I often wonder why so much emphasis is placed on the correspondance between dress (attire) and gender by society. It seems to me odd that it matters so much. After all, what matters is the person within, not the appearance without. Going around town in my chair, people judge me on my appearance, assuming that I have a learning difficulty, when in fact I have a Master’s degree, a nascent film-making career and a superstar for a fiancee. Appearances deceive, so why do others seem to want to cling to stereotypes and rules? Am I missing something? Why is something so arbitrary to me so fundamental to others? I say clinging to such conventions only reinforces boundaries, such as those between men and women, which is why I try to subvert them,* and why I fully support the sentiments expressed in this Huffington Post article. In it, it is pointed out that outdated, contradictory views persist in the workplace, despite it’s pretence to be inclusive. Why should it be that some lifestyles or forms of self-expression are frowned upon and seen as ‘unprofessional’? At the end of the day it surely does not matter as long as the work is done? As I see it, the sooner we stop clinging to such outdated conventions and stereotypes, the sooner we just see people as people and let them wear what they like, the better.

*Although at the back of my mind the question persists: is overt nonconformity just a type of conformity? After all, one must pay attention to what others wear to subvert it; and if everyone thought and acted like I did, I would just be conforming.