Tailor-Made Television: Breaking Stereotypes on Masculine Presenting Wardrobes

For too long, Hollywood has treated masculine presenting women like phantoms in the night. Visible enough to hint at their existence, yet never fully illuminated under the spotlight. These half drawn silhouettes often shuffled through stereotypical “tough girl” roles, condemned to the perimeter of the story. But times are definitely changing! Today, a growing cohort of masculine presenting women in film and TV are stepping into their power, smashing gender norms one tailored blazer at a time.

Think of representation in film and TV as a series of sliding doors. Each show or movie opens a door of possibility, inviting more diverse characters onto the stage. Early glimpses of stud like characters—often mislabeled or oversimplified—left the door only partially open. As the industry evolves, we’re finally witnessing the door swing wider, giving masculine presenting, androgynous, and trans masculine space to not just be seen, but to thrive.

A Modern Renaissance

In the same way the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s gave rise to cultural icons who flirted with gender fluidity, our current media era is experiencing a renaissance of its own. Shows like “The Chi” (created by Lena Waithe) and high profile events like the Met Gala highlight studs in glamorous attire (bold suits, statement sneakers, daring accessories) dissolving old assumptions about how female presenting individuals are “supposed” to dress.

Imagine Hollywood as an old coat closet: dusty, cluttered, and dominated by one size fits all jackets. Studs are the fresh wind blowing that closet door off its hinges. With each confident stride on the red carpet, each swagger filled scene on a streaming show, studs sweep away dust and rearrange the hangers to accommodate a more varied array of styles.

Storm Clouds and Vibrant Rainbows

Early portrayals of masculine presenting women often resembled storm clouds. If one lived under a rock imagine dark, brooding, occasionally menacing. Think of 1990s action flicks where the “butch sidekick” was merely a foil for the conventionally attractive heroine. Now, studs claim the whole rainbow: comedic leads, romantic interests, nuanced protagonists with emotional arcs and complex wardrobes. Their clothes aren’t just about toughness, they're about swagger, elegance, comfort, and, above all, authenticity. For visual effect...

Lena Waithe for Entertainment Weekly

Lena Waithe - Arguably one of the most visible studs on screen today, Waithe made history as the first Black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing in 2017. In her show “The Chi,” characters reflect the real world struggles and triumphs of Chicago’s South Side, challenging stereotypes about urban life and sexuality. Waithe’s personal fashion statements (fully tailored suits on the red carpet) illustrate how studs can be both unapologetically stylish and culturally influential.

Cleopatra “Cleo” Sims - 'Set It Off', 1996

Queen Latifah - While Queen Latifah's style has evolved over the years from Afrocentric royalty to more mainstream, feminine ensembles, she has played a few tomboy roles and made some pretty androgynous public appearances, her most infamous being Cleopatra “Cleo” Sims from the 1996 film ‘Set It Off’ where she won two Screen Actors Guild awards for her portrayal of the character. Flowers are still due! Her longevity in Hollywood speaks volumes about the range of the stud spectrum, even if she doesn't necessarily identify as a stud.

Samira Wiley at 2021 Emmys

Samira Wiley - Best known for her role as Poussey Washington on Orange Is the New Black, Samira Wiley brought the audience a character that was soft and strong, not containing the mold of a hardened inmate. Off screen, at various award shows and red carpet events, Wiley has mixed and matched her way through fashion choices that have gotten closer to blending upscale silhouettes with a subtle, tomboyish edge, further proving the range and fluidity possible within the realm of stud or androgynous style. More recently, her role in The Handmaid's Tale has proven her acting chops, showing her ability to morph into characters by creating a screen presence for those not readily accepted by society studs claiming space on screen.

