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I really would love to know one day why it is that so many men these days are so concerned about their “style”. Why on Earth does a man need to worry about being stylish??
I stumbled across the Style Guide that apparently Men’s Health magazine has. Gee, I never realized that being stylishly trendy contributed to one’s health! Stupid little me.
One of the first things I saw was an article showing guys how to pick the “right cut” of jeans, an article which has likewise run in chick magazines like Cosmo and Glamour countless times. And now, men can debate the merits of relaxed fit vs. straight leg, boot cut vs. athletic cut. The article even had a section on skinny jeans, a.k.a. GIRL PANTS. The fact that men would even contemplate buying a pair of pants called “skinny jeans” is in and of itself alarming.
For those of you out there who have never come across emo boys who follow the frightening trend of wearing girl pants, or what Men’s Health calls “skinny jeans”, be very happy. And be warned, because I am about to ruin that happiness. Girl pants are this trend where boys wear very, very, very tight pants, and they’re also usually cut pretty short around the ankle. They look like this:
And somewhere out there, magazines are encouraging men to wear things like this. What’s really worrisome is that magazines are encouraging men to be worried about style and fashion. Call me crazy, but the way I see it, if you’re a guy, you don’t need to be worried about being stylish!
Now, I don’t want anyone to misunderstand me here. I’m all for men taking the time when they’re getting ready to look nice. I’m not a fan of guys being complete slobs. But when you’re seriously debating the merits of different cuts of pants, you’re taking the image consciousness thing a wee bit too far for a guy. Maybe I’m just too much of an old-fashioned girl, but I don’t see anything good about a man who enjoys shopping and worries about how good or bad his outfit will look.
The way I see it, a man should be a man. MEN do not worry about how much hair gel they need to use to achieve the perfect upwards flip in their hair, nor do they obsess over different styles of clothes or cuts of jeans. MEN do not collect accessories or go shopping for the perfect shoes to match that great shirt they bought at Express for Men. These are things that WOMEN do. Seriously, guys, you can look nice without having to go all metrosexual on us girls — which, by the way, is the worst fashion trend to ever hit maledom in the history of maleness.
The point of all of this is that MEN do not need to be worried about being stylish. It should be less George Clooney and more Clint Eastwood. It doesn’t mean that Clint Eastwood doesn’t know how to look good, but for God’s sake, do you think Clint Eastwood ever sat there and wondered whether he should wear skinny jeans or boot-cuts, or pondered the merits of pomade vs. hair wax? NO!
Now guys, I know that many of you will undoubtedly immediately start with the whining that women asked for this. Yes, yes, I get it (although, don’t blame me — I sure as hell never did). But just because a bunch of stupid feminists want to feminize you doesn’t mean you should ever just go along with it.
And besides, it seems to me that women are coming back around.
We want men who like us because we are women — which means we are different. We don’t need men who want to borrow fashion tips from us. Be a man, and don’t ever worry about whether or not your clothes are sufficiently trendy. Stick with what’s classic, and you’ll never go wrong.
Kris says: Sometimes I wonder about things like this…. are all those “fashionable” people really trying to see how many other fools they can dupe with this crap? Or do they honestly believe this tripe?
I’m glad that I’ve got a woman who never tries to make me humiliate myself. I’d not be caught dead in those jeans, and I’ve got no fashion sense!
Melinda P says: First, I want to say that this is scary! I agree, I’m all for men looking good, but this is certainly taking things too far! Secondly, I thought that it was a woman’s job to “dress her man”. I’m not saying that we should make little girly men out of them, but you buy your guy a nice sweater or something like that. If you ask my husband, I buy his clothes for him. This is not because he can’t buy his own clothes and doesn’t have any style. My husband hates to shop, as do most men. Who cares if they know the difference between all of that stuff?! Let men be men and women be women. Oh sorry, I forgot, I’m a conservative. I actually have and use my brain! Oops!
steve says: OK I get it and I agree.
However I think we have gone beyond the tipping point. If the majority of men are going to be style concious what do you do about men who have brains are conservative but have been infected with the style feminist virus.
The good solid men who may be active duty and fight like heroes of old but dress like a ferminist metrosexual dream and have trouble defending aginst the feminist “personal” behaviour onslauhgt.
Again Casey what do you do when your good men pick up bad habits. They wisely reject the political but the personal flies under the radar.
Again, What do you do?
Ask your boyfriend to tell you about the modern military sexual harrassment training. Find what POSH means. It is indoctrination in a legal framework.
