Throughout his career, Bad Bunny has never been afraid to give the middle finger to gender norms.
The reggaeton rapper opened up about his defiant style on the cover of Allure Magazine and why he's so open to exploring outside of what typically is deemed masculine, especially in the Spanish music world.
“It’s difficult to fathom,” he explained, crediting the many male boundary-pushers before him. “Because people before me have done what I do, breaking rules and pushing boundaries. But maybe I got here at the right time, with the right force, and everything aligned.”
The 27-year-old has been known to play with gender in his fashion, nails, and even music video. In his 2020 track, "Yo Perreo Sola", he even donned full drag for an I-twerk-alone anthem.
What gave Bunny that comfort to play around outside of the binary boxes of gender most people find themselves trapped in? He cites childhood shopping trips with his mom. It was "one of my favorite things because I would get lost in the women’s department, seeing the combinations, the colors, the cuts, the designs," he reflected. "And then it was my turn to buy clothes and it was boring as hell. The same jeans and T-shirts, jeans and T-shirts in different sizes. The women had it all!”
There's certainly a double standard in men's and women's fashion. "For women there are so many different types, colors, shapes, designs.... And what do men get? A beat-up old wallet to stuff in your pocket."
Photos from the cover story show Bunny with decorative tear-dropped makeup, dominoes for fingernails, and easily rocking a black skirt.
Some points were made!
Bunny has been an open LGBTQ+ ally, defending slain trains women on national television, calling out biases in hip-hop, and more. Last year, he responded to speculation about his own sexuality.
"It does not define me," he answered, open to whatever comes his way. "At the end of the day, I don’t know if in 20 years I will like a man. One never knows in life. But at the moment I am heterosexual and I like women."
