Androgyny's appeal

Androgynous characters have always received their fair share of the limelight.
NINA Porter: Yes, she may have tripped on the catwalk and all, but she’s still London’s hottest new face, or so we read somewhere. Apparently the 16-year-old kicked Emma Watson aka Hermione Granger out of the Burberry campaign not so long back. And why? Because Watson wasn’t boyish enough for this autumn’s distinctly androgynous look. Which brings us to the point of our story – androgyny and its mysterious appeal.
So hot a topic was androgyny in the 1970s, that a notable researcher in the field of gender, Sandra Bem, even created a scale for measuring it, called the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Bem’s model of gender was a straight line with masculinity at one end and femininity at the other, the two being opposing forces. For the intents and purposes of this story however, androgyny will be defined as the combination of both masculine and feminine traits – a unified gender that defies social roles and psychological attributes, and therefore finds favour with both men and women alike.
Twenty-five years ago while I was still in my teens, I remember having a huge crush on Nick Rhodes of British band Duran Duran, a man who had no qualms about donning a fuchsia suit, wearing hot pink lipstick and looking notoriously beautiful. My elder sister, meanwhile, was crazy about Boy George, a South Londoner who tied his hair in braids, wore eye make-up and had a flair for fashion. Today, teenage girls go gaga over the likes of Bill Kaulitz, a German singer who looks like a (way) prettier version of Pat Benatar.
Androgynous characters have always received their fair share of the limelight in the entertainment world. In fashion – from 1960s’ Twiggy to today’s radical Agyness Deyn and blue-eyed candy boy Ryan Taylor – the world has embraced the androgynous look, lapping up models who feature the best of both worlds. Androgyny has also made its presence very much felt in the world of gaming – think of Vega from Street Fighter or Luneth of Final Fantasy III. And why stop there?
Androgyny is even on screen, big and small. Why, even The Powerpuff Girls cartoon series featured a certain mysterious character called “Him” (with red skin, crab-like claws, pointy ears and a beard, who wore makeup and a skirt with pink tulle), while actors like Tilda Swinton and John Leguizamo seem to be blessed with the ability to play both men and women equally well. Why, even the luscious Cate Blanchett took on the role of Bob Dylan not so long ago and earned kudos for her portrayal of the famous folk singer.
In the music business androgyny seems to come and go in waves. Marc Bolan in the early 1970s possessed such an original sense of style that it hoisted the glam rock era to what it is, making him one of the most memorable British rock stars of all time. He is often cited as inspiration for today’s glam rockers.
Soon after Bolan and T-Rex, came a whole slew of rock musicians who used their androgynous allure to captivate fans of all genders, sexualities and sexual preferences. Artistes like David Bowie, David Sylvian (of the band Japan), Roxy Music’s Brian Eno, Kiss’s Paul Stanley, Freddie Mercury (of Queen) and rock bands like Pretty Boy Floyd and Poison had no qualms about snuggling up to the avant guard concepts of teasing their hair, wearing eyeliner and lipstick, and donning feather boas. Women like Annie Lennox, Madonna and kd Lang, on the other hand, slicked their hair back and wore suits and ties. And all their fans loved it.
Today, the fad seems to have been revived by a young generation of stars who continue to push the boundaries and deck themselves out in leather, feather and a whole of lot of panache.

Bill Kaulitz

Kaulitz, the lead singer of the German pop punk band Tokio Hotel, earned international fame in 2007 when the band released an English album featuring songs that were previously released only in German.

At 21, Kaulitz seems to be going from strength to strength in terms of popularity and gaining much attention along the way from young teenaged girls the world over, who scream his name and sing along to his German songs without even understanding the lyrics.
When he was 19, he was the youngest person to have their wax statue created by Madame Tussauds. Last year, Kaulitz found himself in the German edition of GQ’s Best Dressed List.
How did it all begin for this star?
Kaulitz cites his fashion and style influences as David Bowie, Nena, Vampires, Paris secondhand shops, striking jewellery and Dior Homme. So pretty is Kaulitz that now you can even get step-by step tips on how to look like him. Don’t believe us? Go to www.make-up.becomegorgeous.com, we kid you not.

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