100 Most Stylish dapperQs 2021

In July 2013, dapperQ published our first ever list of 100 Most Stylish dapperQs. This was by far one of our most popular posts, but was by no means exhaustive. Since the original post was not comprehensive enough to capture all of the amazing dapper style that exists in our communities, our team decided to compile an annual list of 100 most stylish dapperQs. This year is our NINTH anniversary of this piece! That means 900 images of queer style in the dapperQ digital archives.

Important things to know about this list (notes from our Editor In Chief, Anita Dolce Vita)…

You may have noticed that dapperQ paused on publishing since January 2021. Our website team is primarily volunteer and it has been a mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally difficult time for many of us during the pandemic. Speaking for myself, I am an essential worker (researcher) who was tasked with going into a hospital every single day in NYC throughout the pandemic. My job: research the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. During this time, I worked long hours, feared for my health and life, witnessed friends and families lose their jobs and lives to COVID, and mourned illness and loss in my family that was not related to COVID, all while attempting to create my own space for healing after witnessing continued violence against Black bodies. My team and I just had to take some time to self-care.

The pandemic impacted LGBTQ+ communities in many ways, including how we express ourselves through fashion and beauty. The inability to leverage fashion as a means of self-affirmation for our communities was explored in a USA Today article titled “Many are more comfortable in their bodies during the pandemic. For some LGBTQ people, it’s the opposite“:

For most people, beauty and grooming regimens have changed drastically during the pandemic, but for some members of the LGBTQ community – and particularly transgender people – makeup-free and natural hair trends have, at times, felt less freeing and more restrictive.

“I hadn’t even realized how important it was to me that my hair looked a certain way, until I couldn’t go to get it cut for a really long time,” Evan Greer, who is transgender and non-binary, says.

Kate Mason, an assistant professor of sociology and women and gender studies at Wheaton College, adds: “I know for a lot of people who are masculine-presenting lesbians or people who are non-binary or trans-masculine, early on in the pandemic, a lot of people were really panicked about their inability to get a haircut.”

Some members of the LGBTQ community already grapple with gender dysphoria – psychological distress between someone’s birth sex and gender identity – and appearances can make a difference.

“(In the queer community) gender presentation is a little bit different, which is to say it’s driven less by dominant social norms for femininity and more by, ‘How can I present myself in a way that telegraphs my gender identity or sexual orientation or both?'” Mason says.

For organizational consultant Van Bailey, his inability to express his gender has been jarring. He is trans-masculine and queer.

“Part of my ways to combat dysphoria is the ability to have control of my body,” Bailey, 37, says. “What that means for me is the ability to go out in the world and dress how I want to dress or, even in a sense, create space for myself.”

That is why it was so important for us to continue the tradition of making space for and celebrating queer style by publishing a 2021 “Most Stylish 100.” This year, we are expanding the style we feature to range from feminine to masculine and everything in between and outside of. Those on the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 lists are not, for the most part, eligible for the 2021 list. This helps us ensure that we can feature as many members of the dapperQ community as possible. Our goal is to continue this tradition for many more years, so if you do not see someone on the previous lists or the 2021 list that you believe has amazing style, please recommend them in the comments section for future consideration.

We understand that having the access and safety to photograph and publish one’s most authentic personal style has always been a privilege, and has only become more of a privilege during the pandemic. As such, this list is not meant to serve as a standard of queer style, but rather an archive of queer fashion and beauty during this difficult time, and a Pride resource for those who want and need to see themselves represented in the pages of print and digital fashion and beauty magazines.

More notes from the team:

This is NOT A RANKED LIST!!

This list is not based on sexual orientation, but rather style and expression.

1. Fran Lebowitz
Author, Speaker, NYC Icon, Aggravated
[Netflix Special]

Photo: Catherine Servel