Today Facebook announced that it will let its users identify themselves as transgender, bisexual, androgynous, or whatever custom description they feel fits them best. Greater awareness and freedom to express ones preferred gender and identity continues to make itself known, and with more social acceptance with labels like bisexual and transgendered, the identifier androgynous is not long behind.
The idea of being androgynous, or that there are people who identify as such, is becoming more visible in pop culture and mainstream society. Buzzfeed's list of Most Stunningly Beautiful Androgynous Models, for example, show that even in the realm of modeling and beauty, where appearances are heavily scrutinized, someone can be both a gorgeous man and a beautiful woman. Fashion Week brought the idea of an androgynous wardrobe to life with ambisexual designs dominating the Fall lineup, with there being "no way to differentiate between the sexes." In an age of post-gender dressing, glamor, Vogue declares "is a feeling men and and women can share, and have nothing to do with gender." Gender is a more complex construct in todays society; traditional gender roles are being turned on their heads, as women become the primary breadwinner and Mr. Mom and stay at home dads become more common. In this world, what is expected of a man or a woman, or what it is to be one, is drastically changing. It's partially for this reason, pronouns like ou can replace a not quite right him or her, and more people are exploring the idea of non-binary gender roles. Dr, Marci Bowers, a gynecologist and transgender doctor preforming gender affirming surgeries, thinks that "this generation of young adults is definitely questioning narrow definitions of gender role and expression...It is natural to be more fluid in expressing gender, and it is quite possibly a healthy thing that society is moving in this move blurred direction."
ARTICLE:
Vogue, Washington Post, SF Gate
