Between transgression and tokenism: The simultaneous inclusion and exclusion of trans and gender non-conforming bodies in fashion

Abstract

The fashion industry materially and symbolically contributes to our understandings of the gender binary. Its configuration of what constitutes crossing gender boundaries has also shifted through the years, including proposals of androgyny, unisex and gender-neutral collections. More recently, some of these concepts have been repackaged under the language of gender identity, as brands realize that younger customers are more likely than ever to fall under the gender non-conforming umbrella. Conflating an aesthetic preference for ‘gender fluidity’ with the language of gender identity can seem like a form of commodification when examining the barriers encountered by trans and non-binary individuals who work in the fashion industry. While the discourse of diversity is on the rise, some of the LGBTIQ inclusion in the industry stops at a tokenistic image level that does not destabilize the problematic structures beneath. Nevertheless, some designers do centre LGBTIQ inclusion and gender fluidity in their practice; but without a careful examination of privilege and access to resources, they can still reproduce exclusive and exploitative practices ingrained in the industry. This article will explore the above issues through a discursive analytical approach of online articles of the magazines Dazed and i-D, published between 2015 and 2020.