One of the most talked about ad campaigns this year was when Raf Simons decided to put the entire Kardashian clan in his campaign for Calvin Klein which was meant to emphasize the brand’s inspiration of “Americana”. Seeing that Simons is a designer who has constantly been outspoken about how he enjoys that people see his brand as “genderless”, I think it’s very interesting that he chose to cast a group of girls (celebrities) who are basically seen to represent every ideal of femininity but I think his decision was backed by the fact that he sees these women as individuals who have transcended both societal and gender norms of success. In Chapter Six of Fashion and Cultural Studies, Kaiser states that “it is important to remember, however, that gender is socially constructed in concert with other subject positions embedded in cultural discourses of race, ethnicity, national identity, class, sexuality, etc” which is exactly how I think Simons wants to challenge us as viewers to rethink what gender positions really are. A girl wearing traditionally male clothing or vice versa is typically seen as being revolutionary by breaking gender boundaries, but at the same time the Kardashians have made a major business and name for themselves in traditionally male dominated industries like technology with the success of their multiple apps, the beauty industry, and the entertainment industry. In a society where many men are still dictating how women should dress and act, the Kardashians have fully embraced themselves for who they are both as individuals and as women.
