'Anti-Male Gaze' Dressing Is Fashion's Villain Arc, And We’re Rooting For Her

Whom do you dress up for? There's the male gaze. There's the female gaze. And then there's the anti-male gaze; and no, the female gaze and anti-male gaze are not the same. Dressing for the anti-male gaze (also known as male-repellent fashion) is like going completely against the 'rules' of styling. It's about sporting the most obscure pieces of clothing just to piss people off. Anti-male gaze dressing not only allows radical self-expression, but also rejects systems that dictate and stifle women: systems of beauty standards, systems of heteronormativity, and systems of fast fashion consumerism. 

Stand-up comic Atsuko Okatsuka's bowl haircut and calm-in-chaos kind of outfits are the perfect embodiment of this ethos. Her look doesn’t exactly conform to the legs-elongating or waist-cinching rules. Instead, it is exactly what makes her 'Atsuko'. Her bespoke style plays into the themes of childhood memory, absurdity, and defiance that are present in her comedy.

Similarly, artist Elizabeth Sweetheart, aka the 'Green Lady of Brooklyn', does not dress to blend in or please anyone. At 84, she does not fear being "too much" or taking up space in a culture that often tells older women to fade quietly into the background. Her all-green ensembles are equal parts self-expression and rebellion against the male gaze.

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Female Rage In Fashion

Women today are fed up of being told what's 'flattering' on their bodies, or what looks 'effortlessly chic'. Why would we want to look 'effortless' when styling a simple blouse and skirt for brunch took hours of preparation, from squeezing our guts into shapewear to perfecting the winged eyeliner? And that's how the anti-male gaze dressing was born. Out of spite.

Historically, many fashion trends were born out of rage. For example, miniskirts were introduced in the 1960s as a symbol of youthful rebellion. That year, the rise of hippie culture also brought bootcut jeans and tie-dyed clothes that screamed 'anti-establishment'.  Similarly, in the 1980s, punk fashion became all the rage, making a strong statement against conformity.

These are just a few of the examples where fashion became a tool of protest, and the anti-male gaze aesthetic is simply the latest chapter in this history. Even now, 'protest fashion' persists, whether it's queer communities using clothing as a way to dismantle gender binaries or revivalists bringing back vintage silhouettes and handlooms to resist disposable fast fashion. 

Anti-male gaze style could mean painting your eyelids pitch black as a big middle finger to the idea of "women look better without makeup". Or donning an oversized, mismatched tuxedo and a pair of sneakers to defy society's idea of 'femininity'. Or wearing bright colours and bold prints just to take up space in a world that expects women to 'blend in' with their solid-neutral-coloured outfits.

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Wearing What Men Would Be Averse To

When Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish first shot to fame, her fans were curious about her Adam Sandler-esque fashion sense: oversized shorts and t-shirts. She later said in an interview with Vanity Fair, "I only started wearing baggy clothes because of my body.” The artiste also revealed that she struggled with self-harm due to her body image issues.

For Billie, her androgynous clothing was a safe space but eventually became her strength. Her oversized clothes and green hair became her 'brand'. While most female musicians were expected to project a hyper-feminine, highly sexualised image, Billie's chart-topping work proved that women could scale heights without conforming to the industry's narrow version of beauty.

Anti-male gaze fashion is not about hating men, it’s about refusing to prioritise their approval. It’s a wardrobe built from instinct and self-amusement, not from a checklist of what “flatters" or "matches". It is about being seen, but not for validation. In a culture that still tries to police women’s appearance, the anti-male gaze trend is all about looking 'unattainable.' Like saying "I didn't get dressed for you."