I've been meaning to write a post about style and personality for a few days, but I'm still having trouble putting together exactly what I want to say. In light of that, I want to talk about Style and masculinity today.
Now, I probably don't need to tell the men who read my blog posts this, but there seems to be some sort of intrinsic fear that men have about being stylish or fashionable. Perhaps it has to do with the latter part of the 20th century when everyone relaxed a little too much in the way they dress, and men simply lost their way. Or perhaps, due to the nature of gender division, style and fashion became something of the feminine realm, to be avoided by men who had "more important things to do". Regardless, it has come about that, in mainstream masculinity, being fashion or stylish is simply "not something that men DO". That's bullshit. Here's why:
Now, for the most part, it would seem that men think of being fashionable or stylish as a whimsical thing, something feminine that men do not participate in. Those men who are interested in developing their sense of style have long been in the minority. In my attempts to develop my sense of style, the jokes never stopped. The truth of the matter is that I don't think men are afraid of fashion and style because they think it is a little feminine, but rather because they don't understand it.
In our modern society, perhaps the previous generation of men did lose their way stylistically, but as a result, our generation (Generation Y, the Millennials, whatever the hell you want to call it), was never taught how to dress ourselves like men; how to show even an inkling of style.
There are many ways to dress a man, and the narrative that has driven men's style throughout the late 80s and 90s and into the early 2000s was that of a more feminine form of male dress, which quickly became associated with homosexual men (another thing which men commonly fear because they don't understand, if I may say so). So, with no role models, and a primarily emasculated form of dress in men's fashion, men had no options, no understanding, and for the most part relegated fashion to something that belonged to the domain of women and gay men. However, that tide is turning.
See, men do want to look good. They do want to have style. I've worked in fashion retail for some time, specializing in menswear, and every day I have had more than one of my customers come up to me and express that they'd like to dress better, and show some more style, but they simply don't know how to, or where to even start. It is this combination of the lack of teaching and a predominantly feminine way of dressing men that has castrated men's style, and left guys unable to find a way. It is only the few men who have sought their own path, and are starting to shape a more masculine form of fashion for men.
This young generation of men who were never taught how to dress are now coming into their own, and there are more and more men seeking their own individualized understanding of style, leading to an explosion in the options for men as the market tries to keep up and this is slowly redefining masculine style. Look to the latest fashion narrative of men as the outdoorsman to see how.
What is needed now is for this generation of men to teach their sons how to dress. Style is an aspect of identity, and one that men have been lacking in for far too long. It's time for that to change, and I'll certainly do whatever I can to help bring about that change. I hope that all of the men who read this are prepared to follow suit (Pun very intended). What do you think about the evolution of men and style over the last few decades? Why have things become the way they are, and where will masculine style go next?
- Mr. S
Now, I probably don't need to tell the men who read my blog posts this, but there seems to be some sort of intrinsic fear that men have about being stylish or fashionable. Perhaps it has to do with the latter part of the 20th century when everyone relaxed a little too much in the way they dress, and men simply lost their way. Or perhaps, due to the nature of gender division, style and fashion became something of the feminine realm, to be avoided by men who had "more important things to do". Regardless, it has come about that, in mainstream masculinity, being fashion or stylish is simply "not something that men DO". That's bullshit. Here's why:
Now, for the most part, it would seem that men think of being fashionable or stylish as a whimsical thing, something feminine that men do not participate in. Those men who are interested in developing their sense of style have long been in the minority. In my attempts to develop my sense of style, the jokes never stopped. The truth of the matter is that I don't think men are afraid of fashion and style because they think it is a little feminine, but rather because they don't understand it.
In our modern society, perhaps the previous generation of men did lose their way stylistically, but as a result, our generation (Generation Y, the Millennials, whatever the hell you want to call it), was never taught how to dress ourselves like men; how to show even an inkling of style.
There are many ways to dress a man, and the narrative that has driven men's style throughout the late 80s and 90s and into the early 2000s was that of a more feminine form of male dress, which quickly became associated with homosexual men (another thing which men commonly fear because they don't understand, if I may say so). So, with no role models, and a primarily emasculated form of dress in men's fashion, men had no options, no understanding, and for the most part relegated fashion to something that belonged to the domain of women and gay men. However, that tide is turning.
See, men do want to look good. They do want to have style. I've worked in fashion retail for some time, specializing in menswear, and every day I have had more than one of my customers come up to me and express that they'd like to dress better, and show some more style, but they simply don't know how to, or where to even start. It is this combination of the lack of teaching and a predominantly feminine way of dressing men that has castrated men's style, and left guys unable to find a way. It is only the few men who have sought their own path, and are starting to shape a more masculine form of fashion for men.
This young generation of men who were never taught how to dress are now coming into their own, and there are more and more men seeking their own individualized understanding of style, leading to an explosion in the options for men as the market tries to keep up and this is slowly redefining masculine style. Look to the latest fashion narrative of men as the outdoorsman to see how.
What is needed now is for this generation of men to teach their sons how to dress. Style is an aspect of identity, and one that men have been lacking in for far too long. It's time for that to change, and I'll certainly do whatever I can to help bring about that change. I hope that all of the men who read this are prepared to follow suit (Pun very intended). What do you think about the evolution of men and style over the last few decades? Why have things become the way they are, and where will masculine style go next?
- Mr. S
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