Unisex/Opposit Sex Clothing

[deebra]

It's 2017 and things, standards, acceptance, tolerance, clothing, appearance, presentation and the way people dress has changed dramatically from 30 years ago. Everybody has to agree on that. Can you see clothing becoming uinisex that either sex could wear (large women wear men's clothes, they can't find female clothes to fit) and as been said here panties, girl jeans, open neck girl tops are softer and fit a males body better than course, baggy male pants/jeans. This is true of a lot of female clothing worn by CD males, not all female clothes fit the male body, but you just have to find the right fit as women shopping for female clothes do. That said, might unisex clothing that can be worn by either sex or wear clothing of the opposite sex ( that's right women do wear men's clothes and some women do and have to admit some female clothing fit their husbands better than male) is being slowly accepted and sold. An example is an email was sent to me from Walmart on line advertising a nylon thong worn by a male and referred to as a panty. Is society starting to come around? Is this where designers are heading???

[BettyMorgan]

If they go with this trend I'll give up crossdressing.

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[Stacy Darling]

Hi deebra,

I wouldn't think that designers would be going straight down that track as they need to still accentuate some " male & female " touches to our clothing. Just to attract the different some of us. I prefer the much softer prettier more colourful female style clothing (I Really Do) but I also have a new found female friend who prefers to dress like a male motor mechanic ( we discuss fashion and cars, just the other way round ).
I do get your point and do believe there will be more unisex clothing in the future, But for me I would prefer to be seen as more feminine than unisex. "boys still wanna be girls and girls still wanna be boys"
I would just like to wear whatever I want- OH! that's my dream anyhow!

Just my thoughts
Stacy

[Leslie Langford]

I think the term "unisex" is code for "women get to wear pretty much what they want", and it legitimizes their penchant for male or male fashion inspired clothing.

I'm not holding my breath for the day when a man (preferably sporting a beard or a shaved head) can wear a sundress and strappy sandals to work in the summertime and declare that this is his version of "unisex" because those items are so much more comfortable than a suit, tie, and wingtips under those conditions. I absolutely want to be a fly on the wall to witness the negative blowback should that ever occur...

[Micki_Finn]

True "unisex" clothing just isn't practical without major scientific advaces in textiles. Women's bodies are just built differently then mens and therefore clothing cut to fit women's bodies generally don't work for men and vice versa. Unless we all just start wearing ponchos and Muumuus (shudder)

[Steph65]

I feel the more CD'rs come out to the public and the more we interact with the stores and SA's and write letters the more it will get into the society media and will be more acceptable. Change is in the air just like those looking to get out or try going out enfemm it has started with the gender revolution having the use of equal gender washrooms. Step by step. Whether it is large steps or small steps. Being accepted as Gay/ Les people.

[kayegirl]

A few days ago I was in Leeds, a biggish Yorkshire city, and whilst sat watching the world go by, it was hard to deny that unisex clothing has already arrived, especially amongst the student fraternity. However, it will be a long time before men in dresses are accepted. And I have to agree with Betty, if it comes to the start rekindle type costume, I will give up crossdressing.

[Tracii G]

You just won't give up on trying to justify to yourself its ok to wear womens clothes.
Kinda sad in a way you can't get over what society says you should wear.

[sometimes_miss]

We already have unisex clothing. Plenty of people wear jeans and a t shirt or sweatshirt when in casual attire. And, in lots of occupations, there are generic uniforms to be worn: scrub uniforms for healthcare, police, postal, fire uniforms. .

However.

When trying to attract a mate, both men and women choose clothing that emphasizes their sex. I don't see that changing. Designers will create clothing that will sell. That will not change either.
The idea that designers create the standards is absurd; if they try to design things that make people unattractive, most people won't buy them.

[deebra]

Steph65 I like that "GENDER REVOLUTION".

Stacy55, your sentence, "I do get your point and do believe there will be more unisex clothing in the future". We are on the same page here, you know, walk several inches and it turns into a mile, as CDers don't we just want to inch little by little if that's what it takes to BEING ACCEPTED to wear whatever we want?

TRaci G, No I can't, we should be accepted just like the male banker that wears a 3 piece suit and wingtips, anything else and we are being discriminazated against. I know you wear what you want but for most of us society's acceptance would be better. Some CDs that won't go out now would if we were accepted.

