Throughout most of twentieth century Western history, social rules have restricted people's dress according to gender. Trousers were traditionally a male form of dress, frowned upon for women. However, during the 19th century, female spies were introduced and
Vivandières wore a certain uniform with a dress over trousers. Women activists during that time would also decide to wear trousers, for example
Luisa Capetillo, a women's rights activist and the first woman in Puerto Rico to wear trousers in public. , the
tuxedo suit "Le Smoking", created in 1966 In the 20th century, starting around World War I traditional gender roles blurred and fashion pioneers such as
Paul Poiret and
Coco Chanel introduced trousers to women's fashion. The "flapper style" for women of this era included trousers and a chic bob, which gave women an androgynous look. Coco Chanel, who had a love for wearing trousers herself, created trouser designs for women such as beach pajamas and horse-riding attire. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the women's liberation movement is likely to have contributed to ideas and influenced fashion designers, such as
Yves Saint Laurent. Yves Saint Laurent designed the Le Smoking suit and introduced it in 1966, while
Helmut Newton's erotized androgynous photographs of the suit made it iconic and a classic.
Elvis Presley introduced an androgynous style in rock'n'roll. His pretty face and use of eye makeup often made people think he was a rather "
effeminate guy", When
the Rolling Stones played London's
Hyde Park in 1969,
Mick Jagger wore a white "man's dress" designed by
Michael Fish. Fish was the most fashionable shirt-maker in London, the inventor of the
Kipper tie, and a principal taste-maker of the
peacock revolution in men's fashion. His creation for Mick Jagger was considered to be the epitome of the
swinging 60s. (pictured) and
Annie Lennox appeared on the front cover of
Smash Hits magazine in December 1983 in identical makeup, followed by the cover of
Newsweek in January 1984 to mark a
second British Invasion. Music journalist Sue Steward wrote that the
Smash Hits cover "begged the question, 'Which one is the boy?'" In 1972,
David Bowie presented his alter ego
Ziggy Stardust, a character that was a symbol of sexual ambiguity when he launched the album
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars.
Marc Bolan, the other pioneer of
glam rock, performed on the BBC's
Top of the Pops in 1971 wearing glitter and satins, with
The Independent stating his appearance "permitted a generation of teeny-boppers to begin playing with the idea of androgyny". The 1973
West End musical
The Rocky Horror Show also depicted sexual fluidity. Continuing into the 1980s, the rise of avant-garde fashion designers like
Yohji Yamamoto, challenged the social constructs around gender. They reinvigorated androgyny in fashion, addressing gender issues. This was also reflected within pop culture icons during the 1980s, such as
Grace Jones,
Prince,
Annie Lennox and
Boy George. founder
Yoshiki is often labelled androgynous, known for having worn lace dresses and acting effeminate during performances.
Power dressing for women became even more prominent within the 1980s which was previously only something done by men in order to look structured and powerful. However, during the 1980s this began to take a turn as women were entering jobs with equal roles to the men. In the article "The Menswear Phenomenon" by Kathleen Beckett written for Vogue in 1984 the concept of power dressing is explored as women entered these jobs they had no choice but to tailor their wardrobes accordingly, eventually leading the ascension of power dressing as a popular style for women. Women begin to find through fashion they can incite men to pay more attention to the seduction of their mental prowess rather, than the physical attraction of their appearance. This influence in the fashion world quickly makes its way to the world of film, with movies like "Working Girl" using power dressing women as their main subject matter. Japanese designers began popularizing androgynous fashion in the 1980s, as seen in the work of
Yohji Yamamoto and
Rei Kawakubo, who brought in a distinct Japanese style that adopted a distinctively gender ambiguous theme. These two designers consider themselves a part of the avant-garde, reinvigorating Japanism. Yamamoto has expressed the lack of necessity behind gender distinctions, stating "I always wonder who decided that there should be a difference in the clothes of men and women" Also during the 1980s,
Grace Jones, a singer and fashion model, gender-thwarted appearance in the 1980s, which startled the public. Her androgynous style inspired many and she became an androgynous style icon for modern celebrities. Androgyny has been gaining more prominence in
popular culture in the early 21st century. Both the
fashion industry and pop culture have accepted and even popularized the "androgynous" look, with several current celebrities being hailed as creative trendsetters. The rise of the
metrosexual in the first decade of the 2000s has also been described as a related phenomenon associated with this trend. Traditional gender stereotypes have been challenged and changed since the 1960s, which included the
hippie movement and
flower power. Artists in film such as
Leonardo DiCaprio sported the "skinny" look in the 1990s, a departure from traditional masculinity, which resulted in the fad "Leo Mania". Musical stars such as
Kurt Cobain of
Nirvana,
Andre 3000, and the band
Placebo have used clothing and makeup to popularize androgynous and genderqueer aesthetics throughout the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s. While the 1990s unrolled and fashion developed an affinity for
unisex clothes, there was a rise of designers who favored that look, including
Helmut Lang,
Giorgio Armani, and
Pierre Cardin. Men in catalogues started wearing
jewellery,
make up,
visual kei, and designer stubble. These styles have become a significant mainstream trend of the 21st century, both in the Western world and in Asia.
Japanese and
Korean cultures have featured the androgynous look as a positive attribute in society, as depicted in both
K-pop,
J-pop, in
anime and
manga, as well as the fashion industry. The 21st century additionally saw global conversations around gender identity which helped further the presence of androgyny in fashion. In the mid-2010s, online searches for the word "nonbinary" skyrocketed, and young people began to see themselves as nonbinary or gender nonconforming. Actor
Lachlan Watson, who uses they/them pronouns, posted a photo on Instagram wearing a t-shirt saying "Gender is Over," a riff on the
John Lennon and
Yoko Ono "War is Over" poster. Singer
Billie Eilish has also openly called gender roles "ancient." Since her musical debut in 2016, Eilish has worn both traditionally masculine and feminine silhouettes, wearing a
Marilyn Monroe inspired
Oscar de la Renta gown to the
Met Gala in 2021 to being referred to as a "hey mamas" lesbian after an appearance on
Chicken Shop Date in 2024 where she wore an oversized tee, bandana, and backwards cap.. In the emerging electronic music scene, singer and artist
2hollis expressed that acts such as wearing makeup and wigs should not be "inherently feminine," and that Prince was an inspiration when learning to express himself in a way that's not limited by gender. ==Symbols and iconography==