MEMORIES:

When Boy George sang about the Karma Chameleon, he might have been singing about himself. As the lead singer of Culture Club, Boy George presented a trimmed back sort of drag queen dressing that was a staple of the New Romantic movement in the ‘80’s.

 

The ‘70’s had their own share of androgyny, with the glamsters of the decade sporting full feminine dress. But the ‘80’s featured a more ambiguous look, with sexuality taking a back seat to fashion. Boy George – born George O’Dowd – didn’t wear dresses, but he wore long braided hair, tied extravagantly with ribbons and boys, and layers of pretty, feminine makeup. His music style was unthreatening Top 40 fodder, with songs like "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" and "Miss Me Blind," and his style seemed to mirror that.

 

Both boys and girls mimicked his look, unaware of the issues he was presenting. Boy George catered to his fans with a book called Boy George: Fashion and Make-up, which gave specific directions for how to achieve his style with makeup tips and fashion suggestions. When makeup-wearing boys Duran Duran hit the music charts, the androgynous look became even more popular. Finally, the Pet Shop Boys made the message more obvious when they wore shirts with the word “Boy” emblazoned on the front.

 

The androgynous look wasn’t specific to men either. Annie Lenox of Eurythmics had a signature style of men’s suits and a short, bristly, orange head of hair. Madonna wore men’s suits with huge shoulder pads and suspenders.

 

The sound of Culture Club eventually ran its course, and the Boy George look ran with it. But that subtle androgyny remains a fashion staple of 80’s culture.