It is a good idea used to carry the politcal message virus.
A friend and I were discussing this in the context of kids. His are grown, mine aren’t, but it was a fun discussion. He asked how many girls I had, and I said “none.”
“Well, that should make it easier,” he said. “You’d think girls would be easier, but they aren’t!”
“Shoot – even as adults, we guys aren’t complicated,” I said. “Feed us and sleep with us, and we’re happy!” Why guys would want to make it more complicated than that is beyond me. 🙂
Ugh…I stopped reading Men’s Health when they booted Greg Gutfeld and then gave Ted Rall have a recurring “Testosterone Diary” strip.
Stephen J. says: The degree to which fashion advocates and magazines take style is always overblown. But a little bit of style doesn’t hurt.
An insane amount of guys, for example, don’t know how to pick out clothes that both look good and fit comfortably. Being able to know what’s in and out of fashion for suits and tuxedos is a pretty useful social networking skill, too, as is knowing how to pick an interesting tie without falling off the line between dull, stupid or outlandish. And knowing whether a grey suit or a blue one works better with your particular colour doesn’t hurt.
There was a time when the notion of elegance, knowledge of tailoring and high style was not exclusive to “manliness”, and I myself do enjoy the process of picking out the perfect tuxedo. It’s all a matter of appropriate proportionality.
Tomare Utsu Zo says: Uh … men don’t wear girls jeans, or obsess over how stylish they are dear. Guys might, but men, when they want to look, good wear something without wrinkles and comb their hair. Men look damn good when they wear something nice. Guys who are stylish just look silly.
All I can add to this is that I think my forearms are larger than the guys calves in that picture. Seriously, the dude needs to eat a cheeseburger or something.
Guy wants to look good all he really has to do is take care of himself weight wise and wear three items:
1- white or black button up shirt
2- nice blue jeans – real ones.
3 – good pair of cowboy boots, not like whatever the hell that guy in the photo is wearing.
Everything else fashion wise I leave to my wife. She’s good at it, she enjoys it, and if she is happy I am happy.
Marfaguy says: There’s a guy at work that wears pants like that. Every. Single. Pair. he has are like that if not even tighter. The pants won’t even fit over his usual half boots, they just sort of puddle above his ankles. The most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. The women in the office just roll their eyes whenever he walks by. I just want to pull him aside and say “Dude” get some real pants. You’re not doing yourself any good with those things.
Jesse in South FL says: A few thoughts on guys and fashion:
-I’ve never been able to figure out magazines like Maxim, FHM, Stuff, etc. They market themselves as “magazines for guys” and they fill it full of hot chicks, sports, fast cars, beer stories, fart jokes, and…fashion? Really? Okay that’s fine, you’ve got clothes for guys, let me check it out…wait a second, is this model a guy or girl? I can’t tell! I see an adam’s apple, but he’s so skinny and…pretty? No, that can’t be right! Well, let’s see what the clothes look like anyways…hmmm, $950 for a pair of skinny grey jeans? I’m not so sure about that. Well, this shirt isn’t so bad, it’s just a plain blue button-down shirt…why would they model that, it’s just a plain shirt? Let me read more about it, maybe there’s something speci-HOLY LORD, $1,200 FOR A SHIRT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD?!
Seriously, those magazines make zero sense with their “style” sections.
-There’s nothing less manly than following fashion trends. I’m 27 and I’ve got friends my age and a little younger and I’ve seen them go through all the fads over the years, especially with their hair. Ten to twelve years ago back in high school, we all had “bald-fades”, basically a high-and-tight buzzcut, or as Abe Simpson once said “a haircut you could set your watch to”. I’ve still got the same haircut today but in that time I’ve seen my friends go through the frosted spiked-tips, the kind-of-long quasi-mullet or “the Scott Stapp”, the faux-hawk, and now these younger guys are into some sort of shaggy deal that’s in their eyes like the old sheep-dog from the Bugs Bunny cartoons. I knew a young guy fresh out of high school a few years ago who was honest-to-God sporting the Jim Carrey/Lloyd Christmas look from Dumb & Dumber. Sheesh.
