Unisex

The trend of not talking femininity or masculinity

The awareness of dissolving gender stereotypes has risen and single-dimensional depictions of both genders are being challenged. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority recently banned commercials that perpetuate gender stereotypes, including men trying and failing to conduct simple parental tasks and women being unable to park a car. After analyzing 1 billion searches and 400 million imagery downloads, Getty predicted “Masculinity Undone” to be a defining visual trend of 2018, pointing to a cultural shift with masculinity shown in complex, gentle, and emotionally astute ways.

As consumers move away from traditional gender expectations, they are expecting brands to push their new product development and marketing messages in a non-binary direction: John Lewis removed gender labels from its children’s clothes, global brands like H&M released unisex collections, and designers have showcased men’s and women’s collections in tandem.

Now, gender-neutral thinking is also starting to catch on in beauty, where gender diversity is increasingly visible. Asserting that “skin doesn’t have a gender”, beauty brand Little Barn Apothecary sells skin-care products to “everyone”, joining brands already promoting unisex products like Aesop and Calvin Klein. “We have to change the stigma that beauty and skin care is made for a certain gender. We create skin care and self-care for people,” said co-founder Brad Scoggins.

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