All good threads, Thankyou

[NicoleScott]

Unisex clothing is fine for those who want to wear those styles (I think of them as uniforms as sometimes_miss mentioned, not so much as styles because they lack style...). Anyway, unisex clothing is OK by me as a choice, but not as a replacement for men's clothing made for men or women's clothing made for women, to be imposed on everyone to make gender-fluid folks more comfortable. It wouldn't work anyway. There wil always be men who want to wear men's clothing and women who want to wear women's clothing. And sometimes, men who want to wear women's........you know......everything.
I don't see unisex clothing as having anything to do with CDing.

[SaraCanonmill]

Yeah spot on with the jeans and shirts and sweaters comment above. I wear v-necks or sweaters (if it's cold out) and skinny jeans and platform shoes normally when I'm not at work and out going places, and to most people it doesn't exactly scream "masculine" or manly or anything but also not really anything feminine either just kind of inbetween tbh.

[Tracii G]

Deebra no need to get all SJW over it and feel you are being discriminated against because you are not.
Sounds like you are wanting to force the masses to accept men wearing womens clothes as normal.That is never going to happen.
I do wear what I want because I don't let society dictate who I am.
You may not know this but you CAN wear whatever you want its you that needs to quit complaining about it being unfair.
So by your thinking its unfair that you can't wear womens clothes but its OK to force others to accept you if you do wear womens clothes?
I really is funny how some people think something is discriminatory yet they want to do the same to someone that disagrees.

[Randee]

Wouldn't UNISEX clothing mean that it was worn just the same by both sexes who found it comfortable, practical, tactile. stylish, fun, or whatever? They would still be themselves without trying to bend their gender, ie no feminine wigs, no fake tits, no body shaping garments to imitate. Sharing silky skintight clothing, my favorites, a male body fills them out as masculine and a female is definitely a wonderful difference. That is the acceptance I am looking for, to be able to wear this clothing in the same situations as the ladies enjoy, always searching for those situations and the experience of others. Happy to share some of my own.

[Trione]

If everyone was wearing unisex clothing where would our own taste go?. If mens clothes were as comfortable as some womans and looked sexier we would were more GM clothes, but since I love the feel of satin and lace I will be wearing my gurls undies for the rest of my time

[GretchenM]

There is plenty of unisex clothes out there now, but you still have to look for them. But, I have found there is quite a selection of women's clothes that are neutral enough for men to wear and I wear them often. This is especially true of pull over tops. There used to be more men's clothes in colors more characteristic of what women wear, but those seem to have disappeared for now. It happened as a lot of men struck back against the feminist forces. More beards, more macho dress, etc. But thrift stores, as a consequence, have a lot of the discarded pink, purple, lavender, etc. shirts and is a great source for those. I don't think widespread unisex clothing will likely become more the norm, but it has had periods when it was more common and it goes back and forth a lot. It would be nice if skirts became more commonly worn by men and women, but until there is some major cultural changes I don't see that happening. A few years ago kilts became more commonly seen; now it is rare. I still have one and when that becomes more acceptable I will start wearing that. But for now, in public, I often where women's tops that are more unisex or men's shirts in feminine colors. People get the message and few have problems with it. My shape does not allow me to wear women's jeans. They look weird. But the bottom line is, women have far more flexibility than men in clothes selection and acceptance. That is cultural and if men were more willing to break from tradition, in time, men would have more flexibility as well. Women have that flexibility because they fought the highly restrictive expectations of the past. For some reason, men tend to stick closer to traditional standards and in our society the image is that men must be strong and secure and be the steady leader. A lot of women also expect that, so men's fashions stay pretty much the same. But women earned their stylish flexibility and, I think, they work hard to maintain that.

[HollyGreene]

I remember buying "unisex" jeans back in the 1980s.
Other clothes such as t-shirts, sweat shirts, hoodies and jog pants and clothes based on sports gear have been unisex for a long time.
But there will always be clothes that accentuate femininity and clothes that accentuate masculinity (or those perceived stereotypes dictated by modern society)
When I was a kid, male underpants were always white cotton, but there are a lot of synthetics, shiny, silky fabrics etc now. So there is a definite blurring of the line between male and female clothes.
The Star Trek thing is irrelevant as they are wearing a uniform.

[CONSUELO]

Unisex clothing has been "threatening" to take over the fashion world for decades and I have yet to see it happen. Personally I am not interested. Feminine styles and the materials that are used are much more attractive.

