Gender bender

Trendsetters

The world of fashion is not just about glamour and glitz, it also sets a precedent in many ways — breaking barriers and making bold social statements. From selecting “newsmaker” Nepalese transgender model Anjali Lama to walk for fashion weeks, to introducing the renowned gender-neutral model Petr Nitka on the Indian ramp as part of the just-concluded season of Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2017, the world of creativity and glamour has witnessed many innovative overtures.

Speaking about is journey in the modeling world, Nitka said, “Working with ace lensman Bharathan Gangatheran in Perth in Australia had proved a turning point in my life. The confidence that his photoshoot gave has indeed been a life-altering experience for me.” Nitka came to be recognised as the first ever gender-neutral model from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It led him to be invited to South Africa.

“As a matter of fact, I landed in Africa as the first gender-fluid model. It was a moment of great pride for me,” he recalls.

“Being a model comes with a tremendous responsibility. It offers a great platform in the public arena. It’s an opportunity to start a dialogue about individuals with different sexual-orientations and bring down the prejudices and stereotypes in the process.”

Bold takes
While many think it is absolutely uncool for men to wear middies, maxis or skirts, and sport hair bands, jewellery and long-braided mane, a recent advert shows a social gathering gradually warming up to a cross-dressed man.

Designer Ritika Arya Jain agrees that new-age men are experimenting with sheer garments, see-through shirts, kurtas and t-shirts with deep-cut necklines. “Frankly, I am not a huge fan of this trend. As far as kurtas are concerned they look great of course. But sheer skirts are a big ‘no’ for me,” she says.

But men are experimenting nonetheless. It’s no longer a film star or a model’s prerogative to resort to gymming and grooming. Even the so-called common man indulges in innovative fashions these days. “That’s just fantastic, of course!” exclaims the designer. “There has been a lot of awareness regarding the significance of male grooming.

Men today are suave and sophisticated. They understand that their appearance could create a positive vibe or a negative impression. Thanks to social media and men’s fashion magazines flooding the market, most men today are pretty aware of stylish fads and are able to identify with hip fashion diktats,” she notes.

Broader outlook
Menswear designer Medhavini Khaitan agrees that the society is slowly but surely waking up to androgynous fashion. Earlier, a person who dressed differently would be ridiculed in public, but this scene is definitely changing now for the better, she feels. “Although people still tend to get uncomfortable around transgenders, the overall mindset is changing. People are gradually keeping their minds open about sexuality,” she finds.

Like men, women too may cross-dress to follow the route of androgyny in vogue. “Women follow
androgynous fashion by unleashing the ‘tomboy streak’ in them.  Androgyny is all about abandoning identities and erasing the conflicting concept of gender-duality,” Khaitan emphasises.

Doling out fashion tips for a ‘gender neutral’ style, the couturier suggests, “It is important to be yourself and be confident in our own skin. Wear what you want and slip into what makes you happy.