It’s laboured long and hard to earn its title as the fashion industry’s bible, but Vogue fell from grace somewhat this month.

The controversy stemmed from an article in which they referred to straight, cis cover star couple Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik as the poster couple of gender fluidity.

With the internet quick to correct the misunderstanding of the concept, here’s a few pointers to help enlighten yourself as to what gender fluidity definitely is NOT.

Wardrobe hopping

So, you have an ass that just won’t quit in the opposite gender’s jeans. Does that mean you need to change titles? No. Not it does not. Just because your inner Carrie Bradshaw likes to roam the city in a sexless wardrobe doesn’t mean you’re suddenly Mr. Big on some days.

Gender fluidity is far more complex than an outfit and we risk trivialising it by suggesting it can be taken on and off a rack.

Having a crush

I get that you’re crushing hard on Wonder Woman, - so am I - but I think DC Super Heroes’ powers stop short of changing a person’s sexual orientation. We all have our ‘man/woman crushes’, people of the same sex who give us the feels, but so do puppies and we don’t seem to let them shift us along the gender spectrum.

Same sex celebrity crushes are a whimsical feeling that shouldn’t be likened to the natural, life-long experiences of a non-binary person.

Swapping beauty products

Just because you knight your manhood with a Gillette Venus or shave the gap between the cuff of your jeans and your foot with a Wilkinsons Sword doesn’t mean you are Gender Fluid. It simply means you grow a crop that requires a particular cut.

The mark of disgrace once associated with using gender contrary products is now worn as a badge of pride, but don’t mistake it for LGBTQ pride. To do away with gender in your beauty regime is not synonymous with gender fluidity, which is about a person’s core, not aesthetic.

Being a Tomboy/Effeminate

People can be confusing - take Katy Perry. She kissed a girl and she liked it, but she also paddle boarded with Orlando at full Bloom. She gets into epic cat fights with Taylor Swift, but she can also swish swish a bish like Lebron James. Do either of these things make her gender fluid?

Being an individual means doing the things that make YOU happy and that may involve crossing into the other gender’s ‘territory’. But unless a dog peed around that bone, don’t let society stop you from taking it. Be who you are, not who stereotypes dictate you should be. If you’re truly non-binary, you will know.

A Trend

Vogue apologised for missing the mark, explaining that the story was an attempt to highlight the impact that gender fluidity is having on fashion. But Vogue, you were off target. An individual's identification as non-binary can’t be used as a trend. How can you put it on a catwalk when actual non-binary people sometimes can’t even walk down the street? How can you put it on a cover when so many are still having to cover it up?

Though its intention was honourable, Vogue made its own statement with someone’s struggle instead of allowing them to make their own.

'Words by Lauren Dorling'

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