Purushu Arie was founded as a fashion blog in 2009 while Purushu was studying fashion design at NIFT New Delhi. In 2017, Purush Arie's blog evolved into India's 1st exclusively ungendered clothing label. Purushu spoke about gender neutral revolution through fashion at TEDxChennai in March 2018. Purushu's signature silhouettes include tailored lungis and saris. Purushu Arie designs with the ethos of sustainable intersectional inclusivity that defies gender, caste, & class status quo.

Ranveer Singh: A Hero Challenging Gender Norms in India

L’Officel India’s February 2016 edition is bound to grab your attention. The magazine’s cover features Ranveer Singh challenging gender norms wearing a nose ring and Gucci’s silk-georgette pussy bow blouse. Ranveer Singh who’s enjoying the time of his life winning awards and accolades is seen seamlessly toying between traditional masculinity and femininity in one photograph.

Fashion Illustration - Ranveer Singh for L'Officiel India February 2016

IMPORTANCE OF RANVEER SINGH’S GENDER NEUTRAL FASHION STATEMENT

We live in a world where it takes ‘balls’ to do something courageous and it’s terrible to be a ‘cunt’. Strangely the same ‘balls’ are vulnerable to extreme pain even with tiniest nick. The chauvinist society shames anything remotely feminine. Our society is transitioning radically in terms of sex, sexuality, and gender. Fashion’s gender neutral revolution is only a part of cultural revolution that aims to change mindsets through gender fluid notions. While it’s totally normal for a girl to wear a suit, thanks to Ranveer Singh, man wearing pussy bow blouse is finally being normalised too. The silk georgette pussy bow blouse and nose ring that Ranveer Singh wore is among the first powerful weapon that aims to dismantle gender specific notions and discrimination in the conservative Indian society.

Fashion Illustration - Ranveer Singh

WHY IT TAKES COURAGE

In Indian sub-continent we’re used to idolising our heroes who are often portrayed flawless and macho. Indian film stars got more moves than Jagger. The Indian hero sings in Mohit Chauhan’s voice. The Indian hero is strong and fights villains to save his Juliette. Our films have consistently stereotyped our lead actors to look a certain way and last thing you’d imagine even in wildest of dreams is to see an Indian hero wear something that dismantles the very foundation of conventional masculinity – gender neutral clothing. It takes serious courage for Ranveer Singh to confidently pull off the gender neutral look without worrying about the stereotyped macho star that he plays on screen.

L’Officiel’s February 2016 cover starring Ranveer Singh makes a socio-cultural statement that’s beyond clothing and fashion trends. Thank you Ranveer, you have encouraged millions of Indians to look beyond the gender binary, and more importantly, to stop shaming or looking down at anything even remotely feminine.

4 Comments
  • February 6, 2016

    Congratulations! Your blog post was selected for Spicy Saturday Picks edition edition on February 06, 2016 at BlogAdda.

    Please find it here:
    http://blog.blogadda.com/2016/02/06/spicy-saturday-picks-february-06-2016

  • February 7, 2016

    I think it’s really good that Ranveer has done this whilst he is at the height of his celebrity. This way it shows he is not doing it as a stunt in order to get some attention, but because he want to wear the clothing.

  • Disha
    Reply
    February 8, 2016

    In today’s world to do something like this required lots of courage and load of responsibility.. Ranveer Singh carried it in an awesome way.. He is full of life, confident, carefree of what will people think. He is symbol of courage

  • Sabari Nath
    Reply
    October 11, 2017

    Thanks for slapping hard by bringing out the flaws in our ‘flaw-less’ conservative society.

    I especially loved your statement: “We live in a world where it takes ‘balls’ to do something courageous and it’s terrible to be a ‘pussy’. Strangely the same ‘balls’ are vulnerable to extreme pain even with tiniest nick when the ‘pussy’ tolerates grave pain to give birth to human lives. The chauvinist society shames anything remotely feminine.”

    Bravo!

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