Harry Styles in a Dress and the Gender Binary

By: Emma Ramon

Harry Styles recently made history by becoming the first man to be on the cover of Vogue USA alone. Even more groundbreaking, he did so in a ballgown. Many applauded Styles for his stylish defiance of societal norms, but conservative author Candace Owens had a different reaction. Owens took to social media and voiced her opinion on the matter, asking people to: “Bring back manly men.” 

To fully digest Owens’ opinion, it’s important to first understand the gender binary and its history in the United States. Merriam-Webster defines binary as “two groups or classes that are considered diametrically opposite.” Thus, the gender binary implies that there are only two genders that are diametrically opposite. However, this is not the case; the LGBTQ+ community has been fighting for people to understand that there is a wide spectrum of gender identities, and nothing is truly black and white. Although many refuse to believe in the existence of more than two genders, nonbinary folks have been finding success in a variety of industries. Famous actress Cara Delevingne came out as genderfluid in 2018, Mauree Turner was elected to Oklahoma’s state legislature in early November, becoming the first out nonbinary state lawmaker in the country. 

Still, the conversation around gender has proved a very controversial one over the years. The United States has upheld the gender binary and has promoted very traditional views on manhood and womanhood for most of its history. Men have been defined by their masculinity and their displays of dominance, while women have been defined by their submission and their ability to live a domestic life. Obviously, I can’t encapsulate the entirety of the gender binary’s complex history in one paragraph and I urge you to educate yourself more on the topic, but it’s now time to analyze Owens’ response.

For context, the full tweet:

“There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. 

It is an outright attack. 

Bring back manly men.” 

So what does this mean? Why should you care? Well, I think it’s very revealing that something seemingly as simple as a non-woman wearing a dress has provoked such a reaction from people. It goes to show that the prevailing view of gender in the US is fairly rigid and normalizes binary concepts. And while the US has a very long way to go on the road to acceptance for all people, Vogue showcasing Harry Styles, someone who has advocated for less gender labels around clothing and expresses gender fluidity freely, is a step in the right direction.