-What sucks the most is that from time to time there are certain things in style that I kinda like, but the problem is I’m 6’4″ and 290 lbs. That sounds big, but it’s not that big, hell I just wear a 2X shirt. MOST regular places carry that size, but not those little trendy stores in the mall, oh no. You’re LUCKY to find an XL. Then when you ask one of the girls behind the counter (at leat I think they’re girls) if they have this in a 2X, they look at you like you just farted in church. What the hell, do ONLY little guys buy clothes? Apparently, because that’s all you see at the mall, and they’ve usually got a hot girl with them! I don’t know if the girls think of it as playing dress-up with a life-sized doll or what, but I don’t get it. Ladies, if you can put on your boyfriends shirt and NOT feel like a little girl playing dress-up in your dad’s clothes, then something is wrong (I’m just speaking in generalities, I know this doesn’t apply to you bigger girls, which is fine too).
-Finally, to Stephen J above, I’ve got to disagree with you a little here. The topic is “style” and how it relates to “real men”. And I’m sorry, but when many people think of “manliness”, a tuxedo or suit doesn’t even come to mind, at least not to me. My old man has forgotten more about being a man than most of us (myself included) will ever know, and he’s NEVER worn a tuxedo and I’ve only seen him in a suit twice, once at his dad’s funeral and once at my brother’s wedding. Of course it’s all subjective depending on where/how you were raised, but to us poor blue-collar guys here in the south raised by poorer, bluer-collar dads, getting fitted for a tuxedo is something to dread, not cherish. But that’s just me. Hell, have you ever seen John Wayne in a tuxedo like at an awards show or banquet or something? It just not right…like broccoli toothpaste.
Frank White says: All I wear is white t-shirts and baggy combat pants from the army surplus store. If I was famous, there would be a spot on TMZ about the many pants of Frank White, with 20 different pictures of me wearing a white t-shirt with the same style pants, all in different colors. Dark red, dark blue, olive drab, tan, the choices are endless. When I dress up, I iron my shirt.
Glenn Cassel AMH1(AW) USN RET says: Age: 54
Hair: Turning Grey/White, very thin on top and it is really short
Belly: Hangs over belt line
Carpenter jeans from Walmart or Steve and Barry. regular ones from Walmart or the cheapies at Tractor Supply
T-shirts of various types, baseball jerseys from Disney. In winter, Flannels, long sleeved t’s
Footwear: hikers
My bullhide boots are my dress shoes.
Cassy — wonderful question. I wiped the barbeque sauce off on my carpenters’ jeans long enough to try to offer a decent answer.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
J David says: Since I no longer give a rat’s rosy red rear-end what women think of me none of this is a problem, and it saves me a boat-load of money. Once men stop being p****-whipped many of these RETARDED questions about this fad and that “look” go away.
Michael Hamm says: I think alot of people misunderstand “Fashion” and “style”. Emo boys are fashion. Cary Grant, the Duke of Widsor, and Tim Gunn have style. All men cary some quantity of Style; it is up to us to develop it. It’s ok to be neanderthal *sometime*, but to be a fully rounded man, you have to develop the stylish side also.
I think the case can be made that the less stylish the members of a society are, the coarser the society becomes. Much like what we see in 21st century America.
Michael Hamm says: One other thing Re: Fashion vs. Style.
Fashion is fickle….
Style is eternal.
Style never goes out of Style 😉
…”pomade vs. hair wax? NO!”
Damn skippy- it’s Dapper Dan or NOTHING.
J/k.
While I DO own a pair of Prada shoes, they are reserved for weddings/funerals. Boots or sneaks the rest of the time; jeans whenever possible (they allow for a heavier, AHEM, ah, belt) and any “work” shirt that I can get a dealer discount on the rest of the time.
While I Agree somewhat with Mr. Hamm above, I am “in public” so little, I cannot follow his ideal as a personal one, most of the time.
If I had TIME for fashion, I wouldn’t have time for self-respect and all the work I need to get done. Once anything made by Mitch Rosen or Fobus is considered a “fashion accessory,” I’ll take a second look.
With all that said, I sure do miss my Gucci loafers & my white linen sports coats from the 80’s.
Morgan, you rock. I can’t believe I hadn’t been reading your stuff.
Well, thank you sir. Always nice to hear, although I don’t wanna steal anybody’s thunder. Cassy asked why; I responded; it falls to someone else to figger out what to do about it.
Michael Hamm: You got it exactly.
As it’s been said before, style is the expression of one’s aesthetics; fashion is the expression of someone else’s aesthetics.
J David says: Yes, excellent response, Mr Freeburg!
jack says: I’ve gotta say something.
