Gilbert Puga Feb. 12, 2015

Bridging the Sun and Moon: Androgyny in Fashion and Culture

“Androgyny is not trying to manage the relationship between the opposites; it is simply

flowing between them." (Singer). It is Plato who introduces us to the term androgyny—from the

ancient greek andros (male) and gyne (female), roughly meaning the unity of the two (17). Ever

since we first began to walk on hind legs, we've been very much aware of the gender binary of

male and female. The broad V-shaped torso of a man, the varied hourglass figure of a woman...

these have been inherent physical traits of our species for eons. Throughout our evolution, the

roles designated to each gender based on biological or social needs, have scarcely been

questioned and only in recent times have we considered the possibility of embodying

characteristics of both genders. Not in the form of hermaphroditism, crisis of identity, or what

mental health professionals sometimes call gender dysphoria, but embodiment of an integrated

self—of wholeness. In the realm of fashion, there has always been edgy new ideas and designs

that blur the line between stereotypically male or female attire and attitudes. An analysis of two

advertisements for Marc Jacobs will serve as basic superficial examples in the efforts to

overcome sex-role stereotyping. We can see it as an aspect of fashion—and culture—not to be

feared, but welcomed. It is my assertion that adopting an accepting attitude towards gender-

fluidity to some degree will result in bridging the gap between what we once believed to be the

unrelatable—and forever separate—gender roles, and into homogenized selves allowing us to be

more than what primitive instincts and social norms demand of us.

In the first ad for Marc Jacobs (fig. 1A), we see a young Asian woman with a bit of a

tomboyish attitude and hang in her posture in order to give an accent to the shaggy, unkempt

black hair at clavicle-length towards the back, with a generous taper along the upper cheekbone

into horizontally cropped bangs, concealing the eyebrows. A style in which, of course, is also

popular amongst males in the extreme sports scene (i.e. skateboarding, snowboarding, etc) or

who adopt the “beach bum” look that is often seen in coastal regions. We also see there is very

little if any make-up present. There is no rouge, eyeliner, or eyeshadow which usually provides

that familiar aspect of feminine mystique; nor from what can be observed, any lip gloss or lip

stick that is so characteristic in titillating glam shots and cosmetic advertisements for women.

She dons a hunter green (almost a militaristic camouflage hue) tank-top and zip-up hooded

sweater—generous in their fit, with the hooded sweater nearly hanging off her shoulders. The

slackness is not typical of sweaters for women which we often see to be fitted and to some

degree, form-flattering. The background is a dull grey, devoid of all that is bold, beautiful, and

stereotypically feminine in color. If it were not for the full body shot in fig. 1B, the presence of

the grey wall lends to the imagination that one could see her leaning against a concrete wall,

holding a longboard, and wearing the latest in unisex sneakers. In fig. 1B, we see her full body

in a mirrored image of fig. 1A, but we now see that she has a handbag, and a pair of avant-garde

wide-legged trousers with simple sandals. The feminine mark is now revealed through the white

leather handbag and trousers and the interplay of the masculine and feminine aspects are now

apparent upon revealing what we weren't sure of before.

In fig. 1A/1B, we see a very androgynous portrait where nothing feels amiss. The

particular cut of hair gives a shade to the face—eyes in particular—along with her nonchalant

gaze which seem to speak “I am concealed, cool, and mysterious.” presented in a masculine way.

It is not that the style of hair is by any means owned by one of the sexes, but the way it is worn

and those donning it, tend to carry with it a disposition that is typically masculine in nature, but

we see a female wielding it with ease. There is vast personality in the eyebrows, and to the

perceptive enough observer, we can see how a feminine cut of eyebrows differentiates from

masculine ones. With them concealed, there is no chance for such differentiation adding more to

the androgynous effect. Within this advertisement is a challenge to the distinctions of male and

female by synergistically including and integrating both influences on this one body. She holds

herself comfortably with a hand in pocket. She doesn't lose a sense of attractiveness for putting

forth a masculine attitude or a face absent of make-up. There is only a shift in the dynamic of

appearances, which can be interchanged at will. The implications of a female adopting her

animus (psychoanalytic term used to describe a woman's masculine qualities), are far-reaching.

With the advent of the feminist movement and push for equality in the face of patriarchical

society/power structures, integration of the assertiveness we usually associate with men, is

possible for women and even socially acceptable. It began with an attitude, a shift in the psyche

that women could indeed do what men could or even if it were just something as simple and

mundane as dressing in a different way, may very well add the strong-willed, self-assured

qualities modern woman finds herself in need of in this new world challenging traditional gender

modalities. Dr. June Singer admonishes the woman needing to work out a “conjunction of

opposites in her own nature.” (103), where throughout the past, women have been reared to

believe that in order to be a proper female, one must be of a gentle and sensitive demeanor. Yet,

in realizing the androgynous essence of the psyche, a woman can accept the opposite within her

without torturing herself to be one or the other, but simply be who she is in her totality (104).

