Queer On Trend
“I’m so into voguing right now”, exclaimed Vanessa Hudgens at the Premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3. Who knew this moment, universally lambasted and propelled to meme status, was heralding a novel era of queer proliferation in mainstream culture? That, unconsciously, Vanessa acted as a representative and pioneer of novel heterosexual interest in queer territories.
Jewelry: Model’s Own & Cartier
Although the popularity of shows like Drag Race and Pose signal acceptance of queer culture, the adoption of queer aesthetics has been most noticeable in the way we dress. From collections by Jonathan Anderson at Loewe (with Divine) and his eponymous label (with Tom of Finland) to heterosexual TikTok boys crossdressing in Amazon-bought maid outfits, the message is clear; queer aesthetics are in. Style and the LGBTQ community are inextricably linked; many of the most celebrated past and present creators are within our ranks. Now, more than ever before, representation exists simultaneously behind the sketch pad and on the bodies of the trend-conscious. We’ve seen the adoption of queer aesthetics before - with Madonna being the first straight girl to be “so into voguing” back in 1990. The 90s proceeded to be one of the queer communities most tumultuous but progress-focused decades, with many hard-won battles driving decriminalisation and equal rights. Is the proliferation of the queer aesthetic a signal of acceptance by a generation where most don’t identify as straight, or a fad coming back to revisit the trend cycle after 30 years?
Top: Louis Gabriel Nouchi, Jewely: Model’s Own
Arguably our most recognisable symbol - the rainbow flag, is no longer relevant. The tidal wave of rainbow logos on Linkedin and financial pride floats setting sail during June would be aspirational even a decade ago. Yet, many now identify it as rainbow washing. Indeed, pride merch has been ridiculed on social media in recent years, most evidently with the global roast of Target’s rainbow capitalism. If we look at the product life cycle, the rainbow seems to be at peak maturity and is shifting towards decline. The audience has changed, but the rainbow is not yet (nor may ever be) wholly obsolete. The initial phase of growth was foreshadowed by the departing collection of Christopher Bailey at Burberry. Bailey’s fall 2018 collection was inundated with the symbol and closed by a rainbow cape worn by (queer icon of the time) Cara Delevigne. The collection received a standing ovation and was accompanied by donations to the Albert Kennedy Trust, the Trevor Project and ILGA on the night. Around the same time, online retailers like Asos and Boohoo were inundated with rainbow logomania and slogan tees drawing from the collection and in partnership with charities (e.g. Asos X GLAAD). As quickly as the rainbow filtered down into fast fashion, it inevitably trickled down the trend cycle into decline. Just three years later, the decline was overtly evident in a viral TikTok by Giulia Beaudoin, who asked why a photo of her with green hair and black converse was “so much more gay” than another in rainbow merch. The rainbow was one of our primary identifiers (first being shown in 1978 at the gay freedom pride parade) but has been so oversaturated by consumption that we no longer believe in it.
Bodysuit: Leak NYC, Trousers: Model’s Own
As pointed to by Giulia, there’s been a return to the times before 1978 - queer signalling via specific items of clothing or interests. This time, the queer aesthetic avoids clear trends by subverting predecessors shunned by the general public. Birkenstocks, a canvas tote and coloured hair, are the modern replacement for the trouser/workwear-clad lesbian pioneers of the 20s-60s. The workwear trend itself was (arguably) pushed by the lesbians of the 2010s (via Carhartt) into hype status during the 2020s. Novel methods of communication accompany these choices. Asking someone if they listen to “girl in red” (or, more currently, Muna) has become the digital carabiner to identify women who are into women. It feels like a return to the question: “Are you a friend of Dorothy?”. For gay men, there has been an emergence of clothing referencing sports gear (ironically, one of the most anti-gay industries) through a glamorised lens. There are similarities with NYC ball culture, where participants donned costumes of an outside world they didn’t belong in to “feel the fantasy”. Examples include wrestling singlets in bright hues at Patrick Church for the Instagram mafia and boxing shorts at Louis Gabriel Nouchi for the Parisien cool kids. These are an evolution from the jockstrap - no longer subtle and hidden but plainly on display and proud. Our jockstraps themselves have been supplanted by directly femme takes on men’s lingerie by brands like LeakYourSexTape and Exterface. Hanky code is no longer limited to your back pocket; it is embodied in your day-to-day stylistic choices. As the queer rules for dressing yourself evolve, the heterosexual trends follow behind them. Men in gowns, once reserved for drag and ballroom culture, are now covering Vogue. Billy