Fashioning Masculinity
Photo taken from weheartit.com
By Nizza Munoz
Men are not normally associated with fashion, let alone do we as a society think of them as fashion icons.
Yet we are seeing a substantial amount of men coming out of their man caves and donning on the latest trends.
Within the fashion realm these days, being manly has less to do with a wife beater and footy shorts and more to do with how GQ you can be.
There was once a time when men could walk around in their bell-bottom pants and disco shirts and boogie the night away underneath that illustrious mirror ball.
Fortunately for us younger generation Saturday Night Fever is long dead and buried.
The question being raised now is what this means to our society and what it means to the evolving nature of masculinity.
The general consensus in this day and age is that men who are unusually well dressed must be gay. Like many myths however, this is completely false. Males don’t have to be flaming homosexuals to have a sense of style, simply have an eye for what looks good.
Men’s apparel for instance is currently being put through a recycling stage where everything that was once vintage is now in popular demand.
Influenced by the prestigious 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s era, men are once again interested in getting acquainted with haute couture. Following World War II, Paris fashion houses re-opened and regained their title of the capital of high fashion.
Prior to the 1940s, governments had restricted the use of wool; this ensured that single-breasted jackets and pleat-free pants became the norm. During the 1940s however, wartime restrictions on fabrics had eased which allowed men’s suits to once again become double-breasted with broad shoulders while trousers became fuller, and were usually styled with up turned cuffs.
Britain’s Saville Row introduced the ‘New Edwardian Look’ in the 1950s, which featured a slightly flared jacket, natural shoulders, and an overall narrower cut.
The media is probably the most prominent leader in influencing men the fashion department and creating new subcultures. This is prominently due to their overwhelming power to create discussion and change with what they publish.
Men’s lifestyle magazines like GQ, Men’s Style, and Esquire for example are re-introducing the ‘Edwardian period’ and the ‘Teddy Boys’ subculture.
British subculture ‘Teddy Boys’ were characterised as young men who wore clothes that were partly inspired by the style worn by ‘dandies’ in the Edwardian period. It began in 1950, and rapidly spread across the UK, which later became associated with American rock and roll. Teddy Boy clothing included tapered trousers, long jackets and fancy waistcoats. The outfit was also comprised of a high-necked loose collared white shirt, a narrow maverick tie. Favoured footwear to complete the ensemble was high polished ‘Oxfords’, which were chunky brogues.
Many fashion developments today are gaining inspiration from previous subcultures like the ‘Teddy Boy’ era. Recently the ‘hipster’ trend has become a popular subculture that has dabbled into some early fashion influences. In Australia, some members of society view this trend with some distaste, despite this however it still remains widely fashionable in the consumer market.
Normally an individual would never consider themselves ‘hipsters’ but for clarification purpose; they are people who enjoy purchasing vintage clothing, grow beards, wear thick-rimmed glasses, eat organic foods and have their hair styled in a messy fashion. When society imagines a hipster in their heads what usually comes to mind is a man and not just any man but one who has failed in his masculinity. This like many stereotypes is untrue.
Most of the hatred in Australia for the hipster subculture is based on an unyielding urge to police masculinity. It’s maliciousness against effeminate tendencies that often contains a seething hint of homophobia. Hipster males challenge social norms of men’s fashion by being decorative while regular males continue with the classic ‘penguin’ suits.
The main problem in Australia regarding fashion is that we have a very narrow range of models of masculinity. You can either be The Man from Snowy River, or Priscilla the Queen of the Desert. For instance Britain have individuals like Daniel Craig or Colin Firth who are always immaculately dressed to impress and happen to come across as very virile males, especially when you consider the number of their female fan base. Australia on the other hand has only a few leading male models like Hugh Jackman or Guy Pierce as guides.
In a world where it is perfectly normal to be straight, gay, emotional or silent, the hipster male is being labeled as gay and becomes the subject of homophobic jokes and ridicule. Most of this anger and derision comes from alpha male counterparts that believe challenging the standard of masculinity is criminal and shouldn’t be done, which is one of the reasons that subjects such as homosexuality, dressing and taking care of their appearance are not accepted.
What is interesting to note is that fashion in general doesn’t prevent individuals from being cold or walking around as naked as the day they were born, but it indicates social interpretations in current history. What we wear, the textures and fabrics, colours and styles we use all represent what is happening in history in that moment in time. In today’s climate for instance, it’s okay for men to wear pink, yellow, purple, tank tops or skinny jeans. There will always be fashion critics but the fact it doesn’t matter and individuals can use their clothing, as a form of expression is fundamentally encouraging and exciting for our society.
