The unisex tank top, or the XX-XY wardrobe
The unisex tank top, or the XX-XY wardrobe
Blue for boys. Pink for girls. Some comfortable in their sneakers. Others in 12-inch heels. Men in the comfort of a functional style. Women corseted, molded, exposed, sexualized. Don’t these clichés smell a little stale, gendered, and reheated patriarchy? Well, yes. Just as a tank top, or Marcel, is not reserved for warehouse workers in Paris, or sweats for Rocky Balboa from all corners of the world, wearing comfort is no longer the privilege of the male gender. Unisex fashion, or genderless, breaks free from the man/woman distinction and brings bodies together. As for minds… it’s up to you to play. The tank top doesn’t achieve equality, but it contributes to it.
Comfort for all
Well placed on the scale of "I dress as I want, regardless of my chromosomes": the tank top. Reinterpreted outside of work clothes and weightlifters, the Marcel finds itself at the heart of an urban or sportswear trend that changes the codes. The tank top steps out of the margins, sheds the shirt, and no longer checks boxes. Comfortable, incredibly ergonomic, and very stylish if used wisely (clearly… we’re not waiting for Patrick), it has become mainstream since a few icons, with karyotype XX or XY, have made it their spearhead. Sigourney Weaver, Belmondo, Lara Croft, Freddie Mercury, Kirsten Dodgen… whether they are there to take down aliens, showcase goods, or stroll down the Champs Elysées, the Marcel is an indispensable classic that combines convenience and style versatility. Beyond any debate on binarity, the tank top grants comfort to both women and men. Gender is a non-issue, while the freedom of movement is on everyone's lips, with or without gloss, with or without a mustache. But with a Marcel.
Liberalization of dress codes
Men don’t necessarily want to be masculinized, nor do women want to be sexualized, by a fashion that makes the body a business card. Representing the values of our society, fashion trends have long stripped some to seduce others. The democratization of unisex fashion responds to a female need to assert themselves as individuals, not just as objects. In pants, in marinières, in tuxedos, in Marcels, women redefine beauty outside the sexist constraints of another age. The tank top, like any other unisex garment, is a tackle against the hypersexualization of fashion, a slip meant to showcase other models. Models of beauty, certainly. But also of comfort, well-being, and freedom. In sports as in everyday life, women are no longer required to embody "that strange object of desire" at all costs. Like the opposite sex, they want Marcel, casual wear, shorts to play beach handball, tailored pants for seminars, and unisex options at their fingertips. Whenever they want, wherever they want. So, if women are the future of men, the 21st century will be tank tops or it will be nothing.
