Boyfriend jeans. One Google search will reveal an abundance of stores from Urban Outfitters to Old Navy that sell denim for women under this name. But if you google “girlfriend jeans,” the same stores will pop up, again selling pants for women.

If boyfriend jeans are made for women, why are girlfriend jeans not made for a men?

Clothing the Gender Gap, a photo exhibition by University of Wisconsin student Natalie Kirk, aims to tackle the boyfriend/girlfriend denim debate, as well as other overpowering gender apparel issues.

In its opening reception Friday, Kirk displayed a series of portraits of men wearing traditionally female-associated clothing. The opening, which Gallery 7 of the Humanities Building hosted, brought together Madison students and community members to observe Kirk’s artistic statements and initiate a conversation about gender and sexuality.

Kirk’s inspiration for Clothing the Gender Gap was rooted in her experience with female fashion and the male gaze in other works of media.

“At Kohl’s, I got a pair of boyfriend socks,” Kirk said. “They’re socks, there’s nothing sexual about socks, and the reason I went after that is you never see it the other way. When men dress like women or look like women, it’s called transvestic fetishism. So it’s still a mental illness to dress in non-gendered clothing.”

By photographing men and their bodies in female clothing, Kirk is raising questions about the male gaze in artistic and commercial works.

“No matter what art you’re looking at, it seems like women and women’s bodies are the main focus,” Kirk said. “Men photograph women, women photograph women. Everyone paints women, and it’s constant.”

The portrayal of men in nontraditional ways raises questions that Kirk wants the public to discuss. In women’s clothing, when are the men sexy? Are they in costume? Are they celebrating women or mocking them? Kirk asks these questions in her artist statement, but whether or not visitors read it Friday night, these questions still lingered throughout the air in the gallery and in quiet, intimate conversations.

Whether uncomfortable or freeing, Clothing the Gender Gap is opening minds and conversations. Kirk is launching change in gender and sexuality. With her help and the help of others, perhaps men will be able to find girlfriend jeans at their favorite stores one day.