Masculine + Feminine: How to Add Both to Your Next Outfit

gender and style

Feb 23

I am both a masculine woman and a feminine woman. I am proud to have both traits.

Growing up in Texas, I was encouraged to be courageous on the basketball court and assert my opinions in the classroom, but there was a clear framework for doing so — when and where courageousness and assertiveness were appropriate had limits. Being a lady also meant I could never be "rude," which is often a thinly veiled code for telling women to defer to others, typically men. I was afraid of most men, so that was easy to do.

In addition, it was always important to be kind, giving, pretty, fun, light-hearted, and of course, smile while doing it all.

When you're forced into a system before you're ever aware of its boundaries, you can feel more trapped by that lack of awareness than by the boundaries themselves.

As I've grown into an adult woman who is both a feminist and a proud Texan, I've learned how to claim parts of myself that are seen as more masculine, while also retaining characteristics that are considered feminine. There is more fluidity to these traits than most of us realize, so I express them when it feels natural to do so, not when I'm told to.

I am aware of the societal structure I live in, but I choose how I want to speak, move, and dress within that structure.

So this week, I wanted to share some ideas for expressing both your masculinity and femininity through what you wear.

Your style is an expression of you, so the more self-exploration you do, the closer you get to the clearest vision of your style. It will never be perfect, but it will always be growing.