In this second Marc Jacobs advertisement we see a young man—likely in his late teens or

early twenties—in two very distinct poses and two distinct emotive energies along with them.

Coincidentally, his hair is similar in cut, length, and color of the young woman's in the first ad—

with the exception of being wet or damp here. The young man is slender in build, with not even

a hint of facial or arm hair, which we would likely see in other advertisements showcasing a

more masculine presence. The background is an alpine white, giving a stark contrast for the bold

black typeface of the branding and the floral color palette featured on the young man's T-shirt.

The shirt is a vivid design featuring a picturesque scene of a seafoam green ocean and rocky

crags, highlighted by light persian pink tones within the clouds. The upper portion is filled with

violet, azure and royal blues, and dark peach striations throughout the sky—indicative of a

sunset. Now we can see the correlation between the damp hair/wet face and the scene within the

shirt. In fig. 2A, it is clear there is a look of distress, with a posture and hand gestures to confirm

it. It's as if he were hit with an unwarranted barrage of water balloons, but in fig. 2B, the

distressed element is transmuted into a joie de vivre. This suggests that to make the best of an

initially unpleasant situation, he recognizes an opportunity to find the humor in it and lift one's

chin up above the circumstances and express it wholeheartedly.

The elements from the young man's posture and affect is very expressive and emotionally

charged. Often it has been said that a woman's nature is characterized by high emotionality and

more dynamic expression of internal states. Whereas the maxim of several millenia's worth of

stereotypical tough-guys, would be to shrug it off or enter a hyper-aggressive state to prove they

were unfazed. These subtler emotive responses seen here, have generally been reserved for

women. Especially the vulnerable look of distress or presence of unrestrained gaiety, which are

often looked down upon amongst the more testosterone dominant as a sign of softness,

weakness, or “spasm of hyper-femininity” (Showalter 287). Though we do know that this

expressive quality can be a great strength, as we are not in the jungles or wild plains anymore

requiring domineering, overtly aggressive behavior and mannerisms. In this advertisement we

see an effeminate expressiveness that is ultimately appropriate and useful, being in a society

where the growing complexity of relationships are emphasized and more dynamic are our needs

which will require a new male. June Singer mentions a compulsion of men who expect

femininity to come from women alone—to project that need onto them whilst denying the

possibility that he himself can embody tenderness and instead have a woman live that tenderness

for him (103). There is a call to connect with the contrasexual-other in a man's psyche beyond

his usual projection onto women and beyond restrictive biological imperatives males tend to hide

behind. This young man is doing just that and with this freedom of expression, comes a

liberation from traditional gender-roles for both men and women.

For 30 years Marc Jacobs and his team have been at the forefront of fashion and design,

not just through what innovative trends can be set when it comes to one's wardrobe, but

challenging norms and showcasing the art of being human in all our multifaceted forms. These

advertisements are just glimpses of our continuous quest to evolve and become more complete

through our nuanced relationships with each other and ourselves. A man can have an effeminate

grace about him, and a woman can have a tough-as-nails attitude; the rules are not set. The only

limitations are the ones we impose upon ourselves. As June Singer elaborates, the androgynous

individual has a secret knowledge that comes from the inner oscilation between masculine and

feminine flows of energy within his/her self. In this space we can hear the music of their

interplay, which is only heard in silence, whilst the noise of the world is stilled for a time and the

reflecting surface faces inward—thus a greater union is achieved (233).

I chose the part by part structure because I am working with multiple sources within the

analysis and separation between them gives me ample opportunity to introduce and analyze each

text in isolation. I also feel this structure gave me breathing room and ability to provide a more

balanced effort in terms of elaborating on the content than I would just haphazardly drawing

examples from the sources in the thematic structure. Since I was working with primarily visual

sources, it was definitely necessary to give each their own focus of attention and after the web of

detail was presented, it was only a matter of collecting and integrating the content and

elaborating on its relevance.

Figure 1A

Figure 1B

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Works Cited

Gilman, Sander L., Helen King, Roy Porter, G. S. Rousseau, and Elaine Showalter

Hysteria Beyond Freud. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.

<http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft0p3003d3/> Web. 10 Feb. 2015

Marc Jacobs. Advertisement. Harper's Bazaar. Feb. 2015. 42-43. Print

Marc Jacobs. Advertisement. Nylon Guys. Mar. 2015. 1. Print.

Plato. Symposium. Global Grey. 2013. <http://www.globalgrey.co.uk> Web. 10 Feb.

2015

Singer, June. Androgyny: The Opposites Within. York Beach, Maine. Nicolas Hays.

2000. Print.

Singer, June. Quotes. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/june_singer.html>

Web. 10 Feb. 2015.