Frilly lace socks, burgundy mary janes, gingham placket blouse, box shoulder bag with ribbons, a slutty scarlet corset, bow shaped jewelry, siren core specs, morandi note tabs, Kuromi themed pen holder, hello kitty notepads, pastel highlighters, kanken bag and offo! Soooooo many things to own, to own your queerness through these materialistic markers.
If there’s one easy, foolproof way to show your queerness, it is through fashion and accessories. Want to take a peek in my cluttered wishlist? Ok, fine!
Sleeveless rib-knitted racer back
Photo credit: Pinterest
With a blend of 99% cotton and 100% slutty shoulders (I don’t know math!), this is a versatile option to pair with either baggy jorts or jeans. The hint of bra strap visible through the racerback is a way to assert the dominance of the gay girlie gaze 😉
Burgundy dual strap Mary Janes
Photo credit: Theatre.xyz
Giving the ballet flats a tough battle, the dual strap Mary Janes give me the chaotic bi panic energy of why do I have to pick? Block heels for stability and height to tower over short kings, queens and monarchs (in case they’re non-binary?). In the price range of a cozy outside date, I’m obsessed with the bold color and the gold detailing on the buckle.
And yet it stays on my wishlist because as a serial public transportation user in India, I need my comfy paragon slippers more than this, unfortunately.
Chunky Loafers
Photo credit: h&m
These loafers with golden accents have been on my wishlist for 3 years now. With a 4cm platform heel, it assures me functionality and fashion, which means I don’t have to deal with numbing my toes while I walk places. Pair it with trousers and it becomes my go-to himbo, ‘I’m just ken’ kind of outfit ; or pair it up with a dress, a pair of loose socks, and it could be alt and comfortable. Available in imitation leather (currently being branded as ‘vegan’), I want to buy it to live out my fluid dreams of going between femme and masc moods through the outfits I wear.
Set of Striped Front Button Vest or Blazer & Wide Leg Pants
Photo credit: Littlebox India
Advertised as workwear, in my head I already know, it’s going to come out looking like Kristen Stewart in a pixie cut when paired with a killer brown lip combo. Standing at a price point of grabbing everyone’s eyeballs, it has pockets and a price that requires me to solely take public transportation to save up on money. The wide leg pant gives my wide hips and thighs a break from being perceived, allowing me to a little wiggle-room in what I am going for. Do I want to be taken seriously or be seen as sexy? You tell me, or actually, hold that thought; don’t.
Quirky Jhola
Photo credit: Juhu Beach Studio
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but something everything about a bright neon blue and pink heart cut-out tote bag just screams GAY! to me. From the pointy silhouette to the solid color palette, everything feels funny and silly, much like how I cope with my identity on some hopeful days. I mean, the funkier the accessory, the more space for me to be camp and queer. And especially if it is from a sustainable, homegrown brand, the high price point I’d be paying in hope that it’s going to pay fair wages for the labour instead of simply linking the pockets of an Instagram influencer makes sense as a progressive liberal person. But then again, I remember that I also have a middle class lens and find myself growing into my mother when I say: ‘yeh toh apna tailor buss 250/- mei sil ke dega’ (translation: this would be easily stitched by our tailor for only ₹250/-)
Uniqlo built in bra tank top
Photo credit: Uniqlo
Be it Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft to Umang Singh in Four More Shots Please! Wherever you land on the spectrum with white vests, tank tops have always been very queer-coded. But styling it as a desi queer girlie is a headache because sleeveless tops = always adjusting the bra strap or else face the wrath of the aunty gaze. The trending built-in bra tank top solves this so effortlessly. This is what those menstrual companies think they’re doing when they show the women wearing their pads frolicking and cartwheeling in those ads (they are not even close).
Choker
Photo credit: Pexels
Queerness and kinky fashion have always coexisted, thanks to their subversive, non-normative approach. From goth to e-girl and even punk, chokers are an effective way to sneak in a quick nod to the gays and the theys and all the others, signalling that you’re one of them. As a desi queer, I find it difficult to incorporate it on the regular, but when you do queer fashion: the more out of place, the better!
Print shirts
Photo credit: The Souled Store
Flamboyant prints for the win! These loose airy shirts give the onlookers a very ‘do I have boobs or not’ kind of vibe and that’s very fun because it sends across chaotic ripples among the heteronormative. The wacky patterns also serve as a quick pick-me-up on a low day where body dysmorphia (or even dysphoria) has assumed the driver’s seat. It masks the silhouette that I possess.
