Post Malone Casually Dons Dress for Billboard Magazine Cover

Post Malone graced the cover of Billboard magazine recently wearing a genuine statement piece for a rapper — a dress.

The article itself centered around the musician’s pseudo-break from music and how he’s been spending the pandemic at his “mountain hideaway,” not even mentioning the dress he wore in several of the photos beyond crediting his stylist, Catherine Hahn. And that’s actually kind of amazing. He’s just a dude in a dress.

As usual, comments on the photos reposted on various social media accounts jumped between people who applauded him for breaking gender norms and people who complained that we need to “bring back manly men,” as if clothing is what defines that.

But the casual inclusion of an outfit that is generally considered feminine, without the artist or publication making a big deal out of it, might signal an exciting kind of progress. Queer men wearing feminine clothing in the public eye is a bold statement, a reminder that the outliers won’t be silenced by heteronormative cisgender-centric society. Straight men (or men who are presumed to be straight) doing the same is often lauded as a similarly bold break from the norms.

But Post Malone simply wearing a dress to wear a dress without a ton of fanfare behind it brings us right back to normal, in a way.

Of course, it isn’t the first time the “Rockstar” singer has donned a dress for a special occasion. In 2020, he paid tribute to Kurt Cobain’s iconic look during a fundraiser, and later posted a picture in a different dress to Instagram just to say he looked cute.

Seeing anyone explore fashion as a way to feel comfortable with themselves, regardless of any stereotypes or stigmatism attached to specific styles, is always inspirational. But the more people like Post Malone opt to keep doing that, going against the grain without making it seem like a huge deal, the more specific looks will become less boldly inspiring and more…normal. And that isn’t a bad thing.