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The aesthetic ranges from the flamboyant to the austere, but regardless of visual presentation, each article of clothing or accessory is worn with intention. The "queer aesthetic" is less of a defined style and more of a philosophy of presenting oneself it proudly veers from conventional trends in favor of ones that subvert social niceties. She noted that while rainbow merchandise "can show that someone is LGBTQ or an ally," other ways of expressing gender and identity appear more authentic, since "those things weren't designed for gay people." "Those things weren't designed for gay people." I learned a lot about self-expression while figuring out my sexuality and now I use that with my fashion!" "I think this has to do with the fact that I've gotten comfortable with my sexuality because it allowed me to take the same principles I learned and apply them to different areas. "Even though that's fine, I like to stand out!" Beaudoin said. She added that most of her straight classmates opt for more mainstream clothing choices like sweatshirts and leggings, but she never goes to school "in a basic outfit." Instead, she told Mashable via Instagram DM, she expresses herself by dressing in the "queer aesthetic," trading Pride merch for flared jeans and loudly printed coats. Fashion and identity are linkedīeaudoin, who is a student, does not dress in rainbow suspenders or paint rainbow hearts onto her cheeks to celebrate her sexuality anymore. Alex Abad-Santos described Pride as a "branded holiday" in a 2018 Vox piece, writing that the annual practice of pumping out rainbow products and donating a fraction of the proceeds "creates a context of so-called slacktivism, giving brands and consumers alike a low-effort way to support social and political causes." This generation of young adults may be the most openly LGBTQ, but many are disillusioned by "rainbow capitalism," a phrase to describe the way LGBTQ liberation is monetized and used for social capital. The company's garish apparel and LGBTQ flag home decor sparked a TikTok trend of criticizing other corporations' Pride wares. Target's Pride merch, for example, was the laughingstock of TikTok for weeks. On social media, though, LGBTQ people are reluctant to embrace rainbow merchandise with the same vigor that companies seem to produce them. Gen Z is the queerest generation yet a Gallup poll published this year concludes that nearly one in six of respondents age 18 to 23 identify as queer or transgender. (The legislation still needs to pass through the Senate, provided it isn't stymied by Republicans.)īut since the first rainbow flags flew in the 70s, Pride celebrations - and the abundant rainbow iconography that accompany them - have come to be associated with commercialization, not liberation. The United States has made significant strides in ensuring LGBTQ rights since, from the 2015 federal legalization of same-sex marriage to the Equality Act passed by the House of Representatives this year, which would explicitly shield individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation. Rainbows have been a symbol of LGBTQ rights movement since the first iteration of the rainbow flag was flown at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Pride Parade in 1978.
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Another described the first image as an "authentic LGBTQ person in their full self expression" but the second as "giving Target Pride section." Other comments described the second image as "commercialized queer," "like a tourist," and "how straight people dress when they're trying to be supportive at #lgbtq #lgbt #gay #bi #bisexual #gayaesthetic #pride #rainbow #lesbiansoftiktok #gaygirls #nonbinary #lgbtqia ♬ Lobby Music (Original Soundtrack) - Kahoot! Monetizing rainbows One comment likened the first image to attending a college and the second to wearing the college's merchandise. "This should be so much more gay than the other picture, but it's not. "Yes, this was me two years ago, but this should be gay," Beaudoin posited. In a TikTok posted in April, Giulia Beaudoin asked viewers why a mirror selfie of someone with green hair, wire rimmed glasses, and black high-top Converse is "so much more gay" than a photo of herself dressed in rainbow suspenders and a hat emblazoned with "PRIDE."
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But that doesn't mean they're safe from rainbow capitalism. Mashable is celebrating Pride Month by exploring the modern LGBTQ world, from the people who make up the community to the spaces where they congregate, both online and off.Īs well-intentioned as Pride merchandise may be, mullets and cuffed pants capture the "queer aesthetic" far better than anything dripping in rainbow logos.