Perhaps to the surprise of modern upholders of certain gender-specific constructs, men have been wearing dresses for centuries. Ancient Romans wore draped togas. Men in the 14th century wore tights under skirts almost daily.
There used to be a time when men wore skirts and dresses. It was part of fashion, especially among noblemen. Until this fashion trend started to change in the 14th and 15th centuries. The European culture created shorter tunics for men while women were "draped" in "unshaped garments."
Skirts and dresses were everyday attire for most of humanity's ancient civilizations, regardless of gender. Egyptians wore schenti which were simple wrap around skirts, belted at the waist and sometimes pleated or gathered in the front.
Ancient times
Skirts have been worn since prehistoric times. They were the standard dressing for men and women in all ancient cultures in the Middle East. The Kingdom of Sumer in Mesopotamia recorded two categories of clothing. The ritual attire for men was a fur skirt tied to a belt called Kaunakes.
Perhaps the most obvious function of dress is to provide warmth and protection. Many scholars believe, however, that the first crude garments and ornaments worn by humans were designed not for utilitarian but for religious or ritual purposes.
Dresses and skirts used to be gender-neutral
And that outfit was considered gender-neutral. As shocking as it might seem today, it was considered perfectly normal for centuries. Children wore dainty white dresses up to age six or seven, without differentiating between boys and girls.
The reason why women earlier always wore dresses is straightforward: Clothes were expensive, and most people could only afford one outfit to wear. As most women were pregnant a large part of their life, their only functional option was a dress. Men did work where a dress was not always suitable.
The floor-length gown became an exclusively feminine item in the early 16th century. From 1530 female costume was composed of the bodice and the skirt or 'kirtle'; the one-piece outfit remained as a long undershift. This form of dressing was worn for ceremonial occasions until the 18th century.
The main reason for keeping boys in dresses was toilet training, or the lack thereof. The change was probably made once boys had reached the age when they could easily undo the rather complicated fastenings of many early modern breeches and trousers.
It actually wasn't until the early 19th century that Western men stopped mixing bloomers, skirts and long shirts with their wardrobe of breeches and stockings, and adopted slim trousers as standard masculine attire .
High heels, eyeliner and wigs - these and other items were originally made for men. For decades, years and even centuries civilisations have been socialised to gendered dressing. These days we know dresses and makeup to be for women and pants to be for men.
It's thought that all young children – boys and girls – wore dresses to make nappy changing and toilet training easier.
Since our start in October of 2009, the recorded number of dresses delivered is over one million to 81 countries! We now have Ambassadors all over the world.
The skirt goes back centuries in Ancient Egypt. Curiously the first 'skirts' were actually worn by men. These simple garments were similar to a wraparound skirt that was belted at the waist, called the Shendyt. This skirt was made from locally sourced materials, which in this case, was flax (linen).
Trousers on Horseback
The first recorded reports of trousers were made by sixth century BC Greek geographers. They noted the appearance of Persian, Eastern and Central Asian horse riders. The comfort they provided from extended periods on horseback made trousers a practical choice.
The Great Male Renunciation (French: Grande Renonciation masculine) is the historical phenomenon at the end of the 18th century in which Western men stopped using brilliant or refined forms in their dress, which were left to women's clothing.
There is nothing intrinsic bout skirts being only for females and it should be fine for boys to wear skirts as it is ok for girls to wear trousers. But in reality it would be quite odd so you need to understand why he want this.
Most school dress codes do not have specific rules that stop students from wearing clothes usually worn by the opposite gender (think of how many girls wear 'traditionally-male' clothes like pants, ties, men's dress shirts, men's sneakers, or heavy work boots).
Skirts have been worn since prehistoric times as the simplest way to cover the lower body. Figurines produced by the Vinča culture ( c. 5700–4500 BC) located on the territory of present-day Serbia and neighboring Balkans from the start of the copper age show women in skirt-like garments.
While there were some women who championed pants in the 19th century, pants as an acceptable everyday clothing option for women didn't truly catch on until the mid-20th century. The adoption of pants as a popular item of dress for women in Western society traces its roots to the mid-19th-century dress-reform movement.
Perhaps to the surprise of modern upholders of certain gender-specific constructs, men have been wearing dresses for centuries. Ancient Romans wore draped togas. Men in the 14th century wore tights under skirts almost daily.
The oldest known trousers, dating to the period between the thirteenth and the tenth centuries BC, were found at the Yanghai cemetery in Turpan, Sinkiang (Tocharia), in present-day western China. Made of wool, the trousers had straight legs and wide crotches and were likely made for horseback riding.
But, for decades, fashion has been limited by conventional gender norms, with separate clothing categories for men and women. Fortunately, the fashion industry is evolving as more designers embrace the notion of gender-neutral or unisex clothing lines.
Children dressing up as the opposite gender is very common (almost as common, in fact, as parents who are worried about this behavior.) But rest assured, it is perfectly normal. Dressing up and playing pretend is the activity of choice for children of this age.
It is a slightly older term that indicates that a garment or clothing line is intended to be worn by anyone across the gender spectrum. Unisex clothing is frequently described as gender inclusive. It often indicates a fit that is accommodating for different body types due to the clothes' shapes.