Rock N’ Roll Stomps Out the Gender Binary

By Katalina Wernli

Photo by Lily O’Brien

From the camp performances of glam rock to the underground angst of grunge, fashion and rock music have gone hand in hand to fuel rockers' showmanship along with symbolizing a rejection of the social norm.

But how deep is the relationship between music and fashion? And just how much of a power couple are they?

Since the beginning, rock has been thought of as the music of rebellion against an outdated society. Look at any famous rocker, and you’ll see them wearing vibrantly-colored attire or smudged coal eyeliner as they belt out lyrics about breaking free by rejecting the status quo. 

The biggest fashion statements that inspired young adults began to be set by the rising superstars we know and love today. Queen’s frontman, Freddy Mercury, sported camp-inspired outfits that were as central to the band’s performance as the music. He confidently strode onstage in women's clothes and makeup, never stopping to discriminate between male or female-labeled clothing items and always questioning the societal obsession with the gender binary. Sold out crowds of adoring fans worldwide soon began to take bits and pieces of Mercury’s outfits and make it their own. Flamboyantly colored clothes and shoes with higher heels began to soon find its way into the men's clothing sections. But Mercury wasn’t the only one creating fashion-forward ensembles that crushed the gender binary in mainstream fashion. 

When androgynous icon David Bowie stepped onto the scene, his brightly colored and glitzy styled looks graced the stage as well as the covers of magazines. The Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger, donned feminine-styled blouses and eye makeup that protested against what was socially-appropriate for men to wear. Led Zeppelin and other well-known rock bands rocked the oh-so-famous long hair that inspired so many youths to grow theirs out to new lengths. 

And what about the women of rock n’ roll?

What was known as a boy’s club for so long quickly had to make room for the women that stepped onto the scene. Joan Jett’s signature mullet hairstyle caused both men and women to be inspired enough to take a pair of scissors and give the business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back hairstyle a try. Young women started wearing masculine-cut leather jackets and distressed muscle tees that paired well with popular female rockers’ unapologetic and tough attitudes. 

And though rock n’ roll may not hold the same spot in the charts as it used to, the echoes of its fashion statements and anti-traditional attitudes are more present now than ever. 

Take a look at the most famous example: Harry Styles. While not completely associated with rock, his music and style choices are influenced by famous rock musicians. Harry Styles’ concerts and shows have been known to feature flamboyantly electrified outfits. Styles’ wardrobe dabbles in flared pants, Gucci-anointed patterns, ruffles and glitz galore, and 70s color palettes that seemingly echo the rock stars of decades ago. Styles also seemingly doesn’t discriminate between male/female-labeled clothing and recently made headlines when he wore a Bowie-esque makeup look on a magazine cover. 

With the rise in TikTok trends and the increasing erasure of the gender binary, motifs from the old era of rock n’ roll have taken new forms but still hold the same spirit of rejecting social norms. Some men on the app are sporting feminine-cut clothes, painted nails, unique makeup, and the occasional mesh crop top that looks closely similar to the styles of famous musicians.

And if you check out the femboy hashtag on TikTok, you’ll see multitudes of male-identifying and nonbinary people sporting skirts, dresses, and feminine-cut clothes all while redefining masculinity much in the same way that prominent rockers did. 

Another trend that took social media by storm? The resurrection of the mullet.

The effects of idle hands during quarantine combined with Miley Cyrus’ new hairdo in her performance covering Heart of Glass, the mullet that Joan Jett wore for decades, has been adopted by a new crowd. And depending on your “For You” page, maybe you’ve come across the numerous TikToks of girls chopping off their locks and showing off their new mullet hairdo. 

Though it’s been decades after the birth of rock n’ roll and many famous rockers have long since passed on, the gender-fluid imprint they left on the fashion scene has come to inspire a new generation of young adults. Increasingly inspired by infamous musicians and no longer divided by the labeling of men’s or women’s clothing, young people have given a new take on what it means to stomp out the gender binary.