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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Would you ok your son wearing a dress?

686 replies

KristinaJup · 12/12/2020 18:46

Candace Owens recently tweeted (in response to Harry Styles wearing a dress on a magazine cover) "Bring Back Manly Men".. amongst other things.

Who really cares if a guy wears tutus and glittery dresses? Prince was hot af in his heels and Makeup.

Imo I would have no problem with it at all if my son wanted to put on a skirt but the tweet gained a lot of traction and I saw quite a few memes and lots of fingers pointed at feminism for "ruining men"

If we carry on this way the next thing will be....women should not be wearing trousers! What do you think?

OP posts:
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Savourysenorita · 12/12/2020 22:07

[quote TeenyTinyDustinHoffman]@Savourysenorita
So, ignoring the fact that the dress was about boys and girls, not men and women:

If a designer was to design a "dress for men", tailored to fit a man, would it be acceptable in your view for a man to wear it?[/quote]
I guess it would be a start.

yourhairiswinterfire · 12/12/2020 22:09

@midgebabe

Unless there have been a few name changers, it's not the regulars who are promoting such sexist positions
Made me a little suspicious, to be honest, all these seemingly new posters piling in to state the complete opposite of the usual stance here 🤔
gottakeeponmovin · 12/12/2020 22:09

I love a man in a dress nonissue as long as they look good in it. Harry Styles tries too hard it's just not natural - it doesn't suit him. I grew up in the 80s and 90s when blokes wearing makeup and dresses was completely normal

EmilyinWolverhampton · 12/12/2020 22:09

When I was in school it was considered cool and subversive for boys to do the whole androgynous thing. (Obviously talking about older boys, not children.) The younger generation simply don't look at things like gender and gender norms the way we do, and children who are three now will be growing up in a world where every other person has their own personal pronoun of choice and their teacher spends half the week as Miss and half the week as Mister.

It's a different world now. Stop projecting what schools were like in the 1960s/70s/80s onto today's children. A child is a million times more likely to be bullied for wearing glasses than for wearing a dress.

EmilyinWolverhampton · 12/12/2020 22:10

Btw I'm a regular on MN and a frequent poster on FC, just name-change pretty often.

Savourysenorita · 12/12/2020 22:11

I must admit.... He looks quite cool Grin

Would you ok your son wearing a dress?
Crystalclair · 12/12/2020 22:12

I wouldn't let my son wear a dress. He'd get bullied!

CatsCantCatchCriminals2 · 12/12/2020 22:12

.. I'm especially surprised to see posters on Feminist Chat having a problem with it

We get all sorts on here.

FourPlatinumRings · 12/12/2020 22:13

Made me a little suspicious, to be honest, all these seemingly new posters piling in to state the complete opposite of the usual stance here

It's a hot thread in active and has likely pulled in posters from a similar thread on chat where someone's six year old boy wants to be a girl and wear dresses.

ReeseWitherfork · 12/12/2020 22:13

Please tell me this is tongue in cheek

Why on Earth would that be tongue in cheek? I know a lot of toddler boys who adore Elsa, why can't they wear an Elsa dress?

Blubellsarebells · 12/12/2020 22:15

Personally would have no problem with my son wearing what he wants.
I would worry about other peoples reactions if he went in to town in a dress.
Aggression/violence.
Im half scottish so kilts are common place at special occasions.
I love a man in a kilt and might encourage my son to wear one.

Crystalclair · 12/12/2020 22:15

Big difference in wearing a fancy dress dress (at home) to wearing dresses to school etc.

maddy68 · 12/12/2020 22:16

I'm not 💯. But probably

FourPlatinumRings · 12/12/2020 22:16

@Crystalclair

I wouldn't let my son wear a dress. He'd get bullied!
I really do doubt it. Kids are much more progressive these days. I went to a really rough secondary school- no toilet cubicle doors, people getting beat up in corridors etc, but it was totally unacceptable to go for LGBTQ people, people with disabilities or people of a different race or religion. Both the school and the other kids would have come down like a ton of bricks on anyone who tried. They bullied the gingers, mainly. And the nerds.
Awarethebear · 12/12/2020 22:18

@crazytoast I know exactly what a shalwar kameez is and you are missing my point of IN THE UK.

Crystalclair · 12/12/2020 22:19

This is the thing though- kids still get bullied for being ginger and that is out of their control. Why actively allow your child to wear something that will highlight and attract negative attention.

CatsCantCatchCriminals2 · 12/12/2020 22:20

Girls wearing trousers doesn't seem to get people worked up so much. Does it?

But boys wearing dressses? That's beneath them?

(I don't think that but that's how it comes across.)

ColdTattyWaitingForSummer · 12/12/2020 22:20

Honestly? I wouldn't like it. Fine for play or fancy dress, but not for actually wearing. And I have to say that the boys I do see who are most likely to be wearing "girls" clothes, it's usually down to the parents' agendas, much more than their own wishes.
I think Harry Styles looks a bit of a twerp in his dress really! But obviously he's an adult, it's his decision and I'm sure he's not swooning over me either Grin

midgebabe · 12/12/2020 22:22

So a child may or may not get bullied for wearing a dress
Clearly, the more who do, the less likely bullying is

Isn't that a kind of victim blaming?

After all the world would be better if boys and men could wear what they like, and preventing them from doing so could also be harmful

Blubellsarebells · 12/12/2020 22:22

IN THE UK
boys in Scotland wear kilts.
Scotland is still in the UK.
Much to many people's disappointment I know.

CatsCantCatchCriminals2 · 12/12/2020 22:22

@Crystalclair

This is the thing though- kids still get bullied for being ginger and that is out of their control. Why actively allow your child to wear something that will highlight and attract negative attention.

...or better still, why not actually tackle the bullying problem.

Once. And. For. All.

FourPlatinumRings · 12/12/2020 22:22

@Crystalclair

This is the thing though- kids still get bullied for being ginger and that is out of their control. Why actively allow your child to wear something that will highlight and attract negative attention.
Some gingers (most, in fact) dyed their hair to escape the bullying. Should a parent of a ginger forbid a child to wear their hair as its natural colour and force them to dye it in case their redheadedness attracts unwanted attention?
joystir59 · 12/12/2020 22:22

Manly men can wear dresses, wear pink, collect China dolls, cry easily, manly men can be ballet dancers, make up artists, midwives, nursery nurses, wear make up and heels. Manly men can be gay, bisexual, heterosexual or asexual. Let your boyish boy express himself however he likes.

jj1968 · 12/12/2020 22:23

@KristinaJup

Heartbreaking that a lot of comments mention fear for their sons safety should he go out in a dress etc.
And surprising on a forum where so many insist trans is the safest demographic and that most transphobic hate crimes are made up.
midgebabe · 12/12/2020 22:23

I mean, my parents could have told me not to do my maths homework, just to focus on English like a good girl. Because it would have reduced bullying,. But it would have been wrong, it would have stopped me being me, it would be giving in to bad people who live in a stereotype world

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