For some time now, there has been a development in our society that pays less and less attention to the importance of the sex of men and women. Gender boundaries can be bridged and alternative life concepts can be established in the community.
With its trend study "Gender Shift" from 2015, the Zukunftsinstitut has created an important approach to presenting this social development. Despite this dispute, the fashion potential of the megatrend remains unanswered. How does the lifestyle industry react in practice to the change in society? And what effects will this trend development have on the society of the future?
In order to answer these questions, different fashion and gender theories are presented first. What is the current social position of transsexuals or homosexuals? Based on this, examples from the lifestyle sector, more precisely from the automotive, perfume and cosmetics sectors, are analyzed. In what form is the increasing genderlessness reflected in the products of the lifestyle industry and their marketing? In the fashion industry, “high fashion” and “unisex fashion” are studied. Why are more and more fashion houses focusing on gender-neutral fashion and how is this reflected in the collections?
From the content:
- Gender;
- Sexes;
- Fashion;
- Trends;
- Lifestyle
Table of contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Problem statement
1.2 Objective
2 Genderlessness as a Topic of Fashion Theory and Gender Studies
2.1 The Discomfort of the Sexes - Judith Butler
2.2 The reinvention of nature: Primates, Cyborgs and Women - Donna Haraway
2.3 Attracted: The secret of fashion - Barbara Vinken
2.4 "When Women Wear Men's Clothes" - Gender and Masquerade in Literature and History - Gertrud Lehnert
2.5 Is fashion queer? - Gertrud Lehnert, Maria Weilandt
2.6 Summary
3 The megatrend "Gender Shift" – a sign of postmodern society
3.1 The Declining Social Importance of Gender
3.2 Sexlessness in art
3.3 Genderlessness on social media
3.4 Summary
4 Genderless as a topic of the lifestyle industry
4.1 Automotive industry – individuality as a unique selling point
4.2 Perfume industry - Genderfree
4.3 Cosmetics Industry – Showing Cultural Gender Construction
4.4 Summary
5 Genderless as a theme of fashion
5.1 Genderless as a topic of high fashion
5.2 "Unisex" as fashion for the masses
5.3 Summary
6 Conclusion
7 Prospect
8 Bibliography
List of figures
Figure 1: David Beckham, Gillette advertising campaign, 2004 (Photo: Gillette, Source: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00686/beckhamgillette1_686611n.jpg (as of 18.12.2016))
Figure 2: Bold advertising campaign: "Cucumber Madl and Cucumber Boy", 2014 (Photo: Carl Kühne AG, Source: http://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Trend_Update/Gendernomics/02_10015168_696684703759109_5151455181466328834_n.png (from: 2016/12/18)
Figure 3: Lalla K. R., photo series "Gender Studies", 2011 (Photo: Bettina Rheims, Source: Rheims, B. (2014): Gender Studies, Göttingen., p. 48)
Figure 4: Kael T.B. I., photo series "Gender Studies", 2011 (Photo: Bettina Rheims, Source: Rheims, B. (2014): Gender Studies, Göttingen., p. 52)
Figure 5: "Watch That Man III", David Bowie, 1973 (Photo: Masayoshi Sukita, Source: Prange, O. (2016): David Bowie: 1947-2016, Zurich., p. 24)
Figure 6: Lady Gaga as "Cyborg", screenshot from the Lady Gaga music video: "You and I", 2011 (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YMU0WeBwU (as of 2016-12-18))
Figure 7: Lady Gaga as "Jo Calderone", screenshot from the Lady Gaga music video: "You and I", 2011 (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YMU0WeBwU (as of 2016-12-18))
Figure 8: Initiative D21: "Share of Internet users in Germany in the years 2001 to 2016", 2016 (Source: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/13070/umfrage/entwicklung-derinternetnutzung-in-deutschland-seit-2001/ (as of 18.12.2016))
Figure 9: Pey via Instagram, 2016 (Photo: Pey, Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BBkpKe_JKVK/?taken-by=peey (as of 2016/12/18))
Figure 10: Riccardo Simonetti, 2016 (Photo: Gene Glover, Source: http://fabulousricci.com/kolumne-von-angekratzten-egos-und-unangenehmen-partybekanntschaften/ (as of 18.12.2016))
Figure 11: Stav Strashko, screenshot from the Toyota commercial: "Toyota Auris", 2012 (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD94CV7kLHE (As of 18.12.2016))
Figure 12: Eliot Summer and Lucie van Alten, Mercedes-Benz commercial: "Burning Desire", 2016 (Photo: Christian Larson, Source: https://www.mercedesbenz.com/de/mercedes-benz/lifestyle/fashion/burning-desire/ (As of 18.12.2016))
Figure 13: Calvin Klein advertising campaign: "ck2", Puerto Rico, 2015 (Photo: Ryan McGinley, Source: https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/KxAkUuNwBbvXD929v5hXqg-/aD0xNjUwO3c9MTI3NTtzbT0xO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/http://media.zenfs.com/en_ US/News/US-AFPRelax/ck2_ad_85x11_i.2989f181627.original.jpg (As of 18.12.2016))
Figure 14: Screenshot from the Shiseido commercial: "High School Girl?", 2015 (Source: Yanagisawa, S. (2015): "High School Girl", 2:27 minutes, advertising clip Shiseido, 2015, on-line at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n3Db6pMQ-8 (as of 2016-12-18))
Figure 15: Conchita Wurst and Jean Paul Gaultier, Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Fashion Show, Autumn / Winter, 2014 (Photo: Pascal le Segretain, Source: http://www.gettyimages.de/fotos/conchita-wurst-jean-paulgaultiti- er?excludenudity=true&family=editorial&page=5&phrase=conchita wurst jean%2 0paul gaultier&sort=best#license (as of 2016-12-18))
Figure 16: Madonna, Blond Ambition Tour, 1990 (Photo: Frans Schellekens, Source: http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/24th-july-singermadonna-performs-live-on-stage-at-feyenoord-stadium-picture-id113713611?k=6&m=113713611&s=594x594&w=0&h=_DXuCXTKOh84wCh_fAtiTo F1OKHI0XY8ced5gYfvCaY= (As of 18.12.2016)).
