Genderless design: everything is for everyone

We are witnessing more and more embracement of fluidity in gender, combined with the idea of authenticity and self-expression. So, our conception of gender is starting to transform, with more people identifying within a broader spectrum of gender identity, with non-binary and gender-neutral approaches becoming more visible each and every day. The fluidity of gender in terms of representation is something that we are stumbling across even more often these past few years, combined with the rise of feminist voices, LGBTQIA+ community members and transgender activists, who are turning their backs to the gender binary construction, exploring new ways of freedom and expression.

Design is a field and industry that is ever more willing to take on this challenge of gender equality and gender-fluid inclusion, as the generic demographic statistics used to manipulate the behaviour of the customers are no longer applicable. A simple division between men and women customers just isn’t going to make the cut as we are moving into a more post-demographic era when it comes to advertisement and design. With a multiplicity of gender identities, design is in the process of finding a way to address and facilitate individuals to express their true self, beyond what might be expected or constructed by culture as we once knew it. So a genderless design calls for total freedom of expression, while the concept of “neutral” isn’t connected with something boring and non-exciting.

Examples from the fashion industry can be more easily graspable and it’s true that we are used to seeing fashion bending and deconstructing the notions about the gender binary throughout the years by practising fluidity when it comes to menswear and womenswear. Though the idea of a man walking down the runway in a dress may not -at least inside the fashion world- seem that provocative or radical anymore (although it still stirs up conversations, something that is indicative of the deeply ingrained binary division), would the creation of department stores where menswear and womenswear won’t be separated anymore be considered groundbreaking? Phluid Project, the first gender-free retail space to open in Manhattan, is an example of a space that separates clothes according to style and not gender, expanding also to genderless fitting rooms as well as genderless mannequins. The highly famous Telfar bags are another example of the genderless approach. Based on the shape of a regular unisex shopping bag, Telfar vegan leather bags became instantly famous (all the bags on their online shop are sold out). As their creator Telfar Clemens points out, Telfar bags are “genderless, democratic, and transformative”, echoing a new demand for diversity and inclusivity.

 Phluid website | Source: https://republic.com/the-phluid-project

However, when we move into less easily customisable fields like spaces, objects, packaging or even software, design has to undergo a process of total reconception. Public spaces and interior and exterior design are challenged to align with 21st-century society, driven also by the transgender rights movement, with one of its main demands, when it comes to public spaces, being the genderless bathroom. Gender-neutral bathrooms are promoted by transgender activists as well as their allies. The design and signage of these spaces is one good example of genderless design application. The separation of bathrooms came as a way to protect women from rape. It strikes kind of strange that society didn’t work to actually dismantle rape culture but instead choose the solution of separate bathrooms, as a way to protect from but not solve the problem. Now, segregated spaces are becoming again a place of enforced binary identities. A good signage example comes from the Performance Space in New York reading “EVERYBODY RESTROOMS”, promoting inclusivity and a wittiness applied in everyday design. The architectural design of genderless bathrooms is also an interesting direction, calling for changes in the shape, mobility and functionality of gender-neutral restrooms. 

All Gender Restroom | Πηγη:https://www.teenvogue.com/story/we-need-gender-neutral-bathrooms-everywhere

Even domains with prominent segregation, as might be children’s rooms and toys, are also slowly rejecting the old logic of pink for girls, blue for boys. More and more young parents are shifting away from the ever kitsch pink/blue nightmare and prefer to decorate their children’s room with more neutral, pastel, earthy colours. Walls in earthy shades, wooden minimal furniture, pale blue carpets, even gender-neutral toys like Danish brand’s Ferm Living Toro Play Kitchen that “invites both boys and girls to practice their cooking skills”, are some examples. Toy giant LEGO is also undergoing a process of removing gender stereotypes from its toys, after a survey that showed that 71% of boys feared they would be teased if they played with “girls’ toys”. Even clothing choices are now even more subtle when it comes to children. And one last but important example of this shift is the choice of U.S. retail giant Target to stop using gendered aisles for toys and instead categorise the products according to age.

Toro Play Kitchen, Ferm Living | Source:https://www.ambientedirect.com/

Also, fields such as packaging design, beauty products design, furniture and even technology are showcasing examples of genderless design. Successful beauty product brands such as Aesop and The Ordinary are endorsing neutral packaging choices, with amber coloured bottles and simple, minimal, black and white labels, moving away from a heavily gendered design, resulting in a more subtle and enduring presentation. This also seems to be the direction for furniture design as well, with choices of a more neutral aesthetic. Emphasizing textures, colours and forms that stray away from heavy connotations of gender, examples such as danish furniture designer Chris Liljenberg Halstrom are indicative. Opting for a more progressive approach, Dutch designer Gabriel Maher with their unique De_sign, a chair/garment that, as the person moves, is adapting to each sitting position, is pushing forward to interaction without gender signifying positions. 

One of the most forward-looking examples comes from the technological field with the Q genderless voice, created by the creative agency Virtue in collaboration with Pride Copenhagen. This gender-neutral voice, proposed in contradiction to the typically female voices such as Alexa and Siri, shows the possibility of rejecting gender bias even on the technological level. Yet, one issue that seems to still spike contradiction is the application of genderless rules when it comes to the architecture and the design of public spaces and infrastructures. In these fields, there seems to still exist some resistance to more radical applications.

Q genderless voice | Πηγή:https://www.dailymail.co.uk

Consumers these days, especially with the rise of social media awareness, are more critical and thorough when it comes to making a specific choice. Value-driven consumption is one of the biggest changes when it comes to consumer behaviour. The need for a more personal, deeper, value-based approach that takes into account the beliefs, values, worries and societal expectations of people consuming, calls for a broader and more inclusive visual language. It calls for the rise of a critical and speculative design that is willing to push the boundaries of the role of commerciality, to explore our interaction with design in cultural, social and even ethical ways. The shift towards a genderless design is specifically dealing with these kinds of demands and explorations.

Leda Markaki is an art historian with a bachelor’s degree from the Athens School of Fine Arts. 

She is currently a master's researcher in Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam and working in the cultural sector in non-profit contemporary art institutions. Her research interests include intersectional feminism, queer theory, decolonial approaches, curatorial activism and the intersection between contemporary art and activism.