Clothing has historically been regarded as binary in nature, which creates barriers for nonbinary individuals. Clothing should be a functional and convenient way for people to express themselves if they so wish. The world has been impacted by the change in recent years, which has opened our minds and created a new spirit of identity liberation. When assessing a person's professionalism, gender is no longer a questionable attribute. The fashion industry has always focused on assumptions of what women and men can wear, but these stereotypes have been broken in recent seasons. Younger people search out opportunities, live and learn, rather than trying to be like anyone else and sitting in the centre of things. Younger generations seek out experiences to live and learn, rather than pretending to be like anyone else and settling for what is considered appropriate by the majority. Men becoming more feminine, women becoming more masculine, and people becoming desexualized or opting for alternative lifestyles have paved the way for a new age. Our choices will help us realize our dreams because we are no longer social thoughts. 1-http://ethosnews.com/2020/01/11/clothing-has-no-gender/ 2- https://qz.com/381790/sex-and-gender-arent-perfectly-binary-why-should-clothes-be/ 3- https://wsimag.com/fashion/16788-clothes-have-no-gender

Clothes are both inherently and historically gendered within all cultures. This is not to say that certain clothes should only be worn by certain people, more that certain clothes exist as being either traditionally feminine or masculine. For many, skirts are believed to be feminine, and more commonly worn by females, however, the Scottish ‘kilt’, described as a ‘short dress’, is traditionally masculine and worn by male Gaelic men and boys.

**TL;DR - While many kinds of clothes certainly perpetuate gender stereotypes, the fashion industry is increasingly moving towards a more genderless line for designing clothes, so it depends on the case**. We can certainly not remove clothing from its cultural and historical background and deny the fact that they are genderless altogether. Clothes have always reflected preconceived notions of who men and women are. According to Susan O. Michelman and Kimberly A. Miller-Spillman, clothes are 'culturally defined' and 'closely related to the meaning of being a man or a woman and are closely linked to appearance'. The dress / skirt example is only one that shows how fashion is highly gendered. Another example is given by 'Sunderland'. As the article says, 'it has been suggested that shoes designed for girls are often less suitable for sports, and this may give girls the message that sports are for boys.' On the other hand, we have to keep in mind that gender is not something that pre-exists, but a product of societal standards and beliefs. According to Michelman and Miller-Spillman, '[g]ender is a socially constructed phenomenon, and not all cultures aspire to the same physical ideal for men and women as those in Western societies'. Clothes are socially constructed too, so they are not something that should inherently be gendered. This is why many people in the fashion industry have taken the gender-free direction, such as 'High Street retailer John Lewis', who 'recently introduced gender-neutral labels on their childrenswear collections and replaced gender-specific signage in stores, offering parents and children a wider choice in what they wear' ('Sunderland'). There should be genderless options for clothing, which will reflect diversity and suit different tastes and preferences. However, I believe that clothing as it is is considerably gendered, and it takes a significant revolution in societal beliefs to shift to a gender-free philosophy. Works Cited Michelman, Susan O., and Kimberly A. Miller-Spillman, 'Fashion Gender and Dress' <https://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-history-eras/fashion-gender-dress> [accessed 3 March 2021]. 'Is gendered clothing part of our evolution?' (2017) <https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/more/news/story/Is-gendered-clothing-part-of-our-evolution-272> [accessed 3 March 2021].

It is a new world. Gender is not what it was, today people need to be able to express themselves as who they are and how they feel. If that means that a guy wears a skirt or a dress then fine. Women wear men's clothes and have done so for some time. There is no reason the reverse can't be true. This may not be for everyone, but there is an increasing number who would like the to be able to express themselves and have the freedom to do so with out persecution. Restrictions and labels need to go. freedom to be who you areis important.

The function of clothes is both to create social effects, ( including feelings, status, comfort) but also practical function. So my point is, in some cases, in some clothes, they also have a gender related practical function and so are not gender neutral. I agree with many opinions already expressed that clothes today are moving towards gender neutral. I think this is good. No one should feel restricted by their gender in what they are wearing. Cultures and the law in many countries try to create laws that promote equality between the gender and where possible, freedom of choice regardless of gender. I like that people are embracing this, and I feel this is a good thing and am happy to see women wearing trousers and men wearing skirts etc. However, some clothes are predominately functional. Bra's and male underpants (where a large enough hole/fly is often included to allow a man to use the toilet without taking down his underwear/pants). Women's bras are created to support female breasts and so are a gendered piece of clothing. Of course, there are plenty of instances where a woman (or a very young woman) sees here first bra as a "right of passage" toward her becoming a mature woman, even if her first bra, gives no support. Also there are instances where a woman has small breasts that do not fill the bra that is mean't to give support, but she still wants to wear one. A bra can have both practical, cultural, social and psychological function. This does not mean that men shouldn't wear bras. I'm sure some men do and men also can/do have breasts. There are a medical condition where a man breasts grow. I'm also certain some women prefer to wear male underpants. My overall point is, while most clothes are not gendered, there are some that have practical purposes that are gender specific.