Figure 17: Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Show: "Et Dieu Créa l'Homme", Spring / Summer 1985 (Photo: Patrice Stable, Source: https://www.jeanpaulgaultier.com/wpmedia/uploads/2015/12/031.jpg (As of 18.12.2016))
Figure 18: Gucci Men's Fashion Show, Autumn 2015 (Photo: Yannis Vlamos, Source: http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2015-menswear/gucci/slideshow/collection#1 (As of 12/18/2016))
Figure 19: Gucci Men's Fashion Show, Autumn 2015 (Photo: Yannis Vlamos, Source: http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2015-menswear/gucci/slideshow/collection#4 (As of 18.12.2016))
Figure 20: Gucci advertising campaign, autumn / winter 2015 (Photo: Glen Luchford, Source: http://theimpression.com/wp-content/uploads/gucci-ad-advertisement-campaign-fall2015-the-impression-01.jpg (as of 18.12.2016))
Figure 21: J. W. Anderson Men's Fashion Show, Autumn 2013 (Photo: Yannis Vlamos, Source: http://j-w-anderson.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/JWA_MAW13_005640x960.jpg (As of 18.12.2016))
Figure 22: Esprit x Opening Ceremony "Unisex advertising campaign", autumn 2016 (Photo: Charlotte Wales, source: http://www.esprit.com/mobileresources/data/images/specials/opening-ceremony/Content_01.jpg (as of 18.12.2016))
Figure 23: Esprit x Opening Ceremony "Unisex advertising campaign", autumn 2016 (Photo: Charlotte Wales, source: http://www.esprit.com/mobileresources/data/images/specials/opening-ceremony/Content_05_hires.jpg (as of 18.12.2016))
Figure 24: Niklas and Toni Garrn, Closed "Unisex Advertising Campaign": "EQL", autumn / winter 2016 (Photo: Closed, Source: https://www.closed.com/out/closed/src/media/gallery/eql/161006-gallery-eql-10.jpg (as of 18.12.2016)).
Figure 25: Andrej Pejic, HEMA advertising campaign: "mega push-up beha", 2011 (Photo: Wendelien Daan, Source: https://fashionstraightup.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/hema-andrejpejic.jpg (as of 18.12.2016))
1 Introduction
1.1 Problem statement
For some time now, a development in our society has been observed that pays less and less attention to the importance of the gender of men and women and thus allows the bridging of gender boundaries and the establishment of alternative concepts of life in the community.1
As early as 2003, the Zukunftsinstitut predicted the following circumstances for 2015: "In an androgynous society, every single person will be able to live more and more his or her personal potential without being trapped by the traditional forms of being a woman or man."2 Arriving in 2015, the editor-in-chief of the Zukunftsinstitut Thomas Huber sees the previous view of the future confirmed as follows: "Socially coded roles are finally detaching themselves from a historically conditioned commitment."3 In addition, he adds: "The gender in which one was born becomes just as much a disposable mass of life design as age, profession and way of life."4 This social change affects a wide variety of areas, such as politics, marketing or the economy. Based on this, people themselves are less and less subject to the determinism of society through the breaking up of established norms and diverse models of life are establishing themselves.5
With its trend study on the megatrend "Gender Shift" from 2015, the Zukunftsinstitut has created an important approach to presenting this social development. Despite this debate, the problem arises that it remains unanswered what fashion potential the megatrend shows and whether it has already established itself in the fashion industry or will continue to do so in the future. Even though initial studies have been carried out with regard to the effects on marketing, the question arises in connection with the fashion potential as to how the lifestyle industry reacts in practice to the change in society and whether it will prevail here.
1.2 Objective
Against the background of this problem, the work therefore pursues the goal of showing the form in which the fashion and lifestyle industry is oriented towards the aforementioned social change. Under the trend title "Genderless", which implies genderlessness and deals specifically with the fashion and lifestyle industry, a detailed analysis is thus carried out to examine the influence of the trend in these areas.
Based on this, the following key questions will be answered in the individual chapters: Which areas are affected by the "genderless" trend and how is it implemented? What effects will the trend development have on the society of the future? What is the current social position of alternative lifestyles, such as those of transsexuals or homosexuals? What role do contemporary pioneers, art and the Internet in the form of social media play in the "genderless" trend? In what form is the increasing genderlessness reflected in the products of the lifestyle industry and their marketing? Why are more and more fashion houses relying on cross-gender fashion and how is this expressed in the collections and the staging of them? In order to achieve the answers to these questions, different fashion and gender theories are presented as a basis in the first chapter "Genderlessness as a Topic of Fashion Theory and Gender Studies". This elaboration focuses on the works "The Discomfort of the Sexes" by Judith Butler, "The Reinvention of Nature: Primates, Cyborgs and Women" by Donna Haraway, "Dressed: The Secret of Fashion" by Barbara Vinken, "When Women Wear Men's Clothes" by Gertrud Lehnert and "Is Fashion Queer?" by Gertrud Lehnert and Maria Weilandt. In a further step, under the chapter "The megatrend "Gender Shift" – a sign of postmodern society", society is analyzed with a view to the trend "Genderless" discussed here. This area is further subdivided into the topics "the decreasing social significance of gender", "genderlessness in art" and "genderlessness in social media". In the following chapter "Genderless as a topic of the lifestyle industry", an examination of the automotive industry, the perfume industry and the cosmetics industry takes place, which are examined on the basis of various examples.