That ‘skinny jeans’ ‘girl pants’ thing is a load. Years ago they made them–on the cheap–for everyone. They were big with punks(though they weren’t so short). Sometimes they had a bit of give to them, but usually they were just standard jeans.
When everything started going baggy I resented it–and wore mine until they were dead(and, being a punk, that was a long time–but, eventually there were more holes than there was jeans….sigh).
Take a look at history and you’ll see that the extremely tight style comes and goes–and has nothing to do with ‘feminization’.
The only reason they get called ‘girl’ pants is because they came back into fashion before they started making them for men–so you had to get them from female clothing sources.
There are stupid, feminizing trends in fashion today, but this isn’t one of them.
Dropped Men’s Health when they started
Running that moron Rall’s cartoons
Becoming increasingly PC
Started basically running press releases from groups like CSPI as if they were proven fact to base your diet/life around, and
that ‘fashion’ crap. The last issue I got that had that crap included a section on ‘clothes you HAVE to have’ that included a raincoat. That cost a thousand bucks. “It’ll last a long time, and set off the rest of your wardrobe.” Which you won’t have enough money left to buy, but why worry about little things like that?
I do have to admit I like fashionable accessories. Usually in .38, 9mm or .45acp.
NB says: There’s a very simple logic test to answer your question, “why do men worry about style?”.
A)Men do not worry about style.
B)Those who worry about style are not men.
Logic test complete. Ahhhhahahahaha.
I’m not gonna spend a fortune on “the latest cut” of jean just to get horse sweat all over them. A $10 pair of levi’s from the TJ Maxx or the local Goodwill works just fine thanks. Plus “fancy” clothes and the smell of cordite don’t really go together and hair gel just makes the inside of my hat smell funny. I like your Clint Eastwood/George Clooney analogy. There’s certainly plenty of ways to be a good looking MAN without consulting “Men’s Vogue” (which made me throw up in my mouth a little when I saw a copy at the gym…Men’s Vogue…really?)
Jim Armstrong says: One of the best things about being a dude is not having to worry about style or looks. I don’t care if the other men think I don’t look good in blue, or spend $50 on a stupid haircut. I still go to a barber for a $14 haircut, wear jeans and tee-shirts, sneakers and basic white athletic socks, all bought at Wal-Mart at the cheapest price I can find. Not because I have to, but because I can, and I don’t care what some other lisping jerkwad thinks about it. The Style Network would go bankrupt if it was up to me to keep it in business. Luckily for them, my wife and daughters hang on their every word, so they’ll survive without me.
Stephen J. says: On the “Fashion” vs. “Style” tip: this is an example for anyone who watches Mad Men.
Don Draper, Joan Holloway: Style.
Pete Campbell, Betty Draper: Fashion.
Don Draper is stylish and about as masculine as you could ask for. (He has his own character flaws to go along with that, but lack of manliness, charisma and confidence isn’t one of them.)
Larry Sheldon says: One of the many reasons I don’t reead many magazines any more.
Or any television.
People are idiots.
I wear what ever is required to,stay out of jail, and to not freeze to death. (or, in the rare exposure anymore, fry.)
beez1717 says: Can’t guys want to look good or try to look different? Men want to know how to Not look like a freaking slob! Also, I may not like what you wear but it’s your choice. Just don’t wear something awful looking like puke green or wear pants that are so big you need to hold them up with your hands:I’d much rather see Skinny pants that fit properly!
Tom says: I disagree with you. I think that it really depends on the guy. I think that it’s great that guys are now not afraid to be really concerned about their look. Perhaps it’s just that it’s so much more different compared with how it used to be.
I think you’re perpetuating a stereotype WAY too much and that you’re only noticing the types who REALLY care about their style because they stand out so much.
I think that, for all the guys who probably DO actually get a bit over concerned about their “style” there are WAY more who don’t, you just don’t notice them because that’s the convention that has lasted for so long. Don’t give guys an excuse to be slobs! But with that said – each to his own. If a guy likes wearing certain clothes, so be it! I might make him feel more confident, or maybe he likes the attention, good or bad. It’s harmless, particularly if he can pull if off.
I for one LOVE skinny jeans and tight pants. I mourn the days when guys wore tight pants in the 70s and 80s and I think it’s really sexy. So I think you’ve being VERY close minded and, I really think this kind of stuff should be encouraged. It’s very sexual and I think that guys should be able to celebrate their sexuality with clothes (whether it be straight or gay or bi or whatever, if they feel good in the clothes, so be it!)
That’s my rant.
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