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Wow! Where can I get your magical powers to suss out sexual orientation by clothing style. Can you teach me to figure out marital status, financial portfolio, educational level, job satisfaction and the number of kids too with a quick glance?
And you're going to pretend you have never judged someone in the slightest based off of appearance? I never said they were gay, I said they looked gay. Gay men have a certain fashion about them, many because they are, "loud and proud" and have no shame in it. The same goes for some gay women who purposely go out of their way to dress like men and get short hair styles. You're being ridiculous.
And you're going to pretend you have never judged someone in the slightest based off of appearance? I never said they were gay, I said they looked gay. Gay men have a certain fashion about them, many because they are, "loud and proud" and have no shame in it. The same goes for some gay women who purposely go out of their way to dress like men and get short hair styles. You're being ridiculous.
Sexual orientation via clothing? Nope not really. 50% of the gay men I know dress like typical american guys: jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, polo shirts, north face jackets..... As for the lesbians? Well I don't know very many. But guess what, one dresses like a hipster, one dresses like a trendy new yorker, and two more dress like your typical PNW person: north face jackets, jeans, tee shirts, and practical shoes. (I lot like my non-lesbian best friend.)
As for the prepster looks in the pics? Well I know one gay guy who goes for the colorful preppy look. And 3 more straight guys that do too.
So sorry, I don't see any patterns with style of dress and sexual orientation. I guess it just so happens, that growing up in the south, all of the guys looked like that who weren't goths.
This is a really prevalent style among middle and upper class suburban and small town white guys in the south. These are the guys whose dads are lawyers and are prominent members of the local country club. Apparently all the girls who go to SEC schools go for these types of guys and I assume not a few are digging for gold and trying to earn their MRS.
These guys drive Jettas and are usually semi-retarded.
Also, I doubt these guys are gay(aren't gays supposed to have impeccable fashion sense?). They're just dorky as hell and tend to be arrogant in a way that only people who come from unearned money can be.
So the colors are the issue here? I thought it was the cheap Preppie-wannabe/Brooks-Brothers-look-but-from-Sears/Trad-on-a-shoestring-budget aspect of those outfits that were at issue.
I suppose that if I'd grown up in some East Coast place where most people were immigrants from non-pluralistic/homophobic/woman-hating cultures, then I'd see bright colors on men as different from the norm. But I'm from the Deep South, where most everybody is an Old Stock American. American men wear bright colors, and have been doing so for generations. And the higher their social class, the more American men lean toward pastels for casual hot weather social occasions.
Come to think of it, didn't The Great Gatsby have hundreds of custom shirts, in every color of the rainbow, so beautiful they made Uber-Wasp Daisy Buchannan cry? That was 1920s Long Island: three generations back.
Portland doesn't seem to have as many glossy society rags as my old metro, Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson magazines show one party after another, with totally "normal" upper-middle-class and upper-class men, wearing colors ranging from woodsy olives and russets, to day-glo and pastel...generally depending on the season. Most group shots show not one single man dressed in neutrals, unless it's a 'black tie' or 'white tie' occasion. Even at a 'black tie' ball, you may see silk brocade cummerbunds, vests, and bowties in glorious color... or trousers in the wearer's multicolored family tartan.
But those guys in Mississippi's society mags, even those at mere pool parties, are generally wearing more sophisticated cuts, and quality fabrics. The OP's photos showed really skimpy cuts, cheap fabrics, and a desperate need for starch.... or just a good ironing. The wearers in OP's photos seemed unaccustomed to dressing that way, and seemed to be acting more than a bit 'ironic'.
Hmm. Most of the "trad on a shoestring" people I have encountered buy through ebay, thrift stores, or directly from others via enthusiast forums (askandyaboutclothes.com). Generally, authenticity is fetishized to the point that such....travesties like the oversized belt buckles would never occur. I would say they're more of the wannabe/sears crowd.
Yes, I liked this look, especially when I was younger...lots of college guys in the South have this look; it's more acceptable for guys (and girls, for that matter) to wear brighter colors and color combos--just a fun thing. It's more prevalent in southern colleges, country clubs, and people who aspire to or are included in the upper middle class, as others have pointed out.
People from other regions tends to interpret this look as "gay" but it's not an indicator of gayness (or not). Had a coworker from the upper-midwest who would "play" gay or not gay (yes, this was her thing, not mine) and she could never guess correctly in the southern city we were living in, LOL. Good thing she was already married to a dude who dressed as drably as she did
The guys in the first picture are at a fun event, I doubt they wear those shorts every day. I'm not too fond of white pants, white belts and white shoes - I'd rather see a natural linen or buff color. But, since when is yellow or salmon loud? A steady diet of navy blue, black, white, beige is rather boring. You might throw on a spice colored shirt every once in a while, lol.
I attend the University of Texas and this is exactly how the majority of frat guys dress. They (along with their sorority counterparts) are some of the snobbiest people I've ever encountered. I came from a humble high school of lower middle class students so to encounter these types of peers who constantly flash conspicuous displays of wealth and arrogance is so off-putting.
This is not a race thing, a lot of the whites at my school that aren't in these frats despise these types of people as well.
I can't say that I find anything wrong with what those guys are wearing. It's very much to each their own. Now, I will add and agree to what others have said about them being either, preppy or frat boys. Could be both - you can't determine if one is a prep from a photo. It's about upbringing a lifestyle.
Now, I grew up in Alabama (Mountain Brook) and I went to college at Alabama. I transferred to Tulane University in New Orleans, and I spent a semester at Harvard. I got my MA from Penn. I now live in Raleigh, NC and my hub works for Duke. I can tell you that guys dress this way everywhere I have lived.
Also, as a card carrying gay man, I can also attest that not all gay men are into fashion. Personally speaking, I am, but I have kids so I don't put nearly as much attention into such trivial things now.
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