Finally, after the main theme of the lifestyle industry, this work deals with the second main theme of the fashion industry under the title "Genderless as a Theme of Fashion". A subdivision into the segment of "high fashion" and "unisex fashion" takes place. On the one hand, the fashion and staging of the designers Jean Paul Gaultier, Alessandro Michele and J.W. Anderson and, on the other hand, the fashion brands esprit in cooperation with Opening Ceremony, Closed and the department store HEMA analyzed. In addition, the different chapters are each concluded with a short summary in order to give the reader an overview of the core messages of the text. In the final chapter, the most important results of the entire work are listed and a conclusion is drawn about the questions asked in the introduction. In the subsequent outlook, a future forecast is drawn up that portrays the "genderless trend" and its effects.
2 Genderlessness as a Topic of Fashion Theory and Gender Studies
In this part of the thesis, different theories regarding fashion and gender are first examined, which serve as a research basis for the analysis of the trend topic "genderless" and which will also be concluded in the further course of this elaboration in the various chapters on the trend.
2.1 The Discomfort of the Sexes - Judith Butler
In 1991, the writer and gender researcher Judith Butler published her work "Gender Trouble" within Gender Studies, causing a lot of uproar in society at the time. The focus of her publication is on the topic of gender, which is why especially the first chapter of her book " Die Subjekte von Geschlecht/ Geschlechtsidentität/ Begehren" plays an important role in this work. In this context, it provides new food for thought and questions previous assumptions and theories. First, she points out that between the anatomical sex "sex"6 and gender identity7 and both factors are independent components. In addition, she explains that gender identity is not determined by gender and results from it, since it is culturally constructed and thus gender can be interpreted in many ways by means of gender identity.8
Furthermore, Butler's theory addresses the binarity of the sexes, which is based exclusively on bisexuality in society and is limited to the man and the woman with the respective male and female gender. However, Butler rejects this assumption and also assumes that an individual can become a man or a woman - regardless of the outgoing gender. She is also critical of the limitation to exactly two possible gender identities.
A female or male, anatomical gender thus does not presuppose the gender identity of a woman or a man.9
The authors Candace West and Don H. Zimmermann agree with this assumption in their essay "Doing Gender" and support the thesis that gender identity is not tied to natural gender, but is produced and expressed daily by the performative action of man.10
The basis for Butler's claims is language in the form of scientific discourse, which, according to the author, produces our ideas of gender under the influence of politics and society and expresses itself performatively. In addition, it questions the distinction between anatomical gender and gender identity and argues that gender could be culturally constructed in the same way as gender identity and, as a result, it would be the same and there would be no difference between the two components. If gender and gender identity are socially constructed, gender identity is not exclusively for cultural attribution to a predetermined anatomical gender. Because this has the function of a production apparatus through which the sexes themselves are constructed. In addition, it has discursive and cultural means by which the natural sex is formed, which happens prediscursively, i.e. before the emergence of the respective culture. Butler also states that the two sexes must be shifted to a pre-discursive field if the preservation of the binarity of the sexes is to be ensured. The creation of gender thus takes place prediscursively through gender identity, which butlers as a "cultural construction apparatus"11 entitled.12
Building on this, the American writer Butler questions the extent to which the process of the cultural construction of gender identity takes place from the anatomical gender. According to Butler, the assumption of a constructed gender identity is determined by the meanings of gender identity, with regard to the different anatomical bodies. These act as passive recipients under the influence of a fixed cultural law. Furthermore, the writer Simone de Beauvoir can be consulted here, who in her work "The Other Sex" by the quote "You are not born as a woman, you become one."13 Butler's thesis of constructed gender identity is supported. According to their statement, the individual thus decides for himself about his own gender identity and can choose it freely.14
Beauvoir explains her thesis by making it clear that the process of becoming a woman or a man happens under the constraints of society, but is not dependent on the natural sex of man. In their opinion, the human body is a situation and thus created under cultural influence. Butler, taking into account Beauvoir's views, comes to the conclusion that natural sex cannot be pre-discriminatory and equates gender with gender identity.15
Our body represents a construction and functions as a passive instrument in which it takes on cultural meanings and only then develops its existence.16 Gender identity is created performatively through language and action and produces the identity of the individual.17
2.2 The reinvention of nature: Primates, Cyborgs and Women - Donna Haraway
The writer Donna Haraway published her work "The Reinvention of Nature – Primates, Cyborgs and Women" in 1995. The reason for the reference to Haraway's theory in this bachelor thesis are the "cyborgs" understood by Haraway, the "cybernetic organisms"18 represent. It is the intersection of machine and organism, which correspond partly to real society and partly to fiction.19
According to Haraway, today's image and the situational situation of our society and body is sensualized on the basis of the fictitious "cyborgs".20 The title "Genderless" mentioned in this work resonates in the form of the "cyborgs" who live in a "post-gender world"21 in which the position of gender is secondary. Keywords such as "patricianity, irony, intimacy and perversity"22 characterize the creature of the "cyborg", who also stands for the opposition, the innocence. In addition, this shape mixes the boundaries between humans and animals.23 Thus, nature and culture are deconstructed and redesigned in the sense of the epoch of postmodernism.24 As mentioned earlier, the machine and the technology associated with it are also important components of the "cyborg" created by Haraway. The technological influence is reflected in the networking of the "cyborg" with "things, objects, machines, people and a globalized environment".25 The innovative character of the "cyborg" is also emphasized by the fact that it is imperfect and the different components "mind and body, animal and man, nature and culture, men and women, primitive and civilized"26 mixed and reinterpreted. In addition, Haraway makes a reference to the 1980s, which were marked by essential changes in society, economy and technology. The industrial society of that time has developed into an information society. Here, networking and communication in society, the world of work and politics, which are made possible by new technologies, are understood. According to Haraway, this creates a network that is shaped by the "cyborgs".27
2.3 Attracted: The secret of fashion - Barbara Vinken
The literary scholar Barbara Vinken has also dressed in her work "Anzog: The Secret of Fashion" deals with the effects of the gender roles of men and women in fashion. In doing so, she addresses the fact that the clothing of men and women has become more and more converging for years and no longer causes a clear separation of the sexes. In addition, not only women, but also today's men are increasingly attaching more importance to their external appearance than in the past. Furthermore, she supports her thesis with a new form of genderless models who present the new trends of the fashion world to society. She gives some examples, such as the transsexual model Andreja Pejic, who was still called Andrej Pejic before his gender-reassignment surgery to the woman and presented female and male clothing with an anatomically male sex through his androgynous appearance in advertising as well as on the catwalk.28
