Dress is a symbol of identity. Dress influences both the wearer’s self-image and how others see them. What we choose to wear sends a message to others of how to perceive us. Our clothes reflect our aspirations as to social status, age and occupation. Most crucially, what we wear reflects our gender identity (for more information click here). 

Many cultures recognize three or more genders. Depending on the culture and the individual, third gender people might identify themselves as male, female, both, neither—or anywhere in between. Examples of third (or more) gender people include fa’afafine (Samoa); warias (Indonesia); hijra or kinnar (India); nadleehi (Navajo); xanith (Oman); and the mashoga (Kenya) (see also here or here).

Although often used interchangeably, gender and sex mean different things. Gender refers to cultural ideals, expectations and roles about how men and women, boys and girls, should dress, look and act. Gender changes from culture to culture and over time, as ideas about masculinity and femininity change. Sex, on the other hand, refers to female and male biological characteristics, such as reproductive organs, sex chromosomes and hormones, which do not change from culture to culture.

Dress is closely linked to social norms. These include gender and sexual identity, but also social status. Wearing the ‘wrong’ clothing upsets the social order and can be seen as subversive, or an attempt to usurp, imitate, or mock those with power or privilege. Wearing the clothes of the ‘wrong’ gender can be seen as especially threatening to social control and contrary to the natural order. Allowing such a threat can potentially provoke divine retribution. This thinking may be the origin of religious prohibitions such as those found in the Bible (Deuteronomy 22:5), which states: “A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing…”

As dress is so crucial to identity, who can wear which form of dress has often been closely regulated throughout history. Both religious and sumptuary laws restricted the use of certain clothing, colours and materials to different social groups, and punished those who violated such restrictions. Violating written or unwritten laws about dress and gender can have serious consequences. Today, in many places, lesbian women who wear masculine clothing (sometimes referred to as ‘butch’ lesbians), gay men who wear feminine clothing and trans people are subjected to bullying, harassment and physical attacks. The choice of what to wear can be life-threatening.