The Development of Femininity in Hip-Hop Fashion
By Cameron Truman-Wyss
Hip-hop as a genre rose to prominence in the 1990s as groups of individuals began to vividly express black lived experience, particularly that of black youth, through music. The rise of hip-hop as a genre can be attributed to several artists such as Tupac Shakur or Biggie Smalls, who both emphasized the concept of “street” credentials, which became necessary to be perceived as a valid artist in the hip-hop community. Moreover, in order to garner respect amongst the hip-hop community, one had to assert themselves as a masculine figure. This centrality of masculinity in the realm of hip-hop led to the rejection of any valid feminine understanding of the black experience. Many female rappers then, and even today, could not garner the respect they deserved solely due to their femininity.
As the years have progressed and hip-hop has become more and more mainstream, the feminine experience has gradually made its way into the hip-hop community. One of the clearest ways to gauge femininity in hip-hop is through fashion. The origins of hip-hop saw little deviation from the masculine street attire of the time. The only individual challenging gender roles regarding fashion was Outkast’s Andre 3000, who wore a white patterned dress on the cover for the single “Ms. Jackson.” It was not until recently, however, that the margins of acceptable masculinity began to be tested and pushed by male members of the hip hop community. When the 2010s hit, the hip-hop community began to shift its focus from “low” fashion streetwear to “high” fashion, donning brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Raf Simons, and Rick Owens. These high fashion brands did not stray away from femininity, which certainly played a part in feminine attire’s emergence in the hip-hop community.
Jeffrey Lamar Williams, better known as Young Thug, is a prominent purveyor of femininity in the realm of hip-hop fashion. Thug takes heavy inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent and even has a record label that is a reference to the brand (Young Stoner Life). Thug burst on to the feminine fashion scene with his 2016 “Jeffrey” album cover, on which he can be seen donning a flowing dress with floor-level periwinkle ruffles. The response to this album art was a barrage of slander and uncouth memes targeting the feminine attire of Young Thug. Regardless of the response, however, the album received praise from critics and Young Thug has continued to dress in a feminine manner. Young Thug’s stylistic choices were quickly taken up by a number of influential rappers such as A$AP Rocky and Kid Cudi. Rocky popularized the feminine headscarf in the hip-hop community and eventually earned the nickname “Babushka Boi,” which is proudly acknowledged by Rocky in his 2019 song under the same name. On a similar note, Kid Cudi is known to wear feminine attire, such as the lace, ankle length wedding dress that he wore to the most recent CFDA Awards.
Individuals such as Young Thug, A$AP Rocky, and Kid Cudi have opened the door of femininity that recent artists such as Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, and Lil Nas X have happily walked through. Although femininity has become more common amongst the hip-hop community, there remains a strong sentiment of masculinity. While artists are more able to don feminine attire, the backlash received is still rather brutal. Attire is often equated with sexual orientation within the hip-hop community, meaning that homophobic comments are a common response to the creative expression that these artists convey through their choice of fashion. The hip-hop community has certainly made steps towards embracing femininity, but there remains a lot of ground to cover before the feminine experience as it is expressed through fashion will be perceived as valid.