Although a mixing of the ideas of man and woman becomes clear here, the author of the book wants to make it clear that the division into the gender man or woman is not canceled out by the prevailing development and new influences in fashion. According to Vinken, it is precisely through the abolition of traditional, stereotypical views and the combination of male and female gender ideas by pioneers such as Andreja Pejic, for example, that a strong eroticizing effect is created. It also refutes the assumption that we humans would become transsexuals through a gender-neutral fashion by saying that in this form of fashion and representation the principle of "doing gender"29, as according to West and Zimmermann, plays an important role, which does not represent the anatomical gender, but appears in an artificial way, in which - as already mentioned - the opposing stereotypes of man and woman collide. As a result, she criticizes the "unisex trend" in the apparel industry, which focuses on gender neutrality and puts gender binary in the background. Her main focus is on the approach of "unisex", which opens up more possibilities for women, as she can use the clothes of the male wardrobe, such as shirts, sweaters and T-shirts, which the man is not allowed to do in return. The man in women's clothes is not socially accepted and ridiculed, so according to Vinken, the "unisex trend" is only possible on the part of women.30
The authors Gertrud Lehnert, Alicia Kühl and Katja Weise agree that "unisex fashion" is an illusion for women and men alike, since men who wear feminine coded clothing are often exposed to social discrimination in reality.31
Furthermore, Vinken refers to typical features of female and male fashion in the modern age, which are fundamentally different, as women stage their gender through the interplay of skin and fabrics, emphasizing their body and figure and eroticizing them. In the mostly simple, masculine fashion, however, this receives little attention. The boundaries between femininity and masculinity thus become clear in fashion, yet Vinken also recognizes the desired trend of "unisex", which in her opinion only manifests itself in women's fashion by reducing female characteristics and adopting influences from men's fashion.32 However, this process does not put the eroticism of the woman in the background, especially in the epoch of modernity, although garments, such as the tuxedo combined with the shirt in the form of the blouse in women's fashion, seem to minimize femininity. Vinken sees the erotic effect precisely in the transfer of the masculine into the feminine, whereby new sensual body zones, such as the bare legs or the hidden breasts, under the slightly transparent blouse under the tuxedo, for example in Yves Saint Laurent gain the viewer's attention.33
Thus, the "unisex trend" according to Vinken could not prevail, as the adoption of the male wardrobe in women's fashion promotes the eroticism of women and emphasizes the gender difference.34 The woman, who deals a lot with topics such as beauty and her appearance, corresponds to the norm and the anticipated image of society. In addition, in the context of women's fashion, desire and eroticism are in the foreground. This is evident in clothing that highlights a lot of skin and the emphasis on the figure. The man, on the other hand, who invests a lot of time in the appearance of his own person and prefers tight-fitting clothing, is often categorized as female or homosexual. Vinken also sees this phenomenon as an aspect of "Doing Gender"35, which is expressed more strongly by the clothing that the individual wears.36 However, Vinken explains that men's fashion has also changed in recent years and also partly makes use of women's clothing. In doing so, she mentions the "Dior Boys"37, which embody a new, androgynous image of the man by means of tight-fitting suits.38
2.4 "When Women Wear Men's Clothes" - Gender and Masquerade in Literature and History - Gertrud Lehnert
In 1997, the author Getrud Lehnert published the book "When Women Wear Men's Clothes – Gender and Masquerade in Literature and History". Directly at the start of her work, she refers to a deodorant commercial of the drugstore manufacturer Axe, in which a woman uses the deodorant her partners, which is characterized by the slogan "Axestrictly for men"39 loud Axe but only addressed to the man.40 As a result, due to her scent, she experiences very striking reactions from female passers-by in the city, who are attracted to her. Lehnert describes this example as a special feature, since here, contrary to the usual pictorial representation of gender change, the focus is on the reaction of the people in the film, to which the observer should become aware.41
In addition, the author states that the prerequisite for such a kind of commercial must be cultural conditions within society that deal with topics such as transvestism, gender identity or sexuality. In addition, Lehnert explains that the binaryity of the sexes and the difference between man and woman, as well as sexuality, must play a major role in order for this gender exchange to attract a lot of attention from viewers. In view of the gender change, she uses as an example the writer George Sand, who also caused a lot of uproar in the society of the time in the 19th century, as she was considered extremely provocative by wearing men's clothing. Compared to then, the influences of male clothing have established themselves in today's women's collections and no longer create a feeling of disguise or provocation. In addition, Lehnert discusses the concept of disguise and first makes it clear that in every environment in which the respective individual is located, culture shapes the image of the sexes and social groups and assigns them identifying features. For example, genders can differentiate themselves from each other by clothing, hairstyle, fragrances or body language and thus their gender is socially constructed as well as according to the theory of Judith Butler.42
In the further course of the book, she picks up the previously mentioned commercial of Axe up again. Gertrud Lehnert explains to the reader that the homosexual attraction is perceived as unnatural and thus conveys that heterosexuality corresponds to the norm in society.43
According to Lehnert, however, gender binity, consisting of man and woman, finds freedom in the form of fashion that transcends boundaries and combines female and male components. Here, the disguise by fashion comes to the fore, which allows a play with sexual and social identities.44
Based on this, Lehnert agrees with the assumption of gender researcher Judith Butler that the male and female sex are constructed, emphasizing the
Fashion that acts as a driver and producer of gender difference through delimiting codes and signs.45 The ideas of man and woman are thus artificially evoked and are also not fixed, since they always vary especially in fashion and gender-specific symbols are reinterpreted.46 Lehnert also explains the construction of gender on the basis of the "masquerade", which is defined by the conscious representation of a certain gender identity and also allows the mixing and crossing of the defined genders. The individual is free within the disguise to express himself at will. If, for example, it identifies with the image of the woman, but is anatomically a man, the "masquerade" helps to implement the individual self.47
2.5 Is fashion queer? - Gertrud Lehnert, Maria Weilandt