Porter rightfully questioned why a cis-gendered male was the first to front the magazine solo and in his signature non-binary style to boot. Shawn Mendes dons a pearl necklace at the American Music Awards, while Maneskin frontman David Damiano performs at Eurovision in heavy eyeliner, heels and shoulder-duster earrings. Men like these are becoming heterosexual sex symbols specifically for blurring the performance of gender, as queer people have for decades. We are yet to know whether this blur is a trend rehash of 70s David Bowie, Prince and glam rock or truly a shift signalling the future of gender expression. Are we moving forward as a society or bringing back sartorial symbols of homosexuality like y2k butterflies? Both are true. Brands and individual people are noticing the power of the queer community and utilising it to their advantage - queerbaiting to capture our attention without sincerity. Straight men on TikTok are faking gay to gain followers, while Marks & Spencer release a UK Pride focused “LGBT sandwich” (the retailer donated a “whopping” £10,000 and $1,000 to mark the occasion, deciding not to share in sales profit). Neither of these would be possible without the acceptance of gay people being at an all-time high in the west. It is impossible not to recognise that the adoption of queer aesthetics and identifiers creates safer spaces for queer people to explore and present themselves. Whereas Elton John hid his homosexuality for fear of public condemnation, Lil Nas X tops the charts via a stripper pole.
However, the fight for equality has not come to its trend-cycle peak at full acceptance. The 2019 Met Gala was formed from Susan Sontag’s notes on Camp as “a private code, a badge of identity even, among small urban cliques” - completely disregarding its Black queer identity. A slew of celebrities visually referenced Sontag’s quote that “camp is a woman walking around in a dress made of three million feathers” (including Anna Wintour herself) rather than pointing to its true origins as did Lena Waithe. It is evident that as some aspects of LGBTQ lifestyles become widely accepted in certain countries, others are shunned and villainised while countries move backwards. We can see this on our front doors - while LGBTQ disposable income makes up more than 14% of the US economy, 29% of transgender people live in poverty. “Camp” is picked as the theme of the Met Gala, while figures show that 41% of black trans people have experienced homelessness at some point. The serving UK Prime Minister once referred to gay men as “tank-topped bum boys” whilst mocking a recently outed colleague. The same country has seen a doubling in LGBTQ hate crimes in recent years. Further abroad, 2/3rds of Russians believe an organised group of people is working to subvert its traditional values using “gay propaganda”. As for Asia, while South Korean pop-star G-Dragon dons Chanel at Paris Fashion week, China is banning effeminate men from TV to protect traditionally masculine values. Almost exactly a year before the Pulse nightclub shooting, Miz Cracker of Drag Race fame reported on the inundation of straight girls flooding NYC drag bars - likely because they’re viewed as more “fun” and “safe”. Although our words of affirmation and visual identities have become sparkly greeting cards telling Bernice in accounting with the rainbow lanyard to “slay” at her new workplace, we still have a long way to go.
Bodysuit: Patrick Church, Shoes: Converse, Mask: Model’s Own
The reality may be that looking at queerness as a singular point in the cultural, social, and fashion trend cycle is wrong. Queer culture proliferates so many different avenues of life and continues to grow and adapt to that which defines it. As the communities around us accept cis-gendered gay and lesbian people and drive their fashions to a “peak”, LGBTQ people are moving onto a new frontier. A survey in California revealed 71% of queer teens identify with a non-binary label. The move towards accepting fluid gender expression went from marginalised communities to reality faster than other queer rights. The US issued their first passport with an “X” gender marker in 2021 - 7 years after the creation of the non-binary flag. There were ~37 years between the design of the rainbow flag and marriage equality in the west). The benefit of queerness as a trend is that as the cycles become shorter, the battles for our rights may shrink alongside them. The global appetite for the next big thing in fashion may be replicated in societal change. We can find solace in the fact that the adoption of queer culture as a trend is driven by broader acceptance and the community’s comfort to share who they are with the world. The blossoming interest in the queer community may pluck the most palatable elements of our experience, but it will also plant a seed of acceptance inside the minds of future generations. The hope is that this seed grows from a trend into a tradition, moving the queer community forward in step as it blossoms.
Author, Stylist and Model: Alek Gilbert
Photography, Creative Direction and Retouching: Nik Pate
Makeup: Georgia Hope