Androgyny has been defined as “neither specifically feminine nor masculine” OR as “having BOTH masculine and feminine characteristics.” Yet, much of today’s androgynous style tends to be explicitly more masculine leaning: feminine adornments are discouraged and masculine is seen as being more neutral – more ambiguous – than feminine. The mainstream fashion industry has interpreted androgyny as white, masculine-of-center, and absent of any sort of femininity, and not only do I think that this definition is a lazy interpretation, but this “standard” is often perpetuated within our own queer communities.
Androgyny comes in many forms, as captured in 7Hues Magazine‘s September 2019 editorial “Victor & Victoria” featuring models B. Hawk Snipes and Briy[anna] Gilgeous. While the editorial does not reflect the full range of the many diverse ways androgyny exists, it does something unique with suiting: styling “men’s” suits from ASOS across an androgynous spectrum on Black bodies. Here’s a peek at what was featured in the print edition.
Models: B. Hawk Snipes and Briy[anna] Gilgeous
Photographer: Robert Pauley III / @weltheimages
Stylist: Beoncia Dunn
Suits: ASOS