The two fashion theorists Gertrud Lehnert and Maria Weilandt published their new work "Ist Mode queer?" in October 2016. The book includes several contributions by various authors who deal with the topic of "queer". Before the authors devote themselves to answering the question "Is fashion queer?", Gertrud Lehnert defines fashion itself as part of "classical as well as neoliberal capitalism".48. Furthermore, the realization of fashion takes place in the constant spread of new consumer goods, which evoke in consumers feelings of desire as well as rejection. Gender plays a decisive role here and affects every form of fashion, whether in the high-price or low-price segment. From this, the author concludes that the term "queerness" is clearly excluded here. Nevertheless, "queer" fashion is possible when fashion is seen as a dynamic of change.49
The origins of "Queer Theory" can be located in the USA. In 1990, "Queer Theory" emerged as part of an academic concept based on "Lesbian and Gay Studies". The term "Queer" focuses on the "LGBTTIQ community"50, which is for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender intersex and queer"51 Is. Heteronormativity, which is limited to men and women, is rejected because individual identities and lifestyles are in the foreground. "Querness" does not become fixed and thus opens up a variety of possibilities.52 According to author Engel, "queer theory" deals with the existence of gender, body, and sexuality, regardless of the concept of bisexuality.53 The constant dynamic evolution of these factors allows for consistency and the potential of "querness" in fashion through practices. In order to enforce "queerity" in the fashion world, old gender concepts must be reconsidered and reformulated. The fashion industry basically consists of women's and men's collections, which, in addition to the different body shapes, are evoked by distribution and by widespread, cultural ideas of gender division. Nevertheless, a combination of both extremes takes place, which is particularly expressed in the collections in the "high fashion" area. However, these garments are often heavily staged and intend provocation in order to attract the attention of the responsible brands. However, this fashion is often hardly commercial. In the market of mass fashion suppliers, on the other hand, there is less experimentation with gender-specific signs. One variant is "unisex fashion", which, according to Lehnert, has been making itself felt in the fashion market again for some time.54 She also mentions that our bodies and clothing are eroticized by ever-changing signs, but the two ideals of man and woman are consistently maintained. "Querness" seems to fall out of the familiar scheme of social structure due to its otherness, but at the same time it is integrated into culture to ensure its permanence. In the course of this finding, Lehnert sees "querness" as "dynamics within a continuum"55 instead of in opposites and exclusion.56
The author Rosi Braidotti agrees with this assumption in her book "Posthumanism" and addresses a posthuman living environment with the function of a "nature-culture continuum"57, which questions the current social situation and excludes socially constructed differences.58 Nature and culture do not represent opposites, but mix through advancing science and technology.59 Lehnert follows this approach in "Is Fashion Queer?" and sees our current social situation as critical, since culture and nature contradict each other and the "other" also excludes natural, such as "queerness" and homosexuality. A continuum is thus a possible solution to bridge boundaries and contrasts between genders and identities. The implementation in practice and in a discursive framework should take place under dynamic and open-minded conditions.60 In this way, a reference to Haraway's "cyborgs" can also be established. The "cyborgs" are "cybernetic organisms, hybrids of machine and organism, as well as creatures of social reality as fiction"61 and therefore also represent a continuum. Artificially set boundaries between man and woman or nature and culture are broken.62 Within the work "Is Fashion Queer?", the author Weilandt dedicates herself to the regular fashion shows of the fashion houses, which performatively demonstrate the produced clothing. The presentations, which take place twice a year, are intended to produce a certain attitude to life. The fashion pose of the model intends to project a special image onto the respective brand. During these performative performances, clothing only becomes fashionable according to Weilandt.63 Lehnert also supports this thesis in her book "Fashion, Theory, History and Aesthetics of a Cultural Practice", published in 2013. She says that fashion is not only composed of garments and associated accessories, but mainly through the staging of the wearers in combination with the design of the clothing, but also in discourse and active action. The new fashions will be presented to a diverse audience of buyers, journalists and industry experts. As a result, the new trends are published and gain more awareness.64 Furthermore, this book mentions "queer" examples from fashion, music and art, which this work will deal with in a later part. The author Friedrich Weltzien deals with "Queer Theory" with regard to "posthumanism" within the publication "Is Fashion Queer?". According to Weltzien, "queerness" includes the pursuit of self-determination of the individual. His assumptions are strongly related to the aforementioned theories of Rosi Braidotti and Donna Haraway.65
In his opinion, clothing has the function of expressing oneself, communicating and producing fixed power relations. Furthermore, gender, identity and desire are clarified through clothing and reflect the personality of the clothed person and merge with each other.66 Through the performative character of fashion, the production of the "I" takes place and in the context of posthumanism, identity is formed from the union of human biology and fashion. According to Weltzien, this mixture of clothing and man symbolizes the idea of "cyborgs".67 Like Weltzien, the author Jana Scholz has also commented on the question "Is fashion queer?". She writes about a "discontinuity" between anatomical gender, gender identity, sexuality and desire. In their opinion, these factors are not necessarily dependent, but can exist independently of each other. Thus, she affirms the hybridity of the sexes, which finds expression especially in fashion and art. The authors Leroy and Bullough agree with Jana Scholz's findings in their book "Cross Dressing, Sex and Gender" with the word "gender bending". In the following quote, they explain the intention behind "gender bending": "Gender-bending emphasizes not so much traditional kinds of cross dressing but a confusion of costume whereby the illusion of assuming the opposite sex is not intended to convince the viewer of authenticity but to suggest ambiguity. Since it also involves women as well as men, the viewer could not be certain whether the person was a man or woman."68 It therefore does not correspond to the classical understanding of "cross dressing", which allows a connection to the opposite sex. The central aspect is the emphasis on ambiguity or hybridity, which also causes uncertainty in the viewer, since a distinction between man and woman is hardly possible.69
2.6 Summary
After the detailed examination of gender and fashion theories in view of the trend "genderless", important core statements of the individual theories could be determined. Thus, Butler's assumption of the constructed gender identity plays an important role in the subsequent processing. Donna Haraway's "Cyborgs", who live in a "post-gender world" and are characterized by hybridity, join in the possibility of interpreting gender identity in a variety of ways. According to Vinken, "unisex fashion" also represents a utopia, which gives reason to refer to it in the fashion-focused chapter "Genderless as a theme of fashion". The principle of "Doing Gender" according to West and Zimmermann, whereby gender can be generated performatively, links Vinken's ideas with those of Gertrud Lehnert in "When Women Wear Men's Clothes", as this thematizes the "masquerade" that allows a play with gender identities, especially through fashion. The climax of the questioning of gender is found in Weilandt's and Lehnert's theory, since "queer" fashion, defined by continuity and hybridity, experiments with gender-specific signs through performative action and does not allow a clear assignment of the sexes.
