So I was browsing through the J. Crew catalog that inexplicably gets delivered to us and I became fascinated by the the varied names of clothing colors. (I get this way with respect to wall paint colors as well).
Did you know that men's pants come in a color called "charcoal herringbone," a color which I interpret to be "dark grey," and that in the women's pants section seems to be called "dark charcoal"?
Other favorite "men's colors" that were entirely missing from the women's pants color selection include "raw steel" and "grey crow's foot." OMG, so manly!
But don't worry, the women get "bright poppy" and "vibrant fuchsia" to make up for it.
All of these colors, by the way, are totally fine in my opinion. It's just a reflection of prevailing gender stereotypes that these colors get segregated into separate men's and women's sections and that simple colors like "pink" and "grey" likewise get paired with "masculine" and "feminine" qualities like steel and flowers.
And can we also talk about "boyfriend shirts" and "boyfriend pants" for a minute?
I don't get it.
So.... we, like, buy these items of clothing and pretend they are our "boyfriend's" clothes? They seem to be, I don't know, "girly versions" of man clothes that women can wear and still dress mostly adhere to the proper standards of femininity. Will the fashion police arrest me if I buy "boyfriend pants" even though I don't have a boyfriend? What if a gal wants to shop from the men's section, can she still do that?
And, is it okay if boys wear these "boyfriend" clothes?
Shopping is hard.
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