Man making skirts non-gender

[SusannaSpider]

Sorry, stupid title.

But what do you think of this link? Man likes to wear skirts and heels to work, still definitely a man, not a transwoman, not a sexual fetish, he just thinks skirts should be non gender, likes the style etc.

I just find this really refreshing, how things should be really, Men should be able to chose more traditionally feminine clothes, whilst still being a men.
www.boredpanda.com/confident-man-wears-heels-skirt-markbryan911/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=BPFacebook

I used to wear a buttoned up, white, double cuffed shirt with a tie and cufflinks with a black wool crepe jacket

I wear men's shirts, cufflinks and jackets, never ever a tie though.

saying an outfit is inappropriate for work isn’t a small step away from calling someone “slutty” and “asking for it”. He’d look equally out of place and inappropriate in denim dungarees and a swimming cap.

@SusannaSpider

I am surprised by how many on here would apparently judge a woman in a similar outfit as not being professional. Ok, if they were nursing or driving a wagon it wouldn't be practical. But it's a small step away from calling women slutty and asking for it, if they walk home alone in a short skirt and heels.

I'm not surprised.

Judgemental or what?. Well yes, when asked an opinion I try to use my judgement if 4 inch heels etc are the norm in your workplace then I would say he would be unremarkable there. In the places I have worked neither sex would wear what he is wearing.
I wonder if he bothers at home? I suspect an audience is required for this.

@Itisbetter

saying an outfit is inappropriate for work isn’t a small step away from calling someone “slutty” and “asking for it”. He’d look equally out of place and inappropriate in denim dungarees and a swimming cap.

You are missing the point. Many of his outfits are not inappropriate for work and professional women wear similar.

Susanna was commenting on the general criticism that his outfits are not work appropriate and the judgmental attitude of certain posters.

I suspect his ‘non-gender’ comment is because he’s got legs like a centre forward and there’s no escaping their obvious maleness. As to whether it’s a fetish...maybe it just makes him feel sexy? And if that’s the case, so what, plenty of women give the same reasons for dressing certain ways. He looks a damn sight better put together than a lot of male frock enthusiasts, who seem to favour the Sally-Army-Bin-in-the-dark look, or the ‘I just escaped from the sale section in Hot Topic’ aesthetic.
He’s a man who likes a skirt and heels and is comfortable saying that in these horrendously binary times, I really struggle to see that as anything other than a positive.

I do question as to how men as a class ( not this individual obviously) could have ended this shit years ago but didn't and have clearly seen the benefits to them of being completely ordinary whilst doing something like this and being news worthy

I totally get your frustration. But it is like most things really, unless it directly impacts upon us, we just look away and move on. I see kids starving on TV, I'll feel sad and might mail a donation, but I don't go further than that. I have food in my own belly, life goes on, humans aren't very pleasant. I think this is how the average man sees it and sometimes it's only when something happens to their wife or daughter, that they have to make a stand. Obviously there's the other type of man, who hates us, but I don't believe all men are like that.

I prefer a 'masculine' look above the waist and a non-gendered look below the waist. It’s all about clothes having no gender."

Interesting that he sees his shirt-wearing top half as “masculine”, and his skirt-and-heels wearing bottom half as “non-gendered” rather than “feminine”.

That makes zero sense.

Anyway, it’s just an attempt to reclaim transvestitism under the guise of making skirts gender neutral IMO. Which is understandable since transvestite is a dirty word nowadays.

I’m fully accepting of anyone wearing whatever the hell they want - but let’s not pretend that a) he isn’t cross dressing and b) it’s not sexually motivated, because he is and I’m sure it is.

@Itisbetter

Judgemental or what?. Well yes, when asked an opinion I try to use my judgement if 4 inch heels etc are the norm in your workplace then I would say he would be unremarkable there. In the places I have worked neither sex would wear what he is wearing. I wonder if he bothers at home? I suspect an audience is required for this.

Aren't you the poster who declared no lawyer would wear pencil skirts and 4 inch heels?

Not sure where you've worked but in over 30 years actually being a solicitor I can declare there's nothing remarkable in female solicitors wearing them.

I’m fully accepting of anyone wearing whatever the hell they want - but let’s not pretend that a) he isn’t cross dressing and b) it’s not sexually motivated, because he is and I’m sure it is

I see the wheels on the bus of the "wear what you want mantra" have now fully fallen off.

• Anyway, it’s just an attempt to reclaim transvestitism under the guise of making skirts gender neutral IMO. Which is understandable since transvestite is a dirty word nowadays.

I’m fully accepting of anyone wearing whatever the hell they want - but let’s not pretend that a) he isn’t cross dressing and b) it’s not sexually motivated, because he is and I’m sure it is.*

Exactly. If he was wearing midi skirts and ballet flats he might well be reclaiming skirts as neutral. But he's not - he's chosen short tight skirts and stilettos.

I've not RTFT and have only looked at a few of the photos. Well, good for him, a nice example of dressing as you wish rather than constrained by silly sexist rules.
I might find it a bit more revolutionary if he was wearing skirt and shoes that were easy to walk in and a nice warm cardi.