3 The megatrend "Gender Shift" – a sign of postmodern society
In this part of the present version, the focus is on the social aspect, in which historical developments up to the current epoch of postmodernism are first illuminated. A further deepening takes place on the basis of the megatrend "Gender Shift", from which the trend "Genderless" is derived. Finally, the social fields of art and social media are also analyzed with the attention of genderlessness.
3.1 The Declining Social Importance of Gender
3.1.1 Legal and social developments
In order for the establishment of the "genderless trend" in today's society to be possible, women and homosexuals in particular had to fight for an equal position in society in the past. In 1949, although the Basic Law stipulated equal rights for men and women, this had little to do with reality, which was reflected, for example, in the outdated marriage model and unequal working conditions, which led women to fight for equal opportunities and rights, especially in the second women's movement at the end of the 60s.70 The women joined forces, formed feminist communities and associations, and demonstratively took public action against their oppression and legal regulations, such as Section 218, which sanctioned the abortion of the child with prison up to the death penalty.71 In 1974, the penalty was abolished for the first time and replaced by a still controversial deadline regulation for abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.72 It was not until 1995 that this regulation became firmly established on the condition that this was carried out by means of medical treatment. Legal changes in marriage and family law in 1976 and legal equality in working life in 1980 also revolutionized the position of women in the social system.73
Like the woman, the homosexual man had to fight for his social acceptance, which became clear in a homosexual movement. In particular, Paragraph 175, which had punished homosexual acts with prison since 1872 and caused thousands of deaths at the time of National Socialism, was challenged here. In 1968, homosexual men and women also took public action against their discrimination by the state and demanded, among other things, the abolition of paragraph 175, which had already been liberalized in the "German Democratic Republic" in 1957, but was only removed from the criminal code in 1969 in the "Federal Republic of Germany" and finally in 1994. In 2001, further progress was made through the "registered civil partnership"74 for homosexual couples in Germany. Nevertheless, unlike many other countries and the USA, same-sex marriage is still not allowed in Germany.75
However, the trend "genderless" does not only appeal to heterosexual and homosexual people, but also to all life models, as well as individuals who are "transsexual" or "transgender" or do not want to choose any gender and want to live out their personally preferred lifestyle in a self-determined manner. But this freedom also had to establish itself over decades. In the German state, the "Transsexual Act (TSG)" was enacted for the first time on 01.01.1981, which makes it possible for those affected to change their first name and civil status. It stipulates that a person who feels uncomfortable in his own gender and is more likely to identify with his counterpart must have held this view stringently for three years in order to be given the opportunity to adopt a new name. In order to be registered by the judiciary as a personality of the opposite sex, a sex change is necessary with the addition that reproduction by the old sex is impossible.76 Due to these conditions, the respective person is therefore not permitted to be legally recognized as the opposite sex only by the inner conviction. Surgical measures are compulsively necessary in order to physically correspond to the anatomy of a woman or a man in addition to the mental attitude.
According to the classification of ICD-10, "International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems" of the World Health Organization "WHO" (World Health Organization), transsexuality can be transsexuality within the area of "F6 personality and behavioral disorders"77 under the category "F64 Disorders of Gender Identity"78 categorize. In general criticism is the categorization "F64.1 Transvestitism while maintaining both gender roles"79. In terms of content, it is about the person who dresses in the clothes of the opposite sex in order to feel part of the women's or men's world in a temporary state. They, too, are also diagnosed as a person with a disturbed gender identity. Transsexuality is excluded here and is only relevant in connection with a sex change.80
Nevertheless, there is progress in "intersex" people who cannot be clearly classified as men or women at birth because they have both genital organs or that they have a clear natural sex, but have a large number of oppositional sex hormones. On 1 November 2013, the "Civil Status Act" stipulated that the parents no longer have to choose a gender at the birth of the intersex child and that the newborn without gender can be registered. Furthermore, the guidelines regarding the passport have changed. In the category where previously the option between "F" and "M" was given for female and male, there is now the option "X", which allows an existence without clear gender.81 Ultimately, even today, transsexual individuals are still restricted in their freedom of choice by laws and rights that appear contradictory compared to the variety of life models that exist today. Today's situation has largely improved significantly compared to the past, but still this is not a global fact, as countries such as India and Uganda tightened their penalties for homosexuality in 2013 and 2014, and Russia also passed a "law against homosexual propaganda" in 2013.82, which excludes homosexuals from society and makes them a threatened marginal group.83
3.1.2 Postmodernism and Metrosexuality
The trend "Genderless" discussed here can be classified in the current epoch of postmodernism. This current of time, which emerged around 1980, emerges from the modern era and differs from it by a plurality of styles and currents in areas of society, art, fashion and architecture. The postmodern character supports diversity in the social system and analyzes and deconstructs existing norms and values and puts them together in a novel and individual way.84 A postmodern example in which the two-gender model is broken up and reinterpreted is the metrosexual man, who orients himself on female influences and reinvents himself for his male gender.
