Why are there men’s and women’s sections in clothing stores? Why is blue a boy’s color and pink a girl’s color? These are some questions that I think about all of the time. 

What makes a man manly? Is it the way they act or the way they dress? I think that being a man has nothing to do with what you wear but everything to do with the way you act. There are many people in the world such as Candace Owens, a political commentator and author, who disagrees with this statement and believes that men need to dress as men. I personally disagree and don’t understand why it matters to other people. 

When you enter a clothing store, there is a sign for the women’s section and the men’s section. What makes “women’s clothing” inherently feminine? I don’t see the point of having these sections because it could make men uncomfortable thinking that they can’t shop in the designated women’s section. There should be no gender for clothing.

I find people like Harry Styles, Billy Porter, Jayden Smith and Timothee Chalamet great examples for teens, including me. They use their platform to express themselves in their clothing which makes me more confident to wear what I want.

On one occasion, Candance Owens mocked men who decided to break traditional style standards on her Instagram in a video. 

“But Candace, I’m a guy, why can’t I just wear a dress … because you can’t, you can’t. But I just want to express myself in little girl clothing. You can’t, you’re just not allowed to,” Owens said. 

She later tweeted out, calling for people to “Bring Back Manly Men.” When seeing these, I was mind-blown that a person, especially someone with a big platform, could make men feel that they can’t dress how they want. If Owens is not the one wearing the clothing, then she shouldn’t have a say what others wear. 

As a teen, this is the time that we’re growing up, trying new things and expressing ourselves. It’s important that we feel comfortable in public dressing how we like. People like Candace Owens, using their platform in a negative way, can stop us from dressing and doing things that make us comfortable and happy. 

School should be a safe place for teens, so if a boy came to school with a dress on, what would the schools in Oak Park do? Would they ignore it or would the boy get punished?

Mr. Buchanan, principal of Oak Park High School reassures us that as long as it follows the dress code, we have the freedom to express ourselves.

“My role is to ensure that school is a safe and effective learning environment free from any and all discrimination. As long as it doesn’t disrupt instruction and is within our dress code, I support all of our students’ freedom to express their identity however they choose,” Mr. Buchanan said.

Our society is getting better at normalizing that style has no gender, but we still have a long way to go.

It’s important to know that you’re loved no matter how you dress. You should have the freedom to express yourself the way you want to. 

Style has no gender. Clothes have no gender.