AzMarie for ANTM

AzMarie Livingston - AzMarie broke into national consciousness when she rocked America's Next Top Model with a shaved head and tattooed arms, radiating cool self confidence. Later, she leaped into the music industry drama Empire in which her alternative, gender incongruous style really shone with the series' no holds barred attitude. Livingston in both forms of reality show and scripted dramas cements studs can excel on multiple structures as well as deliver an added element with their mere presence. Known to rebel against conformity she embraces her androgynous identity, which she sees as a harmonious balance of masculinity and femininity. In an interview with Chicago Pride, Azmarie reiterated that androgyny, which she has tattooed, is about appearance rather than sexuality and that everyone has a bit of androgyny within them, even if they are sometimes scared to embrace it.

Present Times, Influence, and Shifting Debates of Society

Queer entertainers are not only visualized through the silver or little screen as society becomes the great leveler. Networks such as Instagram, TikTok, as well as YouTube increase the scale of queer people holding no high profiles in mainstream televisions but influence thousands if not millions of its subscribers through posts on its channels. A mix of reels presenting outfit of the day, little clips of shootings from movies to talk shows in which actual voices of the real people enter and become a staple of everyday talk in contemporary times.

Headlines over the past few years have underlined the entertainment industry's mea culpa on diversity and inclusion. Talk shows bring on cast members of popular series to discuss LGBTQ+ themes openly, and award ceremonies stress messages of acceptance and self expression. And in this environment, studs are not a novelty but part of an ongoing cultural correction that understands that audiences want stories reflective of the full spectrum of identities found in the real world.

Shockingly, The COVID 19 pandemic had its consequences on representation, too. More time in homes with streaming services meant audiences broaden their horizons and discovered new shows with queer actors either in classic rewatches or new binges. It was all due to this increase in digital consumption that started demanding more diverse and inclusive characters. And today, competing with one another to win the race for diversity, steaming giants ensure LGBTQ+ people get a wide platform to be upfront.

Some of the Material in Question

• Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019): As much as this series played into stereotypes, it made room for characters like Big Boo (Lea DeLaria) to Rebel explicitly against feminine dress codes and adopt a stud identity behind bars.

• The L Word: Generation Q (2019–2023): Picking up several years after the events of the original series, “Generation Q” tries to course correct some of its predecessor’s missteps by welcoming more queer identities in particular, a greater number of studs and butches, which translates to deeper storytelling.

  
  

• Pose (2018–2021): While “Pose” is very much about the 1980s and 1990s ballroom scene, the series shows how historically marginalized queer communities have dictated modern media’s inclusivity. Though studs aren’t the focus of the series, its commitment to telling complex queer stories without exploiting them opened up possibilities for more inclusive casting across the board.

But with each passing season, as we watch people step out of the supporting shadows and into leading roles, it becomes clear they're doing more than redefining who gets to be the hero. They're redefining whole dialogues of style. From prime time TV to magazine covers, queer people show how the pieces of menswear suits, oxfords, suspenders can flow effortlessly with feminine silhouettes or none at all, forging a style entirely their own. The reverberation from that sartorial evolution resounds off screen and into how so many of us dress for work, parties, or even casual Sundays.

Crafting a New Script

We are watching, in real time, the unfolding of a watershed moment, the moment when people are no longer just the background color in somebody else's painting; they hold the brush. Whether it is Samira Wiley, looking flawless in a tuxedo at the Emmys, or AzMarie Livingston working it during a high fashion photoshoot, these women are rewriting the script on what it means to be both visible and celebrated within a medium that once was not so inviting.

As more queer people stride through Hollywood's gradually opening gates, they continue to dismantle the idea that there is one blueprint for female identity or presentation. This opens up an invitation to everybody inside and outside of the LGBTQ+ community to reimagine the ways in which style, storylines, and selfhood are inextricably linked. If the last few years have been any indicator, then the best is yet to come.

Note from the Author: What follows is an article meant to celebrate and dissect the increasingly stellar presence of masculine presenting, androgynous, and trans masculine in film and television. Examples included herein are only a small smattering of the greater landscape, which is gorgeously varied and in constant flux. Keep your eyes peeled for even more trailblazers on screen and in your everyday life molting their way along the path of fashion and identity, one scene at a time.