The term "metrosexuality" describes a new type of man who, according to the post "Beckham's Style Kicks! The Metrosexual Body Images of the Youth Idols" by author Birgit Richard in the work "Cool Hunters" in 2004. The male target group of 20 - 40 years is affected. According to the writer, this image of men reflects a combination of heterosexual and homosexual body ideals. For the implementation of this male ideal, she sees, among other things, the media as an important responsible factor, since especially through advertising campaigns for male care products, such as razors or men's underwear, the new man is advertised. The metrosexual man combines images of femininity and masculinity in the idealization of his body and thus the social construction of the two sexes is particularly clear. Nevertheless, this marketing measure appeals not only to the homosexual, but also to the heterosexual man.85 A leading figure of this new type of man is the British footballer David Beckham. Through his work in the male-dominated football sport, his heterosexuality and his role as a father and husband, he also serves as an identification figure for the heterosexual. He is characterized as "metrosexual" by his painted nails, frequently changing hairstyles or stud earrings made of diamonds.86
Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten
Figure 1: David Beckham, Gillette Advertising campaign, 2004 (Photo: Gillette)
However, the co-opting of female characteristics takes place in combination with the typical masculine. Beckham, who, among other things, worked for a razor of the company Gillette advertises (see Figure 1), demonstrates a flawless, hairless body. Nevertheless, he is emphatically masculine through his muscles, which supports the eroticism of the man.87 The trend of metrosexuality thus unites the characteristics of postmodernism by deconstructing typical male and female gender identities and allowing different male ideals through renewed construction under combination of both extremes and placing its diversity in the foreground. Free action detached from the rules of society and the transgression of gender norms is a fundamental principle of the "genderless" trend, which puts gender in the background.
3.1.3 The megatrend "Gender Shift"
The megatrend "Gender Shift" discussed here is based on the trend study of the same name "Gender Shift", which was published by the Zukunftsinstitut in 2015. According to the Zukunftsinstitut, a megatrend is determined by a half-life, which must be at least in a period of 25 – 30 years.88
This study addresses a change in our hitherto strongly male-dominated social structure, in which an integration of femininity will increasingly take place, creating a kind of androgyny in society, which gives the individual more and more freedom to live out his own personality regardless of the traditional role of the male or female sex.89 This change is particularly expressed in the fashion and lifestyle industry, which is explained further in the following work using individual examples. This development is preceded by the megatrend "Female Shift", which has documented the emancipation of women worldwide. Detached from her old role model, the new woman thus paves the way for the subsequent megatrend "Gender Shift", which examines not only the woman, but also the liberation of the man from the constraints of his attached function in the social system.90 Ultimately, the new development affects all people, regardless of female or male gender or sexual orientation, such as heterosexual, homosexual or transsexual. The Zukunftsinstitut predicts that "gender shift" will prevail on a political, cultural and economic level in the long term.91 The focus is on gender identity, which will increasingly shift and individualize.92
Furthermore, the trend movement is influenced by the following focal points: "Sex Design, Emannzipation, Ungendering Work, Sexuality of Things, Net Feminism and Global Shift". All these aspects deal with the receding position of gender. The isolated factors "sex design, emannzipation, sexuality of things and net feminism" represent a high relevance for the subsequent processing and are therefore now examined in more detail.
According to the author Anja Kirig, the first influencing factor "sex design" describes a picture of the future in which it is up to each individual to decide which gender they choose.93 Therefore, according to Kirig's theory, identity and gender are freely selectable and can always be reinterpreted in the future, whereby sexual identity loses importance. The identification with the man or woman can thus also change temporarily, whereby ultimately the boundaries between man and woman mix, but at the same time the bisexuality is preserved.94 Here a connection can be made to Judith Butler, who says that biological sex and gender identity act independently of each other.95 In Kirig's view, this process of deconstructing old gender images refers to our current, social situation, which, however, refers to the "re-traditionalization"96 those individuals for whom only the already existing two-gender order exists.97 The author understands the resistance to "sex design" as the desire for security, which is endangered by the abolition of gender norms.98
The "emanncipation", as the term anticipates, in this case does not specialize in the woman, but in the man. He gives up traditional values and frees himself from his attached stereotype in society. According to the "Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth", the new men stand for equal rights for men and women and plead for a diverse image of men.99
According to trend researcher Muntschick, the role of men is also in crisis, as women, highlighted by the megatrend "Female Shift", have invaded previously purely male areas, such as the world of work or typically male activities, and have appropriated them. Thus, the role model of the man can no longer be regarded as unique and no longer clearly distinguishes itself from the woman. The boundaries are clearly mixed here and especially the media try to counteract this by trying to create a new, trendy type of man at short intervals, such as the metrosexual man. The media staging places a multitude of expectations on the man in reality, who tries to meet the ever-changing ideals.100
The social scientist Stefan Hirschauer summarizes the exaggerated accumulation of demands on the man with the consequence of "growing classification problems"101 and ultimately "incorrect men and women"102 together. There is therefore the difficulty of clearly classifying women and men, as they are both supposed to correspond to a variety of characteristics. In the future, instead of the gender debate and the preservation of stereotypes, the individualization of people and the desired equality of men and women will come first.103
In the text "The Sexuality of Things – The Future of Marketing Beyond Gender Clichés", the author Muntschick has dealt with the restructuring of marketing, which once again supports the megatrend of the "Gender Shift". Gender marketing, which specifically produces products for men and women, will become less binding as gender roles fade.104
An example of stereotypical marketing is provided by the company Bold dar (see Figure 2), which advertises their pickled cucumbers once for the women as "Cucumber Madl" in the pink designed cucumber jar and for the man as "Cucumber Boy" in the blue cucumber jar with the difference of the "crunchy and strong" cucumbers for the man and the "crunchy & sweet" cucumbers for the woman. According to Muntschick, this method is increasingly moving away from the real world of consumers, since the colors, design and taste used in gender marketing are not due to genetic sex and also diverse lifestyles outside of the typical masculine and feminine are not included, which want to develop individually. Nowadays, the generality of the advertised products is no longer only relevant for men or women, as both parties move in the same areas of life and accordingly need the same utensils.105
[...]
