After Susan Sarandon made a comment about her son Miles and gender norms at TrevorLIVE recently, the internet went nuts over the idea that he sometimes wears dresses.
His gender identity became a topic of conversation as people were apparently baffled that a man would ever slip into a dress unless he’s a drag queen or trans.
In a recent first-person reaction posted on HuffPo, Miles sets the record straight (so to speak), offering an evolved and forward-thinking take on the gender binary.
In short: we all need to chill out. But that’s hardly news.
Here are a few highlights:
On clothing choice:
I wear dresses to embrace femininity (adjective) but not to re-assign my gender to female (noun). I think that it is absurd to think that there is a rigidity to the identity of CIS and Heterosexual males and females — that for a man to wear a dress or for a woman to wear pants must mean that they are LGBTQ.
On identity vs. fluidity:
Isn’t it possible to distinguish between the adjectives of “feminine” and “masculine” and the nouns “female” and “male”? Is it not reasonable for a female to embrace masculinity (like female athletes) or for males to embrace femininity (like male jewelry designers)?
On living an authentic life:
I am not LGBTQ, but I do identify with the concept of allowing yourself to be interested in the things that you are interested in, despite what the external influence of the world around you encourages you to pursue.
We say yes to the dress, or whatever else anyone feels like draping over themselves.
David Edward Hollis
It’s not wierd when your as sexy as him
lauraspencer
He can wear a dress, but please cut that hair!
Arcamenel
This is the biggest non-issue ever. Anyone who has a problem with cis men wearing dresses is a transmisogynist.
jimontp
@lauraspencer: OMG, can’t you let anyone be happy with his/her own choice? He’s a great looking kid, who seems free to be what he wants. You? On the contrary, are someone who always has a negative comment to make. Go away.
Bauhaus
@lauraspencer:
The only fashion accessory you’d look good in is a muzzle.
Billy Budd
He deserves to choose what he wants to wear.
Chookey43
Wear what you like, if your worried what others will think, you might as well become a hermit.
Desert Boy
I don’t think it’s weird at all. I have a friend in Palm Springs who wears a muu-muu when he hosts a BBQ in the summer. He says he’s most comfortable in it when the temps are 115′ outside. People should be free to wear whatever they want.
Masc Pride
People are getting really ridiculous with analyzing everything to death. He’s a cross-dresser. Just call it what it is.
SeeingAll
Wear what one likes? Always the case? Can one wear a hammer-&-sickle, or a swastika ?
lauraspencer
@jimontp:
Hi Jimontp!! Happy Wednesday. Hope you are well.
Obviously you don’t read my posts. I just commented on the Brazilian singer and said how impressive he was. Not sure what is so negative about that. If you can’t stand negativity you might want to stay away from the internet.
And he isn’t a “kid”. He is an adult.
lauraspencer
@Bauhaus:
You are probably correct. I’ve never been one to accessorize. I should try it more. Thank you for the fashion advice! Have a great night. Hugs.
James Witheridge
My friend Erik wears skirts and people love it!
Giancarlo85
@SeeingAll: Oh you sound so intelligent… do you have mental problems?
I wore drag a couple of times. It has nothing to do with wearing a swastika. I don’t know how you can even equate the two.
SeeingAll
@Giancarlo85: You were Carmen Miranda, I know. In Brazil. (In Argentina you wore swastikas though).
MacAdvisor
@Desert Boy:
“People should be free to wear whatever they want.”
People really should be forbidden to wear evening wear before six, speedos unless they are in the necessary physical shape, plaids with strips, white shoes after Labor Day or before Memorial Day, hats in a movie theater, flip-flops to a formal dinning room, or socks with sandals. Beyond that, sure a dress, moo-moo, whatever.
scotshot
@SeeingAll: @SeeingAll @SeeingAll: You may wear anything you wish. I’m sure when you wear your little swastika outfit it really sets off your eyes.
Giancarlo85
@SeeingAll: And you are a stupid illiterate who can’t come up with original thoughts. I am from Colombia, dipshit.
SeeingAll
@scotshot: If only my eyes were blue enough.
SeeingAll
@Giancarlo85: But if we were in a pageant together I would win First Place, Miss Whatever Country, and you’d just be pushed to the side as they crown me, and would YOU be fuming….!
MarionPaige
what does he wear under the dress when he wears a dress? If he wears black women’s panties and fish net stockings, I would say he needs to get over that movie (among other issues).
Kieran
Dress shmesh. I want to see him in a mini-skirt with no panties.
Blazipitous
Then I guess we should start raising MEN again, and not panty waste. Fucking sick!
SeeingAll
When you’ve never been anything but rich you can get away with wearing anything.
jwtraveler
@Arcamenel: Did you just create that word?
