In modern culture, the common portrayal of a person is hegemonic. White, straight, tall, thin, cisgendered people saturate our media. Fashion holds the key to changing this hegemonic image; what is presented in fashion has the ability to shift cultural views. In 2018, we have reached a point where womenswear is beginning to diversify. It’s becoming more common to see women of different ethnic, cultural, and physical backgrounds. Menswear, on the other hand, seems to have a stagnant representation of “slim men in their early twenties with 6 pack abs,” (Kaiser, 143).

Though it is hard to make a departure from this view of hegemonic masculinity, some brands in fashion are beginning to change their perspective on menswear and masculinity in general. The above advertisement is from Eckhaus Latta’s PreFall 2017 collection, and it features a male model wearing a skirt from the collection. Released in May 2017, the brand does a successful job of subverting the rigid idea that menswear is all suits and ties. By questioning the very idea of what menswear is, Eckhaus Latta was able to open the door for a new kind of man.

Although they were able to give a new viewpoint for menswear, the advertisement does not completely subvert hegemonic masculinity. Kaiser writes that “navigating masculinities can be described as a process of negotiating the boundaries between what is ‘safe’ and what is ‘dangerous’,” (Kaiser, 145.) If Eckhaus Latta’s PreFall 17 ad campaign were to be placed on a spectrum from safe to dangerous, I would say the ad plays it very safe. All of the models in the ad are white, young and skinny. Though they highlight a male figure in womenswear, the brand didn’t stretch their image to be more inclusive. And even their twist on masculine standards wasn’t an extreme push on gender norms; it was a simple statement.

I overall enjoy the ad and the image they present, though I do think a more diverse cast in race, size, and gender. As the brand has grown, they have began to push their image, which I appreciate.

Bibliography:

“Eckhaus Latta Pre-Fall 2017.” Vogue. May 04, 2017. https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/eckhaus-latta-pre-fall-2017.

Kaiser, Susan B. Fashion and Cultural Studies. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2012.