Fashion Trend or Social Change

Is An Entire Group of People Becoming a Fashion Trend or A Social Change ? 

#BlackLivesMatter has been trending on Twitter and the world, like never before. And this time it will just go stronger and stronger. 

But, do we really think that the issue ends here? As much as it is undoubtedly justifiable to trend just #BlackLivesMatter it is also undoubtedly justifiable to trend other matters like #TransLivesMatter #LGBTLivesMatter and many other matters, believe it or not they are interlocking, so yes they all have to be at the table. One injustice that is the core of all the other social injustices is the one between a Man and a Woman, By a fact of nature that one group of our society is disregarded, that says it all, once this inequality is eradicated, no other injustice will be justifiable. 

   Photo by Wilmer Martinez from Unsplah

A mirror of how in every walk of life, the minorities - the people of color, members of the LGBT community are made to stand out or rather forced to feel that they are not like the others, that they in some way lack something and are a little less important part of the society. 

A crucial point here however is that you can only make a difference if you yourself are sensitive towards the root cause of injustice.

well here a thought, how do you want your voice to matter when you also appear as one that might suppress another one voice? And with that say, no one is implying that one life matter more than the other..

But If we really want to make a real change, all issues have to be addressed at the same time.

Like Bishop William J. Barber II put it very well on the Oprah Own spotlight

“We are bringing White and Black and brown and Straight and Trans people together to agree that there are some fundamental wrongs we all have to address – racism in all of its forms. Systemic poverty in all of its form, ecological devastation in all of its forms, the war economy in all of its forms, and this false moral narrative of white evangelicalism. And you can’t be at the table - White, Black, or otherwise – unless you ‘re willing to address all five of them. You’ve got to understand they are interlocking, and just – and we start with racism. I am glad to see a diversity on the street, but I also want to see this moral fusion when we take on all five of this interlocking injustice together. There have always been these moral coalitions, and it’s the only way history changes.it is going to take a moral movement to do that”

Discrimination from within or outside has been happening for years in almost all walks of life. 

However, this entire group of people, called the minorities, have worked hard to find their way, find space for themselves, and feature in the mainstream world.

Photo by Rainier Ridao from Unsplash 

Their struggle in the fashion world has been notable as well.

But somewhere the fashion world is still failing them.

We are not denying the fact that the fashion industry has been instrumental in reshaping their reality and helping them have a chance in the real world to some extent.

But is that enough? The question is, has the fashion world done enough? We feel that it could use this crucial time to be remembered in the history book as the leader of all the voices!

The fashion industry has been supportive of trans people and other minorities group like no other industry. 

But, is it justifiable to reduce the identity of a group of people to a trend or leverage their identity for personal ratings? 

Publications of the likes of Vogue and The New York Times, and a few other major design houses such as Gucci and Marc Jacobs, have boldly recognized minorities group’s talents over the years.

For example, models of trans experience have taken some nice assignments and made a mark as well.

But the point is that somehow fashion has made “trans” a trend.

The industry has somehow failed to celebrate the existence of trans people or support transness or reinforce the positive sides of some transgender’s lives because not all of them are about controversy or celebrity status, some are just private citizens contributing to their communities.

The shows and modeling assignments have been a result of being singled out (A lighter black skin color as against dark black skin color, one that is acceptable by social media approval rather than one that keeps the tone down). And this is something that needs to be addressed.

We feel that the fashion world has never given the trans members a chance to tell their own story. They have more or less been a supporting character, not the protagonist.

Fashion as a Way to Empower

“I don't have the privilege of diminishing the importance of style. My reality drastically shifts if I go outside wearing a dress versus going outside and wearing pants," says Alok Vaid Menon, an Indian-American writer, and trans model.

We have seen how trans and other people of color have had to face tokenization in the fashion industry.

However, there is a life beyond ramp and it’s nice to see that fashion has been the opposite for these groups off-stage.

Style and fashion are the lenses through which a lot of us can discover our identity.

Clothes and style have an important role in demarcating gender identities.

And, in some countries of South Asia, especially India, the third gender’s seemingly benign tryst with fashion calls for deeper scrutiny about what impact the industry can have on their quest for inclusivity.

Members of the trans community in India choose their clothing choices as a weapon to embrace their womanhood and declare it out loud. 

Their fashion choices are a part of their identity. 

Their clothing choices are a strong expression of their identity, inclusivity because unlike many of us, it pervades their everyday lives. 

Growing up with all the stereotypes and social stigma, fashion is their escape from the society that refuses to accept them as women (or men!).

“While people aren’t quite aware of all the challenges facing transgender, by accepting me, fashion is putting a spotlight on our collective struggle for equality. It’s this journey that will inspire others like me to make choices to love and live with dignity,” says Anjali Lama, India’s first transgender model.

Clothing for the trans community in India is more than a fashion statement.

On the surface, their bright, sparkling, dazzling clothing signifies their joy for life and their never-say-die spirit. Yes, they will never be erased.

But more than this, their fashion choices are a tool they use to find a spot for themselves in society. And, it is a part of their everyday life, not restricted to the fancy spotlights.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Minorities and members of the LGBTQ community have not just faced discrimination in their personal lives, but in their professional lives as well.

It’s not uncommon to see models of color or even fashion designers coming from minorities face discrimination at their workplace or getting sufficient support in the beginning of their quest for freedom or professional accomplishment.

Both the personal, as well as the professional scenario, has not been very promising for them, but we have reasons to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

A very recent development in this direction has been the US Supreme Court (on June 15, 2020) in a 6-3 decision saying that the federal law, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, should be understood to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

The decision is a major win for LGBT workers and their allies.

And it comes even though the court has become more conservative.

“Today's Supreme Court ruling brought me to tears. As a financial adviser working with clients all around the country for over 30 years, I've heard countless stories of people who have lost their jobs simply for being gay. It's angered and saddened me for so long.” - says Sean K Heslin, a financial adviser from the States.

Something that we should not forget is that your son, your daughter, your grandson or granddaughter, and the generation to come might be affected by the decisions you make and the kind of society you choose to be okay with.

As you encroach upon someone’s freedom because of your personal beliefs you might actually be laying the groundwork for your coming generations to be unhappy and discriminated against. If in your opinion, it’s okay to discriminate against any group of the LGBT community, you never know maybe your son comes out tomorrow and gets discriminated against. 

So, yes, we have reasons to believe that one day we may be living in an all-equal world. It is a dream but yet it is a dream that keeps a lot of people going.

One fine day, TRANSGENDER fashion designers may not have to face discrimination and one fine day, we may even have transgender models and other models of color walking the ramp freely, just like the others, not for tokenization or trend movement, but just like the norms.

One fine day fashion designers, models and all the other professionals across the world would be celebrated irrespective of what color they are, and what their sexual orientation or identity is.

Till then, it’s a long way to go. Keep your spirits high and don’t forget that the world is a cruel place, but we must do our part and be kind to each other!

For more reading check this article from the Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/16/i-was-first-black-model-cover-vogue-fashion-industry-still-isnt-fixing-its-racism/

You can explore our different creations here