It is saddening to know that people still cannot express themselves through their

fashion. People in Indonesia tend to correlate someone’s sex and gender when in fact, it does
not correlate. Gender is a social construct, while sex is something we were born with. Sex is
something biological. We cannot choose what would be our sex when we are born, while we
can choose to be masculine or feminine. Masculine and feminine itself is a social construct.
What happens with the policy towards boy teenagers in Citayam Fashion Week who
dress feminine cannot be separated from toxic masculinity and gender norms. Dr. Ellen
Hendriksen explains that toxic masculinity is something that happens when the concept of
masculinity is too restrictive for someone. In this case, the boys are restricted in dressing too
femininely. And then, gender has no relation with criminality. It is not a crime to be
ourselves. It is not a crime to express ourselves through fashion. Expressing yourself does not
harm any people. Why do the police think that these people should be put in order?
Indonesian people still believe that it is a significant fault and sinful for men to act feminine,
but it is okay for women to act masculine. According to WHO, 2.9% of 100,000 people in
Indonesia commit suicide, and men are the ones who dominate these deaths. Men are more
likely to commit suicide than women because they feel like they cannot fulfill the social role
of a male imposed by society. It is also shown in the article that people are okay with
masculinity but not with femininity. It shows how femininity still cannot be accepted in
society. To me, it is also strange how these people with ‘authority’ could think that boys who
dress feminine have social welfare problems. Why do people who dress feminine lacks social
welfare? As if Gucci does not hold a fashion show that features various wearables to break
masculine culture. They brought up the issue of toxic masculinity and gender norms at the
Milan Fashion Show back in 2020. So, to dress feminine does not mean they are poor, and to
dress masculine does not mean they are rich. It does not correlate. How someone expresses
themselves does not correlate with their economic or social class.
I think the Indonesian government should educate its government apparatus more,
especially in the humanities. It is dangerous for people with ‘authority’ to make policy
decisions if they do not have the education in being humans or in their working field. See
how dangerous it is when they also work in the field of humanity.