Satan and Celine Dion? Well why not?

Hijab was invented by Muhammad to grant anonymity to women of all economic statuses, preventing molestation of the vulnerable classes. Today the garment identifies Muslim women in our society and they are even being targeted because of it. Given the original reasoning, it makes sense that some Muslims now consider less restriction on their choice of clothing. I'm not saying it should be encouraged to give up the hijab, as that would be letting the haters win, but really that's why the rule of "modesty" was invented, referring to a woman's class, literally her attractiveness to crime and not her attractiveness to men. Having outlived it's practical function, hijab worn as tradition could be considered a symbol of resistance to these hate crimes.

I would argue that evolving gender roles in clothing are comparable to this situation. Traditional gender-normative choices protect both groups from discomfort but an increased emphasis on individuality in society suggests the need for greater freedom of choice. The question is, should we accept the current basis of uniformity, a safe model of gender-specific choices where there will always be proud outliers, or should we encourage a new model where everyone is a special snowflake?

Personally, I have always worn boy clothes, I am a gay man and I am attracted to men's clothing as well, have no desire to cross dress but I appreciate drag although do not find it "attractive." However when I was little I desperately wanted some high heels because I saw a girl wearing them in a video game and I thought they were just the greatest thing. I wasn't exactly fashion conscious but I wore my grandma's shoes around the house and sometimes in public pretended to have heels on my boots by standing on tippy toes. Now when I think about this it's very embarassing but at the time the act of imitation was immensely enjoyable to me. Perhaps if someone satisfied this curiosity and bought me some pumps I would still be rocking them today but I knew enough to be embarrassed that it was weird and it passed as a relatively shameless phase. Notably, the feeling and motion of walking in heels was generally more interesting to me than the aesthetic quality of the shoes. Honestly I had very little interest in clothes, just wore what my parents put on me although I had definite favourites like a technically androgynous white tank top with rows of coloured fish on it. I had definite feelings about clothes and for example never felt "cool" enough to wear sunglasses after seeing my older half-brother wear them and this feeling persisted into my early adulthood where for a long time I was too nervous to pick out sunglasses. Now when I look at old pictures I am very impressed with the job my family did dressing me and am in fact a bit jealous of their style for me. I don't think I ever could have been encouraged to be a fashionista of either gender preference but I am comfortable with my "programming" and therefore thankful I was never put in anything inappropriate, especially considering current social standards. I can't help but think if I was given conflicting directions about gendered clothing, forming a comfortable identity and fitting in would have been more difficult and confusing rather than less, and I just wouldn't feel like the same sexy man I am today (maybe I'd even be a little too sexy). Sure, maybe if everyone was on the same page we could all live in a perfect world where everyone has absolute freedom of choice from the beginning and nobody notices what is different, but the way I see it most people are contented by their brainwashing and those who are truly not will go out of their way to express themselves.