
Traditionally, the fashion industry has defined distinct masculine and feminine roles in society. However, Tyler Oakley exemplifies how the line defining gender roles is becoming blurred. Tyler is 26 years old, openly gay, and is famously known for his YouTube channel that has millions of subscribers. He encourages all of his fans to be themselves in a video titled "You Dare To Be You". His message is to show the world the real you because "it is crazy what is possible when you are unafraid to be you" (Oakley) , An individual expresses themselves with clothing and accessories. Fashion is a avenue of expression for gender roles. By definition, "the term 'gender role' refers to society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and behave" (Boundless). Today, there is a blending between traditional masculine and feminine gender roles, which translates into the gender blur in the fashion industry. So, what role does the fashion industry have in defining gender roles? This paper will explain the fashion industry's role in marketing, design, and promotion and how it defines the gender blur and highlights society's movement towards equality. 

Ruth La Ferla defines the gender blur as "a narrowing of the sexual divide  ...  between conventionally feminine and masculine clothes". Fashion is redefining how consumers express themselves. By definition, fashion is "the style of clothing and accessories worn at any given time by groups of people" (Major). The way people dress expresses a social norm during a specific time period. In the twentieth century, the gender blur is the social norm. Clothes do not characterize one gender over another. Instead, they are considered to be "gender-neutral" (Ferla). The gender blur is disrupting the norm of gender inequality and is empowering people to express themselves, not their socially constructed gender roles. The fashion industry has the power to create a new social norm of gender equality by using the marketing, design, and promotion departments to encourage the gender blur. 

The role of the marketing department is to identify a target market and strategize ways to satisfy the customer, at a profit. It defines the demand and matches it with supply. Marketing is important to the fashion industry because it defines the potential consumer and identifies their needs. A consumer's needs are shaped by the society in which they live. The movement towards equality is a main factor in today's society because both men and women can assume similar roles in the workforce and in the home. The push for equality has resulted in an expression of equality through fashion. Today's consumer has a blurred perception of "gender-specific behaviors" (Boundless). The gender blur results in a consumer demand for clothing that is not defined by one gender over another. The role of marketing is to strategize ways to match supply with demand. The industry uses the marketing mix to best satisfy the consumer demand for "gender-fluid fashion" (Ferla). A key component to the marketing mix is the product. The designers create the clothes and accessories that appeal to the specific target market. 

The design department of the fashion industry creates the clothing pieces and accessories that embody the gender blur. The role of a fashion designer is to create the product that will satisfy the consumers needs. Fashion designers work with a variety of materials, patterns, and colors to create products that satisfy the consumer's needs. The social attitudes of potential consumers drive the process of design. Young Americans today are influenced by a "society that encourages freedom of expression for men and women" (Weir). The same attitude is apparent in fashion. Vogue's Spring 2016 Trend Report stated that "now is the time to embrace an expansive attitude". This season, fashion's new mood is emotion (Anderson). As gender roles shift and start to blur, "we need a new wardrobe to reflect the new mood" (Weir). Designers interpret the social attitude to embody "a widening acceptance of a style with no boundaries" (Ferla) in their designs. As a result, fashion design is aimed at both gender roles. Designers capitalized on the idea of creating "familiar and new" (Anderson) fashion trends. Unisex clothing came about as a result of the consumer's "gender-neutrality" (Ferla) attitude. The trend includes popular pieces such as boyfriend fit jeans, oversized outerwear, and jogger pants. Active wear is another popular trend over the past year and into 2016. Two well-known brands, Adidas and Nike, design clothing pieces that are not defined by either gender. The trends are not defining masculine roles or feminine roles. Instead, they encompass the gender blur. Designers are catering to the millennials that are challenging the "perception of sexual orientation" (Ferla).  The fashion industry uses the promotion to transmit the clothing designs to the final consumer. 

Promotional tools, such as social media, are used by the fashion industry to promote "gender-neurtal fashion" (Ferla). The link between the designers and the consumer is promotion. Today's generation of young adults are the target market for promoters because they are tech savvy. Technology, such as social media and the Internet, is used everyday by potential consumers. The close connection between the consumer and their technology makes technology the key to promotion of the fashion industry. In order to be successful, the industry must "see the world through the 'digital' eyes" (Natalie) of the millennials. Technology is used for communication. There are a variety of blogs online to discuss the upcoming fashion trends for the spring season of 2016. Brands, products, and trends are posted on the Internet and viewed by millions who used technology on a daily basis.  Fashion bloggers also promote all aspects of fashion via social media accounts such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. By promoting gender-neutral products with technology, the fashion industry is defining the target market. For example, the trend of overalls was popular on the runways and on the Internet. The fashion industry promoted the gender free fashion statement using technology to reach as many customers in the target market as possible. Communication about the "functional and utilitarian" (Rizzo) benefits of overalls resulted in increased sales across distributors. Many people now possess their own pair of overalls and illustrate the gender blur in fashion. The fashion industry's role in promotion defines the target market since customers tend to buy whichever trends are popular online. 

The fashion industry's roles in marketing, design, and promotion demonstrate how clothing is used to "create communities that are critical of mainstream value" (Rizzo). Fashion is used to express the societal standards that exist at a time and place. The industry should promote the gender blur because it is an avenue of expression for the social movement towards gender equality. Pantone Color Institute selects a "color of the year" that serves as a snapshot of what is taking place in American culture the attitude expressed by the people. For 2016, Pantone selected the blending of two colors for the first time: Rose Quartz and Serenity.  The symbolic color selection represents the value of the gender blur in fashion and the "societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity" ("Introducing"). The fashion industry's three main departments have the power to change the norm of gender inequality that is disrupting society. Its role in the marketing department is to identify and understand the target market. It must also strategize ways to satisfy the needs of the consumers with a product. The design department is responsible for interpreting the attitudes of the consumer and creating a product that will match supply with demand. Lastly, the promotion department uses technology and social media to sell the desired product to the target consumer. The fashion industry has the power to create a solution to gender inequality by encouraging the gender blur.  

