I find the fashion world to be amazing and beautiful, as well as infuriating, all at the same time which is why I was really struck by how Bornstein compared identity to fashion. It's something that people have always talked about, but have never really went deeper into the meaning of it. We express ourselves through what we wear and we put ourselves in fashion categories, such as "prep", "boho", "mod", and "classic", but I don't think we are ever really just one. Magazines have started clumping together categories for different fashion styles and trends such as "classic mod" or "boho chic". This really reminded me of what we have been talking about in class: that gender isn't just male or female and people don't fall neatly into those two categories. Bornstein says that her identity as a "transsexual lesbian whose female lover is becoming a man" is part of her fashion statement, which is a "collage". I think that everyone has an identity collage, mixed with different pieces of identity that represent a different part of the person....just like different pieces of clothing expressing the person as a whole. She does touch on that these "collages" do not fit the culture norm of the binary categories, so when these "collages" are made public, the binary becomes jarred.
I know that I am rambling right now, but I recently found out that the fashion world is shaking this binary. I am a very lucky person that I read this piece of the Bornstein article the day I found out about the Barneys New York Spring/Summer 2014 campaign. The campaign "Brother Sisters Sons & Daughters" features 17 transgender models from around the world. Not only will they be featured in photo shoots for the store, but they will also be filmed in mini-documentaries that tell the story of their transitioning and will be shown online and around the store. Barney's has also promised to donate 10% of its sales, in stores and online, to the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center today! (Awesome coincidence). According to NY Daily News, not only is Barney's contributing to the public awareness of equality issues but they are also following a trend that has been becoming more apparent in high fashion, and that is using androgynous and transgender models. Of course, Barney's and other companies that have been using transgender models have come under a lot of scrutiny because fashion tends to eroticize human bodies. But with the Barney's campaign, I don't think that this is the case. I looked at a bunch of the photographs and watched a couple of the videos (some posted below) and I didn't get that sense at all. Instead, I think that Barney's and Bruce Weber did an excellent job at showing how normal this group of people, who are mostly seen as "other" because they upset the binary, really are. But I still wonder if this campaign is going to make the impact it is meant too. Barney's isn't necessarily somewhere that a middle class person would shop so I'm wondering how many people will actually see this campaign. I also ask the question whether or not this campaign and the use of transgender models in high fashion advertising will eventually spread to other stores, such as American Eagle or H&M? That I am not sure of. There's major backlash surrounding the campaign because people feel it markets to teens and young adults that transgender is something to "strive for" and will become part of popular culture. I'm sure we all have some words for these people, but why is it a bad thing for transgender to become part of popular culture? It will of course upset the binary, but I think the world needs a little bit of a shake up. I highly recommend checking out the videos and photos from the campaign. Not only are they beautifully shot, but they carry a lot of impact.
Here are some links to the articles talking about the campaign:
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/barneys-features-transgender-models-article-1.1596741#commentpostform
Barneys New York: The Window Brother Sisters Sons Daughters Official Film with links to other videos of the models
"That's how I shift from one phase of my life to the next - first I try on the accessories." I really resonate with Bornstein on this statement. She doesn't define her "fashion" but just one article of clothing or one bracelet, but she collects them and tries them on as she goes through life. This I think is a very good mantra to live by. Her tanssexuality doesn't define her, but is a part of her identity as a person, her "fashion sense". The videos of the models portray this idea as well. I think that as a culture we need to start looking at people in this way and realize that the binary just isn't "in season" anymore.
Works Cited
Bornstein, Kate. Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. New York: Routledge, 1994.
Print.
n.a. "Barneys Campaign Highlights Trials of 17 Transgender Models." Daily News. New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
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