Men are not normally associated with fashion, let alone do we as a society think of them as fashion icons.
Yet we are seeing a substantial amount of men coming out of their man caves and donning on the latest trends.
Within the fashion realm these days, being manly has less to do with a wife beater and footy shorts and more to do with how GQ you can be.
There was once a time when men could walk around in their bell-bottom pants and disco shirts and boogie the night away underneath that illustrious mirror ball.
Fortunately for us younger generation Saturday Night Fever is long dead and buried.
The question being raised now is what this means to our society and what it means to the evolving nature of masculinity.
The general consensus in this day and age is that men who are unusually well dressed must be gay. Like many myths however, this is completely false. Males don’t have to be flaming homosexuals to have a sense of style, simply have an eye for what looks good.
Men’s apparel for instance is currently being put through a recycling stage where everything that was once vintage is now in popular demand.
Influenced by the prestigious 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s era, men are once again interested in getting acquainted with haute couture. Following World War II, Paris fashion houses re-opened and regained their title of the capital of high fashion.
Prior to the 1940s, governments had restricted the use of wool; this ensured that single-breasted jackets and pleat-free pants became the norm. During the 1940s however, wartime restrictions on fabrics had eased which allowed men’s suits to once again become double-breasted with broad shoulders while trousers became fuller, and were usually styled with up turned cuffs.
Britain’s Saville Row introduced the ‘New Edwardian Look’ in the 1950s, which featured a slightly flared jacket, natural shoulders, and an overall narrower cut.
The media is probably the most prominent leader in influencing men the fashion department and creating new subcultures. This is prominently due to their overwhelming power to create discussion and change with what they publish.
Men’s lifestyle magazines like GQ, Men’s Style, and Esquire for example are re-introducing the ‘Edwardian period’ and the ‘Teddy Boys’ subculture.
British subculture ‘Teddy Boys’ were characterised as young men who wore clothes that were partly inspired by the style worn by ‘dandies’ in the Edwardian period. It began in 1950, and rapidly spread across the UK, which later became associated with American rock and roll. Teddy Boy clothing included tapered trousers, long jackets and fancy waistcoats. The outfit was also comprised of a high-necked loose collared white shirt, a narrow maverick tie. Favoured footwear to complete the ensemble was high polished ‘Oxfords’, which were chunky brogues.
Many fashion developments today are gaining inspiration from previous subcultures like the ‘Teddy Boy’ era. Recently the ‘hipster’ trend has become a popular subculture that has dabbled into some early fashion influences. In Australia, some members of society view this trend with some distaste, despite this however it still remains widely fashionable in the consumer market.
Normally an individual would never consider themselves ‘hipsters’ but for clarification purpose; they are people who enjoy purchasing vintage clothing, grow beards, wear thick-rimmed glasses, eat organic foods and have their hair styled in a messy fashion. When society imagines a hipster in their heads what usually comes to mind is a man and not just any man but one who has failed in his masculinity. This like many stereotypes is untrue.
Most of the hatred in Australia for the hipster subculture is based on an unyielding urge to police masculinity. It’s maliciousness against effeminate tendencies that often contains a seething hint of homophobia. Hipster males challenge social norms of men’s fashion by being decorative while regular males continue with the classic ‘penguin’ suits.
The main problem in Australia regarding fashion is that we have a very narrow range of models of masculinity. You can either be The Man from Snowy River, or Priscilla the Queen of the Desert. For instance Britain have individuals like Daniel Craig or Colin Firth who are always immaculately dressed to impress and happen to come across as very virile males, especially when you consider the number of their female fan base. Australia on the other hand has only a few leading male models like Hugh Jackman or Guy Pierce as guides.
In a world where it is perfectly normal to be straight, gay, emotional or silent, the hipster male is being labeled as gay and becomes the subject of homophobic jokes and ridicule. Most of this anger and derision comes from alpha male counterparts that believe challenging the standard of masculinity is criminal and shouldn’t be done, which is one of the reasons that subjects such as homosexuality, dressing and taking care of their appearance are not accepted.
What is interesting to note is that fashion in general doesn’t prevent individuals from being cold or walking around as naked as the day they were born, but it indicates social interpretations in current history. What we wear, the textures and fabrics, colours and styles we use all represent what is happening in history in that moment in time. In today’s climate for instance, it’s okay for men to wear pink, yellow, purple, tank tops or skinny jeans. There will always be fashion critics but the fact it doesn’t matter and individuals can use their clothing, as a form of expression is fundamentally encouraging and exciting for our society.