Personal Passion Through Queer Fashion

The world of fashion has long seemed like a welcoming professional space for LGBTQ+ people, but that hasn’t always been the case for all queer folks. In recent years, with more women, nonbinary individuals, and people of color rising to prominence in the fashion world, it is becoming more welcoming to something that has played an integral role in its foundation: queer fashion.

The concept of queer fashion usually revolves around the defiance of traditional ideas of gender roles and sexuality, but the actual styles and trends that fall into this category are ever-changing. Fashion historians cite figures ranging from Joan of Arc to Chevalier d’Eon as prominent historical figures who wore clothes defying their assigned gender’s societal roles at a time when this was uncommon.

Ohio University is no stranger to queer fashion. With a thriving LGBTQ+ presence on campus and in Athens, students are given the opportunity to express their own identities through their clothes.