Unisex

Unisex

Adjective · /ˈjuːnɪseks/ · designed to be suitable for both men and women

Definition

Unisex describes something — typically clothing, toiletries, hairstyles, facilities, or products — designed to be appropriate for, or usable by, both men and women without distinction. A unisex bathroom serves all genders. A unisex jacket is cut to fit any body. A unisex fragrance is marketed to everyone. The word implies the removal of gender-specific design — a deliberate choice to create something inclusive by not targeting one gender over the other.

Origin

Unisex is a mid-twentieth-century coinage, first recorded in English in the 1960s. It combines the prefix uni-, from the Latin unus meaning one, with sex from the Latin sexus, referring to biological classification. The compound means one sex — or rather, for one category regardless of sex. The word emerged alongside second-wave feminism and the cultural upheavals of the 1960s, when fashion, design, and social norms began explicitly challenging the strict separation of male and female spheres. Designers like Pierre Cardin and Mary Quant championed the unisex aesthetic, and the word entered mainstream usage almost immediately.