So, I see this headline “If the Shoe Fits: How genderqueering fashion could change the industry forever”. A fairly eye catching headline to be sure.

But. Of course, other than a brief mention of Andrej Pejic – who is genderless – the rest of the article is only about white dfab genderqueer people and what they are doing with fashion. Which is interesting because on this alone, we can see that androgyny and/or genderqueer is only fashionable if you are white and dfab.

And, ya know, it simply replicates larger institutional oppressions, since the only dmab mentioned in the article is most of photographed in very feminine ways (despite Pejic’s actual ID of being genderless). Of course, it is unsurprising that the trans feminine is only an object to be observed and objectified, while the trans masculine are ‘revolutionizing’ the fashion industry by

Anders, a butch fashionista, the love of menswear for women — what she calls genderqueer clothing

oh. okay. let me get this straight. menswear for women is genderqueer clothing. this is what the article calls the ‘genderqueering’ of fashion.

I’m non-accidentally reminded of the brief history of white androgynous radical queerness. Remember: this is radical and new and fucking groundbreaking. Not, in contrast, all the fucking badass trans women of colour who actually died for expressing themselves. But. I mean what does this matter when

“It’s hard to think about wearing a suit when wearing it may get you fired or even killed,” says Going. “I am grateful to the people who came before us who worked and sacrificed tremendously so that we can now concern ourselves with such things as ties and cufflinks.”

rly? where are these trans men, trans masculine people, or butch lesbians who are as white as the person who said this who have actually been killed for wearing a suit? i mean. it isn’t like pretty much every single person on the tdor lists, since its inception, are basically all trans women of colour or trans feminine people of colour. ya know? the people actually being killed for wearing dresses? it isn’t like ‘man in a dress’ is a short code used to dehumanize and misgender #girlslikeus by exactly the kind of people featured in this article?

but no

“I am grateful to the people who came before us who worked and sacrificed tremendously so that we can now concern ourselves with such things as ties and cufflinks.”

who’re these ‘people’ who came before? who worked and sacrificed tremendously? so that these white dfabs can concern themselves with ties and cufflinks???????????

i literally want to fucking scream. trans women of colour died for your liberation and even in this (or should I say especially in this) we are degendered.

‘people’

(for extra bonus mega rage:

“No suit is complete without a great pair of shoes,” says Anders. “We’ve made some arrangements with shoemakers, like Kenneth Cole, who has agreed to create new molds down to men’s size 5 so they can provide us with their shoes in a wider range of sizes to better serve our clientele.”

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR REASONABLY PRICED, ATTRACTIVE SHOES IN MY SIZE?!?!? I HATE EVERYTHING)