{"id":369026,"date":"2024-08-21T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T07:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/?p=369026"},"modified":"2025-01-29T14:00:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T14:00:36","slug":"how-football-shirts-help-me-understand-my-gender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/culture\/how-football-shirts-help-me-understand-my-gender\/","title":{"rendered":"How football shirts help me understand my gender"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s a popped-up collar, a clean V-neck cut or a boxy boyfriend fit, there\u2019s gender euphoria to be found in football shirts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WORDS BY ZOYA RAZA-SHEIKH<\/strong>
\nIN COLLABORATION WITH VERSUS<\/strong>
\nHEADER DESIGN BY JACK ROWE<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>

Growing up, men\u2019s football was all over the telly. My older brother was a massive Manchester United fan and would watch every game he could, sometimes I\u2019d even watch with him. I loved seeing the players beeline across the pitch, socks pulled up over their calves, sweat-soaked shirts hugging their chests. I would examine their bodies and think: \u201cWhy don\u2019t football shirts look like that on me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gender<\/a> isn\u2019t easy to figure out. The world we live in primarily operates in a binary manner. Men, women. Straight, gay. They\u2019re still very much considered the default \u2013 even more so in football, a sport<\/a> that\u2019s deeply rooted in old-school views of masculinity. So, it might seem odd that football shirts have provided me with an avenue to experiment with my own gender. Or is it?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back then, watching those games with my brother, I didn\u2019t quite know how to describe the feelings I felt as I sat captivated by the slick movements of Louis Saha, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes. But now, I\u2019d call it gender envy. There\u2019s no right way when it comes to figuring out your identity and where you fit in a world obsessed with labelling people as simply one thing or another. But for some reason, football shirts have always helped me on my gender journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shirts have become a core part of my gender expression \u2013 I feel more at ease with who I am when I wear them. They provide me with a level of comfort and breathability, both literally and metaphorically. It might seem somewhat trivial, distilling something so <\/span>big<\/span><\/i> as gender into a brightly-coloured 80s-inspired football shirt. But often it\u2019s the small, everyday things that help us to make sense of the emotions we\u2019ve struggled for so long to engage with \u2013 let alone make sense of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s an unquestionable euphoria in football fashion. Whether you want to call it \u2018blokecore\u2019 or \u2018ladcore\u2019, the revival of retro kits undoubtedly pulls on iconic British fashion that flooded the streets and terraces throughout the 80s and 90s. Today, both football die-hards and casual matchgoers are experimenting with kits \u2013 something we\u2019ve also seen bleed onto the catwalk in recent years (will there ever be a better collaboration than Wales Bonner x Jamaica?). And while the blokecore trend might feel gendered, the style isn\u2019t. It\u2019s a lens of fashion that has been an escape, a place where I can find synergy between my outward presentation and internal feelings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding sanctity in football shirts was an unexpected port of call, one that caught me by surprise, even as a long-time football fan. Yet I can\u2019t shake the gender-affirming sense of self I find wearing my beige Barcelona <\/span>2004-05 shirt. As your identity shifts \u2013 whether it\u2019s labels, pronouns<\/a>, or something bigger \u2013 there\u2019s a want to create cohesiveness in how you feel and fashion<\/a> is the easiest way to signify who you are. From <\/span>pairing oversized baggy blue-wash denim jeans with a bright yellow 2010-13 Arsenal<\/a> away number, <\/span>to matching chunky silver rings with my crisp white Real Madrid top. In football shirts, for me at least, there\u2019s no immediate call to dress femme, instead, you can play around with presentation. This level of openness has given me the freedom to pick and choose what feels best. A feeling I\u2019ve not always experienced in either my surroundings or myself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How the Women\u2019s Super League became the pinnacle of UK sapphic culture<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n