Though most of these movies are technically as straight as they come, their aesthetics are full-blown camp, and have subconsciously informed a generation's style choices decades later. Whether it was Sigourney Weaver's plain white tank in Alien or David Bowie's over-the-top looks in Labyrinth, on-screen icons paved the way for LGBTQ+'s hottest styles today.
This isn't to pigeon-hole LGBTQ+ fashion as its own separate entity in the world of aesthetics. Instead, it acknowledges the characters who queered our understanding of physical expression, either by defying gender norms or setting a standard for hotness that baffles the heteronormative, patriarchal mind.
The Parent Trap (1998)
The Parent Trap has no shortage of fashion icons, and each character's outfit holds its own unique nostalgia for devotees of the beloved Disney movie. Hallie feels like a character made to inspire young queer viewers—she wears flannels, jeans, cowboy hats, and helped her sister cut her hair and pierce her ears. And that's not even to mention Hallie's poker look: a green silk varsity jacket, black polish, and a messy bun.
Of course, a true fan could never forget "tie-dye girl," i.e., the camper who pulled Hallie's duffle bag out of a giant pile with ease and called the other girls "babe." There's also Chessy, Hallie's live-in nanny, who is perfectly dressed for a sapphic life on the vineyard.
Stick It (2006)
The rebellious Hailey has two choices, juvie or gymnastics training camp, and a judge assigns her the latter against her wishes. So, she shows up to the gym looking skater-chick chic, throwing tricks wearing sweats and a t-shirt over a long sleeve shirt (a classic mid-2000s look). Hailey's barefaced butchness, though suppressed, comes through the character at every chance she gets, and there's a good amount of sapphic tension among her teammates.
The film has a sweet moment of reversing gender norms when Hailey's skater friends go prom dress shopping with the gymnasts and try on dresses and makeup. In all, there's a lot of goofy, anarchist energy in this movie. Hopefully, this film will inspire sporty gays for decades to come.
Freaky Friday (2003)
One would be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn't transformed by the punk rock aesthetic in this Lindsay Lohan body-switching classic. She has funky highlights, and so do her friends, and every outfit includes something slightly ripped, belly bearing, or chains.
While Lohan's girl band and their punk looks are a major inspiration, Chad Michael Murray's character is the hair-gelled bad boy with a sensitive side we all aspire to be. He wears a string choker, long-sleeved T-shirts, and motorcycle jackets, with his golden locks flopping stiffly from his middle part. Paired with Jamie Lee Curtis, there is a cool sapphic dynamic between her pixie cut and his tucked-behind-the-ears bob, and they honestly have better chemistry than Lohan and Murray's more traditional romantic pairing.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Where to even start with Ferris Bueller and his fashion-forward friends? First, of course, there's his iconic parade look—stripped of his faux letterman jacket, he rocks a white t-shirt, wool cheetah print vest, jeans, and his long boy-cut hair. And, of course, there's his girlfriend Sloan in a fringed white cowboy-style leather jacket, white boots, and high-waisted dad shorts complete with a chunky brown belt.
The incomparable Jennifer Grey plays Ferris' sister, Jeanie, in an oversized peach sweater with patches, a white button-up with painted bodies on it, black capris, and Nike sneakers. Her attitude, combined with her style, cements Jeanie's legacy as the mean femme we all strive to be.
Grease (1978)
Sandy's transformation into a veritable '70s era "baddie" is, of course, one of the most referenced makeovers in all of cinematic history. Queerness in itself implies a personal metamorphosis beyond society's heteronormative standards, and Sandy reinventing her good-girl image as a smoking hottie knocks Danny completely off his axis.
He, in turn, tries to transform his bad-boy persona into a sweater-wearing sweetheart, demonstrating that Grease puts its protagonists smack dab in the middle of discovering their selfhood and outward expression. What's more LGBTQ+ relatable than experimenting with new looks and coming to with the potential setbacks of judgment and reputation?
Some Kind Of Wonderful (1987)
Few characters look as queer as Watts, the protagonist's best friend who is secretly in love with him. Watts has spiked-up blonde hair and wears a combination of a black leather jacket, red fingerless gloves, a loose white tank, and a little vest. Not to mention her dog tag necklace and keys chained to her belt loop, both sacrosanct moves for straight men and very gay women today.
Then there's the fluffy-haired dreamboat Keith, a soft-hearted artist who sneaks under the social radar at school. Keith is caught between Amanda, the femme popular girl, and his best friend Watts, who is androgynous-hot and arguably has more masculine energy than he does. In the end, Watts wins his heart, and when they kiss, their haircuts make them look like a cute lesbian couple.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
This movie provided the blueprint for all the artsy queer vibes a femme could ever need via Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Margot. Though she wears an elegant fur coat, her blue striped polo dress, loafers, sleek bob, and red hair clip could have come straight out of a Pinterest post.
Margot's makeup is a statement that she was born to stand out—thick eyeliner and rosy lipstick add to her campy version of femininity, which has become decidedly queer-coded in fashion today. Margot also hides her smoking habit from her husband, as well as her extra-marital dalliances; this secretiveness mirrors the experience of self-repression, as she remains in a metaphorical closet for most of the film.
Clueless (1995)
This '90s fave has camp down to a science, and its protagonist, Cher, never goes long without a shiny gloss, feather boa, or matching plaid top and bottom. The ing characters are oozing with style, too—femme-presenting folks can take cues from Tai or Dionne when it comes to wow-worthy academia-inspired fashion (think collars, headbands, lots of plaids, and anything that buttons up).
But a relatively underrated LGBTQ+ fashion icon in the film is none other than Josh, played by the seemingly immortal Paul Rudd. Josh dresses solely in band t-shirts, baseball caps, and faded oversized flannels while remaining an absolute knockout, and he inspires viewers to embrace their butch basics. Last but not least is Christian, Cher's crush and the film's suavest dresser. Christian stole hearts with his Panama hat, black t-shirts, dress pants, and slicked-back hair, and he pretty much looks like one of the Jersey Boys. And LGBTQ+ fans can emulate his look for a night out without too much fuss.
Matilda (1996)
Matilda's signature red ribbon is a wardrobe staple, and she never missed with her sweet dresses. She also rocks a ton of striped t-shirts, which are a queer go-to. But the ultimate wardrobe upgrade comes, of course, when she is adopted by none other than the queer icon herself, Miss Honey. In the film's epilogue, Matilda is chilling in a French-inspired striped boat shirt while Miss Honey looks almost like one of her students, wearing a pink t-shirt and denim overalls.
The characters have a newfound freedom to exist without restrictive parental figures in their lives, and without their interference, they both begin dressing and playing like kids again. In a way, the new mother-daughter duo enacts their own coming out story, finally allowed to be their true, magical selves.
The Matrix (1999)
Keanu Reeves was arguably the original shaved-bald baddie who inspired so many young LGBTQ+ folks to lose their locks the first chance they got. Okay, he might be tied with Natalie Portman's shaved look in V for Vendetta. With black leather jackets, tight pants, and custom bodysuits like Trinity's, there's apparently no better way to fit into the Matrix than looking like a '90s vampire.
Combined with opaque black sunglasses, gelled hair, and overall aerodynamics, these super slick looks bring conformity to the ensemble that is both intimidating and incredibly hot. For anyone looking for a unified yet badass look, The Matrix has them covered.
