Who said crop tops and skirts are only for girls? Well, not the TXT members.
We all have heard of it. Skirts are for girls and pants are for boys. Dolls are for girls, and toy guns are for boys. From here, we can see how gender norms are imposed through material objects such as toys and clothes. But the 4th generation K-pop group, Tomorrow X Together, is breaking these gender norms, one skirt at a time.
I once overheard this conversation between a 4-year-old boy with his uncle:
‘Ang color pink, pambabae o panlalaki? ["Is the color pink for girls or for boys?"] the curious kid asked. 'Pambabae, syempre.' ["It is for girls, of course."] the man in his early 40s replied with a light laugh.
It was a typical day, and they were playfully talking about the most random things.
“Eh ang color blue po, pambabae o panlalaki?” [How about the color blue, is it for girls or for boys?"] the kid again asked. "Panlalaki ‘yan" [ that is for boys], the uncle playfully replied.
The boy asked again. “Eh ang color red po, pambabae o panlalaki?” [How about red, is it for girls or for boys?'"] There was a long pause, then his uncle hesitantly responded, "panlalaki" [for boys].
The conversation reflects how material objects, such as colors, are used to impose gender norms. Gender norm is a term that pertains to society's expectations on how an individual should behave. Gender norms permeate every aspect of people's lives. This dictates how women and men should dress, act, and speak accordingly.
With gender norms, clothes are gendered. It suggests that certain clothes are just for women and certain types of clothes are for men. But this should not be the case.
Don't get it wrong; there is nothing wrong with girls wearing skirts and pink outfits or boys wearing baggy pants. Remember that it is still a part of your gender expression.
In the present, girls wearing 'boyish clothes,’ including baggy jeans and oversized shirts, are considered socially acceptable. Depending on how it is styled, it is seen as cute, chic, and even promotes girl power!
But when boys wear skirts, mini shorts, or even crop tops, it is perceived as socially hilarious. Society may see them as weaklings or often stereotypically labeled as "gays."
Clothes should not be gendered, and every individual should have the liberty to wear anything they want. This is what the 4th generation K-pop group, TXT, constantly shows the public through their music videos and music shows outfits.
"Clothes should not be gendered, and every individual should have the liberty to wear anything they want."
TXT or Tomorrow X Together is a 5-member boy group from BigHit entertainment, a label under HYBE company. Debuted in 2019, the group is composed of the talented Gen Zs Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai.
Calling all MOA(s), here is a treat for us! As we stan TXT, we present to you the top 6 outfits that proved that guys can totally rock skirts and crop tops.
6. Wearing a pleated half-skirt, Soobin looked chic and cool in his all-black outfit in their Can't You See Me MV. The skirt made TXT's leader more stylish while dancing to his iconic line, "Who's a liar?"
(From L-R) Huening Kai, Soobin, Yeonjun, Beongyu and Taehyun in their Can’t You See Me music video.
5. TXT members Beomgyu, Yeonjun, and Taehyun matched the vibe of their 2020 disco-inspired Blue Hour MV. Wearing pastel-colored crop tops, the members made their MV even more fun and playful.
(From L-R) Huening Kai, Yeonjun, and Soobin in their Blue Hour music video.
Yeonjun's pink hair complemented his pink Balenciaga knitted jumper. Beomgyu totally pulled off that cropped Levi's white graphic tee shirt topped with a denim jacket, while Taehyun looked absolutely adorable in that light blue sweater.
(From L-R) Beomgyu, Yeonjun, Taehyun, Huening Kai, and Soobin in their Blue Hour music video.
4. In the 35th Global Disc Awards (GDA) last January 2021, Huening Kai made a buzz online because of his outfit. During the photo wall event, the TXT member was wearing a below-the-knee skirt. This proved that men could not only wear tux and suits on formal occasions, skirts could also be an option.
(From L-R) Soobin, Huening Kai,Beomgyu, Yeonjun, and Taehyun in the Golden Disk Awards photo wall event. Photo from @GoldenDisc_en Twitter account.
3. Yeonjun's white dress in their World version concept photos for the album Chaos Chapter: Freeze will always be one of MOA's (Moment of Alwaysness) favorite outfits. With his long lacy white dress, the 4th generation It-boy looked like an ice prince.
Photo from Kpopmap
2. In their Loser=Lover MV, the group wore black dresses paired with white tubes underneath. The TXT member's outfits totally matched the emo concept of their song.
(From L-R) Taehyun, Yeonjun,Soobin, Beomgyu and Huening Kai in their Loser=Lover music video.
1. In a recent Twitter post, Yeonjun shared his picture wearing a long black flowy skirt topped with an Aries sweater vest. In the post, the 4th generation It-boy wrote, "Here are pictures of me wearing a skirt, for MOA. It's so comfortable. Men can also wear skirts, everyone Smiling face with smiling eyes." Compared to other TXT members, Yeonjun is often seen wearing 'genderless' clothes like crop tops.
Photo from @TXT_members Twitter account
It is important to note that TXT members are not the first male idols to wear skirts and crop tops in the K-pop scene. A few examples are Bangtan Sonyeondan’s (BTS) Jungkook with his black crop top during their Permission to Dance on Stage concert and Taemin’s white sports bra in his Advice MV. There is also the group Monsta X, Big Bang's G-dragon, 2AM’s Jo Kwon.
The point is, these K-pop idols, together with their staff, show that clothes can be used as a medium to break gender norms.
A man, woman, transgender, bi, lesbian, pansexual, and other members of LGBT should have the freedom to choose what clothes they will wear and how they will style themselves. Society should be more open to gender fluidity and each individual’s SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression). Everyone should unapologetically live their lives the way they want because it is their right. Period.
"Everyone should unapologetically live their lives the way they want because it is their right."
Graphics by: Sofia Vinuya
Comments