out about his sexual orientation but I love that he wore it as a statement to those who base their assumptions about someone’s sexuality or their overall identity solely on what they choose to wear. Perpetuating that a man shouldn’t be “allowed” to wear more “feminine” clothing is absurd and as previously stated, only breeds insecurity on the pretense of not being “man enough”. Everyone should be entitled to dress however they please without the worry of being judged or having assumptions placed on their sexual orientation. Many people use clothing as a form of self expression, especially artists as they consider their bodies to be a part of their “brand” and “art”. Whether you wear the type of clothes simply to keep a low profile or blend in and not draw as much attention to yourself, or you like to wear statement pieces like Cudi does, it should not matter and should not be used as a form to critique or assume others. The more seemingly “masculine” men take this approach for fashion, the more others will follow suit and slowly but sure, we can normalize males dressing more effeminate without fearing any judgement.