A new exhibition currently on at the Museum for Fine Arts in Boston beautifully shows that when it comes to fashion, gender-bending is not new at all and  has actually been around for the over a century.  The Exhibit os presenting the work of groundbreaking contemporary designers—including Rad Hourani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alessandro Michele for Gucci, Palomo, and Rei Kawakubo—in the context of historical trends like the garçonne look of the 1920s and the peacock revolution of the 1960s.

Whilst these fashions challenged rigid, binary definitions of dress many of the most forward-thinking items were created in the street by the equivalent of today’s influencers.  With  ever changing gender-roles plus members of the LGBTQ community who wanted to challenge the traditional perceptions of how one should look, fashion has always been a method for facilitating change.

The exhibit features pieces worn by actors and musicians , including Marlene Dietrich, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and Young Thug as well as a multimedia presentation also incorporates paintings, photographs, music, and video.