Clothes from the Decade They Came Out

Like Pavlov's dogs, dykes find something that works for them, and they just keep on doing it. For many lesbians, the first time they really know themselves, that they are who they really are, is when they come out. It's a heady time. They're dressing to impress the ladies, who are falling for all their dykey charms. And it works, they get some action, they fall in love, they move in together (cause that's what they do).

Years pass. They have a string of relationships. They're still friends with all their old girlfriends. And sadly, they still dress the way they did 20 years ago. Why wouldn't they? They look good in bolo ties! Those acid-washed jeans are one of a kind, and look great with their polo shirts (collars turned up).

One immediately begins to wonder, "Where do they find these clothes?" It brings to mind an old Seinfeld episode where Jerry's father has brand new clothes that look just like his old clothes, causing Jerry to wonder if they have old man stores. Obviously there must be old lesbian stores as well (though they might actually be the same store, but that's another topic).

What is interesting about lesbians, and what differentiates them from a similar pattern seen in men, is that the decade they cling to could happen anywhere in life. Whereas men tend to stick to what was popular in their twenties, a lesbian who came out in her forties will wear the fashion of the time. This is how the sixty year-old dykes with pink hair, rainbow colored earrings, ACT-UP t-shirts, denim jackets, and doc martens happen. They are made, not born. And in this case, that making happened in the early nineties.

If you're a lesbian and you have been buying the same shoes every year (docs for the winter, Birkenstocks for the summer) for the last 10 years, it's time for a change. Or this could be you.

[No dyke we know would pose for a picture associated with this post]