la bowie inspired la roux? oh yes.

In the 1970s, music legend David Bowie re-emerged, after already have some success, with an alter-ego called Ziggy Stardust. A well-known pioneer of self-reinvention (seen later in artists like Prince, another androgynous figure), Bowie's "Ziggy" was colorful, flamboyant, and androgynous. 

Although the persona was short-lived, Bowie's ambiguous image and lifestyle continued and became a large part of his brand. At that time, gender-bending seemed much more rebellious than it is today, but that's why he stood out, made headlines, and inadvertently continues to inspire others to do the same even now.

Like who? La Roux! Lead singer, Eleanor "Elly" Jackson, of the UK pop group has been quoted many times through various interviews including from AOL and MTV in saying that she has a "fascination" and "love" for David Bowie and that he is a strong inspiration to her, "style-wise". 

I think you probably could've guessed that by watching the "In For The Kill" singer's video for their most popular hit "Bulletproof" from early 2010 -- what with all her boldly colored pants and eye makeup, patterns on her blazer, unisex hairdo, and an obviously not-so-feminine-yet-totally-intriguing face.

Otherwise looking like a ridiculously accurate love-child of androgynous actress Tilda Swinton and Pretty In Pink's unlucky-in-love character "Duckie":

Right???

BUT it's not just Elly's style that makes her part of the Andro Club. 

In late 2010, she was quoted in an article appropriately entitled, Elly Refuses to be Labelled, "I don't have a sexuality. I don't feel like I'm female or male. I don't belong to the gay or straight society, if there is such a thing. I feel like I'm capable of falling in love with other people. I'm not saying I'm bisexual, I'm just sexual!" She says another thing that might perk an andro's ears, "...weirdly, I want to look like the people I fancy."

Unfortunately, she, like Bowie, was criticized for not being easily identified as 100% her biological sex by paired gender. She says, "I felt very out of sorts at school. I was a tomboy and didn't dress like a girl. I wanted to hang out with the boys and got picked on because I was different. It was constant abuse. I tried to be more girlie but I ended up losing myself." 

Read in full: http://www.breakingnews.ie/entertainment/elly-refuses-to-be-labelled-445255.html#ixzz1j1eD0XCY

And that's that, I suppose. A truly androgynous musician. Let's hope she and her band partner Ben Langmaid bring a few more successful singles in 2012 so Elly can continue to inspire other androgynes out there that's it's all good.

I, Androgyne...

Androgynous male model Andrej Pejic (left) with female model Jana K. (right).

What does it mean to call oneself Androgynous?

Dictionary.com simply states:

-neither clearly masculine nor clearly feminine in appearance

Of course it's more complex than that, otherwise this blog would only have a singular post and there would be nothing more to say.

Let's break it down. The prefix "andro-" means male, or man, as in 'androsterone', a hormone produced in the male testes. And the suffix "-gyne" refers to the female reproductive organs, as in 'gynecology'. 

I'm sure this brings up many more questions.

Isn't that just a different way of saying you're a hermaphrodite?

Does it simply describe a person's sexuality?

Is it a counter-culture?

Can someone naturally just be androgynous?

Do you choose to be androgynous?

Is it simply a fashion statement?

I'd like to answer some or all of those questions from my own perspective with a few facts and testimonials to back me up throughout the development of this blog, and I will no doubt share that with you. However, in my opinion, in regards to the androgynous evolution, it's more undefined now than ever. Nothing is ever certain. If you believe that it is, ask yourself that in another 5 years. The grey area is slowly becoming dominant in our culture. And that's what makes androgyny what it is.

This unisex appearance (and more), and its effect on our society challenges the idea that we need to label ourselves in any way, whether it's our gender or anything else.

...to be continued.