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Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Opinion: What's the big deal with gendered clothes?

Sonya Bateson
By Sonya Bateson
Regional content leader, Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post·Bay of Plenty Times·
27 Jun, 2018 03:00 AM2 mins to read

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Richard Madden rocks a kilt. Photo / Twitter

Richard Madden rocks a kilt. Photo / Twitter

If you're a Game of Thrones fan, chances are you were oohing and aahing over photos of Kit Harington (Jon Snow) and Rose Leslie (Ygritte) getting married on the weekend.

What a beautiful occasion it looked to be! And it was cool seeing all the show's biggest stars joining the happy couple on their big day.

But the highlight for myself and many other Richard Madden (aka Robb Stark) admirers was seeing the gorgeous man looking absolutely ravishing in traditional Scottish dress accessorised with aviator sunnies.

The fact he was wearing what many would term a skirt did not detract for one minute from his instant sex appeal - in fact, his cool confidence only enhanced it.

Swoon.

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Richard Madden rocks a kilt. Photo / Twitter
Richard Madden rocks a kilt. Photo / Twitter

Male and female clothing has evolved drastically throughout time - there have been eras when both genders wore the same styles, and other periods when male and female clothing was strictly divided along gender lines.

For example, in the Middle Ages, men and women wore very similar clothes - long tunics covering stockings or leggings, all the easier to relieve oneself in public while preserving a modicum of modesty.

Gross, but practical.

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Ancient Egyptians of both genders wore knee-length tunics or skirts. Roman men and women wore togas. Scottish men wore kilts. Māori wore piupiu.

Renaissance men wore high heels to elevate them out of the dirty streets and give themselves imposing height. They were modelled on horseback soldiers' footwear from Persia.

It's all down to practicality, availability and fashion.

Given fashion's ever-evolving standards, why is there such a wave of concern about the effects of gendered clothing on young people?

The world won't end if an all-girls school allows its female students to wear trousers, or if a boy decides he'd like to wear a tutu to kindergarten.

Trousers are practical and warm attire, and dresses are comfortable and unrestricting.

They're just bits of fabric designed to cover your body.

It seems quite ridiculous to me that anyone thinks a piece of clothing will somehow change someone's personality, sexuality, mental state or whatever.

The world didn't crash and burn when women stole high heels from men.

Although, we did make them more fabulous.

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