5858 – No, I agree I think it would be slow to take hold which is annoying and sad but also just a fact of life 0986 – Yeah, I think hype masculine guys especially might resist (laughs) 1996 – But also the world is changing in like breaking down toxic masculinity and that so I think it would be something more accepted by younger more open minded people 0986 – Yeah, I just think it would need to be made clear to guys that they don’t have to wear female clothes, they can still shop for men’s stuff if that’s what they are into, it’s stupid but I think a lot of guys might need that reassurance IP – How do you approach buying clothes, does your personality impact this? 0986 – I guess it does, yes, because I’m not going to wear something with something that just isn’t me on it 1234 – Yeah I get what you mean, I think personality is a factor, like you want to reflect a personal sense of style that shows who you are, like I’m quite laid back and so I prefer just chill clothing and rarely go all out with tons of make-up and accessories every day because that’s just not who I am. I think what you wear can communicate to other people who you are in a sense. 0986 – Yeah that’s what I meant (laughs) 5858 – I get that, it’s like someone who likes punk music probably dresses punk, a skateboarder probably wears vans…you pick clothes based on what you like and what you like is often dictated by your personality outside of just clothes 1996 – Yeah that makes sense, I would agree too, otherwise we would all just be wearing plain stuff or all just be dressed the same if our individual personality differences didn’t impact how we buy clothes IP – Would you all say being considered unique or different is a factor in deciding what you buy? 1234 – I think there’s definitely a sense that being different is good, like no-one wants to be just a clone 0986 – Yeah I think that’s true, everyone likes to consider themselves stylish even if other people don’t and I think part of that is being different, although I think a lot of the time people end up wearing the same things 1234 – Yeah, I think it’s something most people consider 5858 – True 1996 – Yeah, it is something I think about but my main focus is just whether I like the item, and if that makes me unique then so be it, like I enjoy not being held back about wearing something a bit “out there” because I’m worried about what other people think because most of the time I get compliments and people wish they had the guts to wear the same 5858 – That’s true a lot of the time, but sometimes I do dress just plain even though it’s not my style just because I can’t be arsed with attention it bring me, and sometimes I just want to blend in – but mostly yeah I dress to express myself and my own personal style 1234 – Ooh one thing I just thought of is like y’know when girls ask on Instagram like “oh where’s your top from” and the one who posted it just doesn’t say… 1996 – Oh my god that’s the worst, like who do you think you are 5858 – Honestly! 1234 – Yeah like that relates ‘cause I think a lot of the time they don’t want people to steal their style because they want to be the only one that has it and be looking unique, but it’s like get over yourself IP: What do you think [0986]? 0986 – Um, yeah I think looking unique is a priority for a lot of people, but style and just expressing yourself is probably more important. I think people are probably in today’s world just more able to express themselves maybe, like with social media and shows like that drag queen one and stuff, and that’s why people feel more comfortable wearing stuff that might’ve got them beaten up in the past (laughs) 1234 – Yeah, I don’t really bat an eyelid when I see a guy in make-up on Instagram anymore, it’s great IP – What about a guy in feminine clothing? 1234 – Um, see that less often but it’s not totally unusual like I can personally name two guys I know who like feminine styles and dressing up 5858 – Yeah I think we are only going to see that more and more, and I for one think it’s such a great thing because like when you think about it women have been wearing “men’s” clothing for, what, 40 years? And the same is just now happening for men 1996 – Hmm, that’s true, it’s all about just having all the options open to us so we can choose based on how we want to express ourselves without having to hide because of social stigma 0986 – I still think you’d get a lot of people who would judge if a guy came in to a bar or whatever in a dress heels and make up, not saying it’s right, but it would definitely happen 5858 – You’re not wrong 0986 – See, like I think this generation is more just like, yeah whatever do what you want but there’s still that stigma, like it’s better than it used to be but it still wouldn’t be easy to break boundaries 1234 – Totally IP – Going back to what you said [5858], so would you say women have an easier time of crossing gender lines? 5858 – Completely! Guys clothes are just unisex at this point, and that’s the way women’s clothing should be in my eyes…like why can’t a dress be considered unisex…people should be able to wear what they want! IP – Definitely. Also, a minute ago [0986] you talked about it being still hard for guys, would you say that stigma is a factor that holds guys back? 0986 – Oh yeah, like insecure guys don’t wanna be called gay 5858 – So dumb 0986 – No denying that, but it’s true init… IP – Okay, so we’ve spoken a lot about instore experiences but I also wanted to discuss the online space and how that could be approached, any thoughts? 1996 – I think it would be difficult, especially considering sites like ASOS, there’s already so much to scroll through and it takes so long, I’m not sure if people would want a load of clothes they just aren’t interested in to get through as well 0986 – Yeah like I’m sorry but I’m just not interested in skirts and stuff so I think the current system works because It’s so much quicker than mixing them would be 1234 – I don’t know y’know…I think it would be possible, like I think everything should be unisex and not instantly labelled male and female but you could maybe have like in the filters bit a masculine and feminine option you could tick IP – Interesting concept, what do the rest of you think of that? 5858 – I like that, but it could also be construed as just enforcing the genders in another way, even if it is less obvious…I do like it
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