GAY ICONS

GAY ICONS

Toward the end of the 20th century, gay sensibility became more overt in fashion and advertising. This was an expression both of gay pride and of straight consumers’ fascination with images of distinction and nonconformity. The French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, for example, was unafraid of playing fast and loose with sex and gender stereotypes, promoting underwear-as-outerwear and skirts for men.