A small, shiny, flat piece of plastic or metal used to decorate clothing, costumes, or accessories. Sequins reflect light and make surfaces sparkle.
From French 'sequin', from Italian 'zecchino', a gold coin originally minted in Venice, from 'zecca' meaning 'mint'. The word shifted from meaning a coin to meaning a coin-shaped decoration.
Sequins started life as money—tiny coins stitched onto clothing both as decoration and portable wealth. Today’s plastic sequins are like the glittery ghost of old gold currency.
Sequins have been culturally associated with femininity, performance, and later queer and drag cultures, while men's formal wear was coded as more subdued. This fed into norms that treated decorative or sparkling clothing as inappropriate or unserious for men and masculine-presenting people.
Use 'sequin' neutrally for any gender, and avoid mocking or trivializing people—especially men, nonbinary, or trans people—for wearing sequined clothing.
["embellished","decorated","sparkling"]
Fashion and costume design using sequins has relied heavily on the labor and creativity of women and queer communities; acknowledge these contributions when discussing performance cultures.
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