1 cf. Huber (2015), p. 5.
2 Huber (2015), p. 4.
3 Huber (2015), p. 4.
4 Huber (2015), p. 5.
5 cf. Kelber / Kirig / Muntschick (2015a), p. 9.
6 Butler (1991), p. 22.
7 Butler (1991), p. 22.
8 cf. Butler (1991), p. 22.
9 cf. Butler (1991), p. 23.
10 cf. West / Zimmermann (1987), p. 126.
11 cf. Butler (1991), p. 24.
12 cf. Butler (1991), p. 24.
13 Beauvoir (1968), p. 265.
14 cf. Beauvoir (1968), p. 265.
15 cf. Beauvoir (1968), p. 48.
16 cf. Butler (1991), p. 26.
17 cf. Butler (1991), p. 49.
18 Haraway (1995), p. 33.
19 cf. Haraway (1995), p. 33.
20 cf. Haraway (1995), p. 34.
21 Haraway (1995), p. 35.
22 Haraway (1995), p. 35.
23 cf. Haraway (1995), p. 35.
24 cf. Haraway (1995), p. 51.
25 Mertlitsch (2016), p.143.
26 Mertlitsch (2016), 144.
27 cf. Haraway (1995), p. 60.
28 cf. Vinken (2014), p. 31.
29 Vinken (2014), p. 32.
30 cf. Vinken (2014), p. 32.
31 cf. Lehnert /Kühl / Weise (2014), p. 27f.
32 cf. Vinken (2014), p. 37.
33 cf. Vinken (2014), p. 41.
34 cf. Vinken (2014), p. 158.
35 Vinken (2014), p. 168
36 cf. Vinken (2014), p. 168.
37 Vinken (2014), p. 169.
38 cf. Vinken (2014), p. 169.
39 Lehnert (1997), p. 9.
40 Lehnert (1997), p. 9.
41 cf. Lehnert (1997), p. 9.
42 cf. Lehnert (1997), p. 10.
43 cf. Lehnert (1997), p. 11.
44 cf. Lehnert (1997), p. 13.
45 cf. Lehnert (1997), p. 26.
46 cf. Lehnert (1997), p. 27.
47 cf. Lehnert (1997), p. 36.
48 Lehnert / Weilandt (2016), p. 7.
49 cf. Lehnert / Weilandt (2016), p. 7.
50 Lehnert (2016), p. 21.
51 Lehnert (2016), p. 21.
52 cf. Lehnert (2016), p. 21.
53 cf. Engel (2009), p. 19.
54 cf. Lehnert / Weilandt (2016), p. 9.
55 Lehnert (2016), p. 22
56 cf. Lehnert (2016), p. 22
57 Bradotti (2014), p. 8.
58 cf. Bradotti (2014), p. 8.
59 cf. Bradotti (2014), p. 9.
60 cf. Lehnert (2016), p. 23.
61 Haraway (1995), p. 33.
62 cf. Haraway (1995), p. 33.
63 cf. Weilandt (2016), p. 45
64 cf. Lehnert (2013), p. 15.
65 cf. Weltzien (2016), p. 129.
66 cf. Weltzien (2016), p. 130.
67 cf. Weltzien (2016), p. 131.
68 Bullough (1993), p. 245.
69 cf. Scholz (2016), p. 165.
70 cf. Sommerhoff (1995), p. 29 f.
17 cf. Sommerhoff (1995), p. 34 f.
72 cf. Sommerhoff (1995), p. 38.
73 cf. Sommerhoff (1995), p. 43 f.
74 bpb: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (BpB) (2016a):
75 Cf. bpb: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (BpB) (2016a):
76 cf. Vetter (2007), p. 307.
77 Vetter (2007), p. 266.
78 Vetter (2007), p. 266.
79 Vetter (2007), p. 266.
80 cf. Vetter (2007), p. 265f.
81 cf. Bubrowski (2013).
82 bpb: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (BpB) (2016a):
83 Cf. bpb: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (BpB) (2016a):
84 cf. Loschek (2007a), p. 223.
85 See Richard (2004), p.245.
86 See Richard (2004), p.247.
87 Cf. Richard (2004), p.248 f.
88 cf. Zukunftsinstitut (2015).
89 cf. Huber (2015), p. 5.
90 cf. Kelber / Kirig / Muntschick (2015a), p. 7f.
91 cf. Kelber / Kirig / Muntschick (2015a), p. 9.
92 cf. Kelber / Kirig / Muntschick (2015a), p. 12f.
93 cf. Kirig (2015a), p. 18.
94 cf. Kirig (2015a), p. 31.
95 cf. Butler (1991), p. 23.
96 Kirig (2015a), p. 30.
97 cf. Kirig (2015a), p. 32.
98 cf. Kirig (2015a), p. 32.
99 cf. Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (2014), p. 62.
100 cf. Muntschick (2015a), p. 39ff.
101 Hirschauer (2013), p. 169.
102 Hirschauer (2013), p. 169.
103 cf. Muntschick (2015a), p. 43f.
104 cf. Muntschick (2015b), p. 70.
105 cf. Muntschick (2015b), p. 77f.
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