Gender Expression in Fashion: A Case Study of Perception in Clothing

Abstract

Gender expression in fashion has been increasingly role in the individual expression of style and taste. However, people's demand for clothing coding does not reflect the physiological attributes but also meets the psychological pleasure. This research discusses the gender perception of subjects with different gender, ages, and majors through six sets of garments representing three styles. The questionnaires were used to obtain data from 264 subjects. The results showed a significant difference among the perception of female, male, and genderless styles. Findings revealed that female and young people could feel a higher degree of masculinity in clothing coding than men. In addition, fashion designers' perception of female coding is higher than other backgrounds. Based on young people's high preference for genderless coding, the unisex style should be further explored to meet the needs of this group. Results presented herein provide designers with a valuable reference for coding the form in fashion to match the needs of gender expression from different consumers more accurately.