Has equality become fashionable?

I found this article about how the fashion industry is progressive in the sense that they are constantly blurring gender lines. Often female models will dress in typical male fashion and male models usually have very prominent androgynous features. The article mentions a model named Jo Calderone (who is widely recognized as Lady Gaga dressed as a male).

This comparison reminded me of another celebrity who has recently been playing the gender bending game: James Franco. For those of you who don't know, James Franco (click here for his IMDb page) recently dressed in drag for the cover of Candy magazine.

It could be that pop culture is shifting away from gender norms, if only just for the "shock value" it provides. Whatever the case, this could potentially be a huge step in breaking down gender barriers... Now it's just a matter of time to see how long this gender ambiguity will stay in vogue.

Angelic Androgyny

Angels, the winged messengers of God, are artistically depicted in numerous ways from the peaceful forgiving angel to the warlike avenging angel. Yet, one concept that developed during the Renaissance is the depiction of angels as androgynous beings.

In the image above is a commonly artistic representation of the Archangel Michael defeating Satan. Unlike other paintings however, Michael's gender is somewhat ambiguous such as his soft facial features  yet masculine torso. Artistic depictions of the gender in angels have come up before such as Paradise Lost. In Paradise Lost Adam laments over the sexual indifferences he shares with the angels because they can have the sexual pleasures of both men and female. He reasons that because Angels are not human to begin with, they are without gender. It is this reasoning that angels are inhuman why artists sometimes do away with the usual masculine features of an angel to that of a sexless being.