Alan David Smith
you won’t see me in a dress. but that’s because I’d look like one of the people of Wal-Mart. but this whole idea that there is some invisiable border between the masculine and feminine. is dis proven by grand parent’s and for some of you great grand parent’s. men were taught many feminine thing’s in the past. just because a man had to be able to take care of themselves. my grand father’s both new how to sew. and used to darn their own sock’s. but they also changed oil etc. to them it was just survival.
Nathan Brandon Lee Kennedy
Some women wear masculine clothes and nothing gets said. Clothes are clothes. Wear what you feel comfortable in, no matter your gender.
Giancarlo85
@SeeingAll: That I doubt. They generally don’t crown old trolls like you.
SeeingAll
@Giancarlo85: Even being older than the other contestants, I have such beauty, poise, and elegance that….I usually win..
Giancarlo85
@SeeingAll: You need new glasses. Stop looking at yourself so highly. Fugly little troll.
SeeingAll
@Giancarlo85: The judges chose me over you. Deal with it. Just….clap (even if it’s grudgingly).
Giancarlo85
@SeeingAll: It must suck being you… looking in the mirror everyday and seeing yourself. Must be quite traumatic.
NoCagada
Hey, on a hot summer day, I’d love to be able to wear a cotton sun dress…with no panties…
Kangol
Unfortunately every time Queerty, an LGBTIQ site, posts articles like this, the homophobes and misogynists show up. Sheesh.
Good for Susan Sarandon’s son, and more power to everyone who aims to be her, his, hyr or their authentic self.
Arcamenel
@jwtraveler: Google is a thing that exist. You should try using it sometime.
Curty
He made it clear he isn’t GLBTQ to didn’t he? Was he even asked? Or did he want the ladies to accept him dressing like a woman? I find it interesting when some people do questionable non heterosexual traditions and deny point blank they are no where near glbt. Its a bit of a turn off, how about live your life without having to deny anything sexually related. Only thing I would deny is a being a pedophile. So to her son. Chill out. Wear ya dress and panties and stop worrying about how your perceived.
AtticusBennett
“girls can wear jeans, cut their hair short, wear boots and jeans, because it’s ok to be a boy. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, because you think that being a girl is degrading” – The Cement Garden, later referenced in “What it feels like for a girl”, Madonna.
meghanada
Children of celebrities are really f* up.
Avery Alvarez
@Curty: Yep. I caught that, too.
“Don’t confuse me for one of them, I’m my own brand of special snowflake”
Turns me off, too.
SeeingAll
@meghanada: And always think they’re sooooooooooo coool…
ScaryRussianHeather
@Curty:
If you had clicked on the link to his Huffpo piece you’d have your answers. Instead you just decide to lecture a person based on three statements Queerty pulled out of the article.
The guy made no point blank denials, in fact, he said the opposite.
Of course, if he never mentioned anything, you’d be calling him a closet case.
1EqualityUSA
I can’t stand the orange “Facebook” ad that pops up. Every time I see it, I think of Zuckerberg donating money to Chris Christie.
This guy has a beautifully shaped skull and forehead. Wear whatever the Hell you want. Wear it confidently. As long as you’re not harming, nor exploiting vulnerable people in society, live your life as you see fit.
da90027
He is hot that dress would be over his head and all that hair would be tugged on from behind.
aidanbh
First, “femininity” is not an adjective, it is a noun. But to the important bit… in all major societies throughout the world, originally men wore dresses. We just didn’t call them that. The Romans had their toga. The Scots had their kilt from the 1700s, and before that their full-length feileadh mohr. The Greek kilt was the foustanela, and the full-length chlamitha. The Jews had their kittel or sargenes, the Arab abaya and a throup, the Egyptian galabia, the Sudanese alath, the Nigerian babanriga, the Turkish kaftan, the Indian kufti, the Chinese cheongsam, the Korean han bok or dudumagi, the Malay sarong, the Tahitian pareu, the Samoan lavalava, the Tongan ta’ovala, or the Maori piupiu. And as for the clergy! In order to ride horses, we simply pulled the middle of them up between our legs, and presto, trousers were born.
eden
Oh dear.
My opinion is that he can wear whatever he wants. If he’s given enough freedom maybe he’ll recognize that he’s not “straight” too. But we should all feel that free (which would be easier if we were all rich, white, “straight”, gorgeous… :).
@lauraspencer – I don’t agree that he should cut his hair. Chacun à son goût. But @jimontp and @Bauhaus, why so much hate, for a simple matter of taste? I think Laura’s response to you was much more polite than i would have been.
Love to all.
skirtcraft
Weird, maybe. Awesome? Yes.
Check out my unisex skirt Kickstarter that launched yesterday:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/skirtcraft/unisex-skirts
Joe