South Beach Fashion Shoot from one small seed on Vimeo.

To be more candid, the narrative is a screaming homophile manifestation; typified by the model’s oiled body glossing the pages and a fluffy rat-like companion complementing the pink midriffs and sailor paraphernalia. This man drenched in feminine inflections got me thinking about the androgynous nature of pop culture and the first iconic gender-benders who upset the conservatives in the early ’70s.

We have moved into an age that transcends the onset of metrosexuality, past the point of David Beckham assuring everyone that it is cool to frost their hair and decorate their ears. I’m talking about the engagement of boy/girl and the fading distinction that still makes the backline of first-team rugby shudder.

One can trace the infiltration of androgyny quite simply throughout the decades. It was first hinted at during the cultural revolution of the ’60s – that era where flowers had powers and we had our first glimpses of long-haired men in flared pants. The general mood of the day was in keeping kaleidoscopes in your eyes, anti-war protests and loving thy neighbour as thoroughly as possible. It wasn’t until the ’70s came swinging in through the svelte hips of Prince and Michael Jackson that new meaning attached itself to the idea of androgyny. Even David Bowie was reincarnated in the form of his androgynous exemplar, Ziggy Stardust. Bowie’s biographer David Buckley declared that Ziggy Stardust ‘created perhaps the biggest cult in popular culture’.

As one would expect, the mainstream puppet masters of the ’70s and ’80s tried to rally the population into a climate of fear – in the name of national interest, of course – as their normative values of gender role and behaviour were being challenged. This new league of expressionists were criticised for emulating offensive, communist and even demonic values. And when the folly of those claims were overshadowed by the avalanche of success and popularity of these icons, people felt uncomfortable and quickly eased their awkward selves by equating high-pitched notes and lacy attire with homosexuality.

Isn’t irony the best? Its timely smugness points out that these ‘homosexuals’ have been linked or married to a catalogue of some of the most beautiful women in the world such as Iman, Carmen Electra and Brooke Shields – not to mention the legions of female fans that go to bed at night wishing their love would be requited.

Despite sexy being a word that can no longer be thrown around too liberally (since its decimation as the tagline of advertisers and the C-rate songstress), this celebration of the human is an exception. It has been proven that people who embrace the natural features of masculine (instrumental) and feminine (expressive) traits are more mentally healthy then those who invest solely on one end of the spectrum. Neither manhood nor the idealisation of the lady is under threat. There is simply a shift on consciousness as we begin to realise that emotion has no gender.

words by: Megan King

Here’s one for the aphorists; a new religion ‘preached on a philosophy of non-prechiness.’ Its sounds refreshing, even though divulging into the origins of this sentiment may raise a disapproving eyebrow on right while leaving the leftfield in hysterics.

The religion is known as ‘Dudeism,’ a reference to the celebrated film The Big Lebowski that was produced by the Coen Brothers in 1998. I was initially sceptical about the idealisation of a rusty, idle hippy incarnated by Jeff Bridges and it’s relevance to religion, but further insight would reveal the merits of the ‘Dude.’

The easy-going and worry free character of the ‘Dude’ is asked to inspire people to do the same, and free themselves from the chaos and anxious environment we have cultivated. Rather than success being measured by money and materialism, the soul should be satisfied. This inner peace and happiness cannot be achieved under the stresses of the relentless capitalist master. So the ‘Dude’ aptly suggests, ‘as Lenin said, look for the person who will benefit.’

Oliver Benjamin or the ‘Dudely Lama,’ spent ten years backpacking the whimsical treasures of the East where he studied a variety of religions and philosophies along the way.  The Church of the Latter-day Dude (yes, that is for real) is located in Chiang Mai, a bustling city in the tropics of Thailand. It was conceived during a screening of the film in the same city, which Benjamin describes as being an illuminating, surreal experience.

‘Dudeism’ is the marriage of a pop culture phenomenon and ancient teachings based on the Eastern philosophies of Lao Tzu’s Tao and Epicurus. The tripod of influence supports the notion of a society free from imposed ‘norms’ and pressures.

Benjamin still dreams of a world in which robots replace human labour so that we can be left to the living and experiencing part. This hedonistic   ethos may come to contradict, even offend people and other great philosophers who believe in the concept of hard work and reward.  However, Benjamin ensures that the ‘Dude’ is an extreme case and free time should not be spent on plunder but rather personal growth and gaining inner peace.

A plethora of different religions exit today, each with its own rulebook to govern every crevice of life. Traditional religion is something to be respected but not imposed. Everyone should decide what influences the feel connected to when living their lives, for instance who they choose to love; and when they wake up on a yellow Sunday, it shouldn’t be a sin for wanting to wear shorts.

In an age of libertarianism the longhaired, robe-esq attire of the ‘Dude’ suggests a kind of new-age Jesus. The resemblance is uncanny. Interestingly, Benjamin has always wanted to start a religion- I’m sure no one guessed that The Big Lebowski could be potentially their new source of divine authority. I can see the Coen Brother’s smiling now.

WORDS: MEGAN KING