Many of his outfits are not inappropriate for work and professional women wear similar. this is a judgement. You judge many of the outfits appropriate, I explained that they wouldn’t have been and in fact would have been markably unusual in the offices I’ve worked in. At no point was anyone “asking for it” or “slutty” there are other ways of being inappropriate.

Aren't you the poster who declared no lawyer would wear pencil skirts and 4 inch heels?
No

I see the wheels on the bus of the "wear what you want mantra" have now fully fallen off.

Of course he can wear what the hell he wants. No one here has said he can't or shouldn't. But whatever he says, there is a sexual element to what he wears. You're bloody naive if you think otherwise.

Itisbetter

confused saying an outfit is inappropriate for work isn’t a small step away from calling someone “slutty” and “asking for it”. He’d look equally out of place and inappropriate in denim dungarees and a swimming cap.

You are missing the point. Many of his outfits are not inappropriate for work and professional women wear similar.

Susanna was commenting on the general criticism that his outfits are not work appropriate and the judgmental attitude of certain posters.

I did caveat it by saying, it wouldn't be appropriate wear for practical reasons, if he was a nurse or wagon driver. But as a professional who is probably sat at a computer working in a CAD program. It doesn't impact on his professionalism at all.

I realise I contradicted myself somewhat. Let me elaborate: I’m happy for men to expand the bandwidth of what it means to be a man. So I’m glad he isn’t pretending that he has “boy DNA” and “girl DNA” like Eddie Izzard. He’s a man and says so.

What I won’t accept is that he’s just trying to be gender neutral, guys! Tight pencil skirts and stilettos are the least gender neutral clothing choices he could have made.

And the point he made about skirts being gender neutral and shirts being male is total bollocks.

No wearing a wetsuit and flip flops wouldn’t stop him using his computer either, but still not appropriate for work and certainly not professional

It’s the highly sexualised nature of the clothes that makes me a little suspicious

Girls are routinely humiliated or punished at school because the uniforms are not designed with a developing female body in mind. We've had teachers who took girls shopping for skirts, girls sent home for wearing exactly the same trousers or skirts as everyone else, there's even those say nothing but " thems the rulz " when girls are sent home despite wearing the one length for all school uniform supplier regulation skirt, as its "too short" despite their being no other option.

And yet a man wears, and let's face it as good as he looks ( he can pull of a skirt better than i can for sure. And id never get my flippers in shoes like that I live in trainers and dms ) , outfits that in some places would not be dress code compliant if on a woman, and the reaction is gushing praise.

Not his fault obviously and my opinions on school uniform and dress codes are another thread entirely.

But yes its extremely frustrating...

I loved 80s male fashion

This chap has great legs, great bum and good colour coordination

@titchy

* Anyway, it’s just an attempt to reclaim transvestitism under the guise of making skirts gender neutral IMO. Which is understandable since transvestite is a dirty word nowadays.

I’m fully accepting of anyone wearing whatever the hell they want - but let’s not pretend that a) he isn’t cross dressing and b) it’s not sexually motivated, because he is and I’m sure it is.*

Exactly. If he was wearing midi skirts and ballet flats he might well be reclaiming skirts as neutral. But he's not - he's chosen short tight skirts and stilettos.

...But his skirts aren't what most would consider "short" (especially in this era of belts-as-skirts); they're knee-length, i.e., midi. And some are not that tight...

I think he looks great! Great legs!

Like a pp said, why is the top half "masculine", but the bottom half is "non gendered"
Also can't understand why anyone would choose to wear heels like that on a regular basis. There's something a bit attention seeking about it all. Is that really worthy of a news article? Men from al different cultures have been wearing "skirts" in different forms for hundreds of years.

I like the outfits though they are quite samey, but the heels are awful and he's posing in such an unnatural way (no doubt in part because of the shoes). I agree with pp who have certain suspicions of his motives but maybe that's just because of the weird poses and also the cynicism borne of constant disappointment by men like Eddie Izzard and Jonathan van sant, as others have mentioned.

The 'masculine ' v ' non-gendered' comment struck me as odd, too.
I like the tie/shoes coordination.
But I am worried about his feet in those shoes! My mum - a chiropodist - would have predicted a grumpy old age with painful feet...

I know a young man who in his mid teens wore a skirt to school in a very hot summer because it was cooler and more comfortable but also to make a point that all students should be able to wear any part of the regulation uniform. He has never claimed to be anything other than male.

I think think Simon’s friend looks good and I love the sound of the bikers in their black kilt type skirts a PP mentioned.

There used to be a man in a city I lived in who wore flowing hippie style dresses with big boots and a comfy jumper. Never claimed not to be a man.

Men who are radfem allies or GC expanding the bandwidth of Western manhood by reclaiming kilts and other skirts is a brilliant way to support the GC position. Men shouldn’t have to be so restricted in clothing choice. It is brilliant generally so say that all clothes are for anyone who likes them, fits into them, finds them comfortable.

Does anyone remember when there were men in dresses on Star Trek with no comment made about it at all?