Of course if unisex fashion became the norm there would be no such thing as cross dressing and this site would have to close. Right?

[Periwinkle]

Personally, I see unisex clothing as a statement. It represents what society is alright with persons of any gender wearing. With this in mind, it's a bit frustrating to me that most unisex styles tend to lean more towards being masculine than feminine. I've seen a dress, I believe. One, singular dress marketed towards men and women from some niche company I haven't seen since.

So basically, what these companies making unisex clothing are saying is, "We don't think it's ok for people of any gender to wear dresses or skirts. Those are just for girls. What? What about suits and ties? Oh pssshhh! Those are for everyone. They're not just for men!"

I'm sorry but I just get really peeved when I think about this topic. It just makes me so mad that women can wear anything but men have restrictions. I've never understood it. I just think it's ridiculous.

[SaraCanonmill]

I agree that it's ridiculous and stupid that people get so flustered over clothes, but it's just a construct of society. I'd like to think that one day it will no longer be a "taboo" thing probably in even as little as a few years from now but the reality of it is I think people are always going to have issues with it in some places especially in more conservative areas.

And yeah, "unisex" clothing tends to lean towards making everyone look more boxier or square in my opinion and sucks but anything that tries to push the fashion industry as more feminine or more masculine will probably just lead to us having the same discussion about just buying clothes that are designed for one or the other.

[Beverley Sims]

Unisex 'aint for me.

Gotta love that different shape that a woman projects.

The clothes add to it a lot. :-)

[Swottie]

So by your thinking its unfair that you can't wear womens clothes but its OK to force others to accept you if you do wear womens clothes?
I really is funny how some people think something is discriminatory yet they want to do the same to someone that disagrees.

That argument is not logical. CDers do not go around threatening people to accept crossdressing, all we are asking is equal acceptance as everyone else. On the other hand, there are plenty of people in society who feel it's their right, or even their duty to threaten, sneer, mock, to look down, to pass-over for jobs, and even physically harm "weirdos" who crossdress. The balance is not equal. All we ask is more balance, that is neither funny nor a discriminatory request.

By your logic, coloured people asking for acceptance is also being discriminatory.

[Ozark]

Back in the 1980s, The Limited Mall store sold henley tops, sweatshirts, shorts pullovers and jeans that were distinctively masculine...well not masculine, but definitely unisex. My wife and I bought a lot of clothes at the Limited. Almost 40 years later I still have a few long sweat shirts.

Another designer was Daniel Axel who sold clothes at high end stores. I had several of his outfits. Shirts, matching shorts (that looked like boxers but were designed to wear unbuttoned and matching bikini underwear.... I have one shirt and matching bikini underwear left. The material felt like pajamas....what is it? broad cloth?

After falling and breaking (broke heII, I shattered it) my wrist, I could not manage zippers or buttons so my wife and I went thrift store shopping and I bought chic jeans, elastic waist jeans. I even found some with back pockets. These lead to chic jean shorts. I grew up in the era of short shorts adn those baggy jeans hitting the back of knees just drives me crazy. I used to shorten my levis shorts until I found levi' jeans for women. That lead to jeans. 555 guy fit, 560 and 561 jeans . I bought some stretch jeans once just to see and I didn't like them, when I sat down, I felt like they gave me plumber's butt.

Shirts... I have a long torso so most women's tee shirts, shells, tank tops are too short for me. I slow down when I would walk past Lane Bryant and look to see if there were any tee shirts in there that I liked but I never went in.

Vanity Fair Outlet stores are a different case. I have no problem of shopping in a VF outlet store. I live close to 2 of them ... Doesn't bother me at all. I am semi comfortable in Hanes/L'eggs/Playtex store. The oddest thing is there used to be a Shadowline Outlet store in Branson. The first time I went in there I was overwhelmed --- racks and racks of gowns and panties. I had never noticed it before and when I did include it in my rotation, it went out of business.

My wife and I travel in our RV. She has what we call the 'rule of three'.... At least one of piece of my apparel has to be drab. I usually wear women's jeans, panties, and undershirt and a man's outer shirt. I like those fishing shirts by Columbia. Most of Columbia's clothing is unisex to me.

[Jocee]

Selfridges in the UK is leading for forefront of gender neutrality..

http://www.selfridges.com/US/en/content/agender