Gigi Hadid, Vogue, Gender Fluidity and the Terminology you Need to Know

 

US Vogue has attracted criticism after misusing the term “Gender Fluid” in a recent article about the celebrity couple Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik. The issue’s cover featured Hadid and Malik posing in colorful, androgynous clothing and was followed by an interview in which they described borrowing garments from each others’ wardrobes.

Malik discusses wearing Hadid’s t-shirts, saying;

“so what? It doesn’t matter if it was made for a girl."

Hadid responded:

"Totally. It's not about gender ... it's about, like, shapes,"

The problem came when Vogue then described this attitude as Hadid and Malik embracing Gender Fluidity, which is a term used by some non cis-gender people to describe an identity that is neither binary male nor female.

Whilst wearing the clothes you like regardless of gender is certainly progressive and being so open about adopting your partners style is cute and #relationshipgoals, it is not, as suggested by Vogue, necessarily an expression of Gender Fluidity.

Members of the community have pointed out the identity is often marginalized and misunderstood, and so it is not helpful to be 'represented’ by people who do not identify as gender fluid. 

So what exactly is Gender Fluid and how does it relate to other identities?

Talking about gender, sex and identity can be confusing, so It is useful to understand some key terminology.

Firstly, it is important to distinguish between gender and sex, and to note that a person’s biological sex does not necessarily relate to the gender they identify with. According to www.genderdiversity.org, the two definitions are as follows:

Biological Sex: this refers to biological and physical anatomy and is used to assign gender at birth. For most people, biological sex and gender are aligned, but not always.

Gender Identity: Unlike biological sex—which is assigned at birth and based on physical characteristics—gender identity refers to a person’s innate, deeply felt sense of being male or female (sometimes even both or neither)

Gender Expression: In contrast to gender identity, gender expression is external and is based on individual and societal conceptions and expectations. It encompasses everything that communicates our gender to others: clothing, hairstyles, body language, mannerisms, how we speak, how we play, and our social interactions and roles. Most people have some blend of masculine and feminine qualities that comprise their gender expression, and this expression can also vary depending on the social context

So with that in mind, it is easier to understand the term “Gender Fluidity” and how is differs from Transgender, which  is defined as follows:

Transgender: This term refers to an individual whose gender identity does not match their assigned birth sex. For example, a transgender person may self-identify as a woman but was born biologically male. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation (attraction to people of a specific gender).

Gender Fluidity: Gender fluidity conveys a wider, more flexible range of gender expression, with interests and behaviors that may even change from day to day. Gender fluid people do not feel confined by restrictive boundaries of stereotypical expectations of women and men. For some people, gender fluidity extends beyond behavior and interests, and actually serves to specifically define their gender identity. In other words, a person may feel they are more female on some days and more male on others, or possibly feel that neither term describes them accurately. Their identity is seen as being gender fluid.