On that note, everybody say thank you to Billie Eilish for bringing baggy in on our mobile screens!
Queer Pins
Photo credit: Reypin store
What’s better to set the gaydar off than showing off your queer side not so subtly. The cat makes it better, because technically, people can’t clock you if you’re a cat lover or a pride flag-haver, you decide. But as much as quirky of a callback it is to your identity, try taking your tote bag with this pin in desi public transportation packed with people. One dhakka (push) and your pin is nowhere to be found 🙁
Chunky Ceramic Jewelry
Photo credit: Pinterest
Revenge for Marie Kondo’s minimalism, these chunky ceramic handmade charms feel very queer coded to me, personally. While it is very fashion girlie energy, the mix-match customization and the DIY core says otherwise. The intricate designs with colorful beads and chunky gold chain scream camp, cluttered and queer. Since, ceramic is an expensive medium to keep up with, I find it too much of a drag (not the serving lewks kind) to bother buying. The jugaadu (DIY), brokie budget version of this, according to me, would be with air dry clay, trust me, tried and tested!
Eyeshadow
Photo credit: MARS Cosmetics
A blend of playful, personal and political, makeup can be a fun, exhilarating way to give the folks a sneak peak of what’s inside of you aka who you truly are. Like all makeup, its ephemeral nature allows you to take charge of when you want to step into the limelight and show off your fabulousness. Use a touch of eyeshadow to publicly profess and protest against the patriarchal rules.
Note: Best done if the patterns and the colors become more glitter-ier, more shinier
Tattoos
Photo credit: Pexels
Scrapbooking my body with important milestones or maybe a meaningless quirky artwork? Sign me up for it! Tattoos, be it hidden or out and loud, can be a quick wink to signal your queer rebel spirit. The process and its permanency makes the whole ordeal very intimate and vulnerable, making you overwhelmed. Plus, how good is it going to translate from the brain to an art piece? From vetting an artist to figuring out your budget, seems too heavy not just on the wallet but also on the mind. Guess, I’ll have to park that thought for another day!
Piercings
Photo credit: Pexels
With a history of body euphoria and signaling to other queer peeps, piercings go beyond just the aesthetics. Being queer comes with the realization that the ‘norm’ doesn’t make much sense, so why stop at labels? Just lean or rather jump and throw yourself into it, to piss more people off, to be truly your rebellious self! And that includes piercings! Especially, as a bi woman, if tomorrow you see me with a septum piercing, know that that’s my uniform and I’m simply marking my attendance.
Dyed Hair
Photo credit: Pexels
They say don’t judge a book by its cover but sometimes as a queer person you kinda want them to clock you as queer girlie. Dyed hair works wonders, add a mullet or undercut, and you’re ready to enter your baddie era. You get to control the narrative, a streak of your hair or the entirety of your head plus the eyebrows, you pick your intensity of identity. The quick fix is boxed hair dye ranging anywhere from a 100/- to 700/- depending on the rarity of colour. But a commitment to dyed hair is not just applying but maintaining the colour. This means an additional purchase of protective hair care which includes shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, oil, serum and don’t forget the count the number of times you wash your hair. All this seems a hassle and heavy on my pockets which is why the only colour I’ll be sporting is grey. Who is my hair stylist you ask? Late stage capitalism itself!
So Add To Cart? (Or Rot In The Cart?)
So, choice is yours… but also not really. With micro trends popping up every five seconds, fast fashion’s endless temptations, and big media corporations shoving ads in your face, it’s a wonder any of us have the energy left to practice our queerness. And let’s be real, trying to afford the stuff that truly helps you express your fabulous self? It’s like navigating a minefield of priorities—like, are we really supposed to choose between cabbage and concealer? In this economy, I’d say tamatar over top-shelf makeup any day. But here’s the twist: being queer means you’ve already got the jugaadu skills to recycle, repair, and reinvent like a pro. Who needs designer labels when your local tailor can make your shirt as masc as you want it? Or why book a fancy studio when your friend’s got a stick-and-poke kit? Swap out that Bobbi Brown for Blue Heaven and voilà—you’ve nailed the art of queer styling on a budget. After all, in queerness, everything is fair game—and the best looks are the ones you make your own!
