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There are some advantages to men's clothing: It's easier to get dressed without worrying about what accessory goes with your outfit, whether your printed top goes with your scarf, does your top/blouse look right with this skirt, etc. Men pick a shirt, pants and tie. They put on their black shoes or their brown ones. Done.
Mens clothing is usually better quality. Maybe it's because they have to make so many different styles for women and just a few basics for men but even in shoes, they wouldn't get away with making the flimsy shoes they make for women.
Why exactly do you think that females (appear to) have a greater diversity of clothing which is considered "acceptable" than males do? For instance, females are able to wear both pants and skirts, whereas if a male wore a skirt, chances are that he would get in some kind of trouble as well as possibly get shamed.
Thoughts about this?
Also, girls get no real flack for being "tomboys' and dressing like boys when theyre young. An 8 year old boy in a dress would raise eyebrows but an 8 year old girl in boys clothes wouldnt even be noticed.
Why exactly do you think that females (appear to) have a greater diversity of clothing which is considered "acceptable" than males do? For instance, females are able to wear both pants and skirts, whereas if a male wore a skirt, chances are that he would get in some kind of trouble as well as possibly get shamed.
Thoughts about this?
I say good. I'd much prefer to invest my money in motorcycles, ATVs, guns and other useful objects than to be pressured to waste it on a more "diverse" wardrobe. Besides...have you checked out the prices on motorcycle gear? Helmets, armor, gloves and boots are expensive enough!
I think you can see that easily enough even in what most men and women choose to wear even casually. My daughter and I commented on a show on HGTV called "Flips and Flops." The show is about a young married couple that flips houses.
But if you pay attention to their wardrobe through each show and from show to show, the man wears nothing but a drab tee-shirt, drab shorts, and flip-flops day in, day out. The woman, OTOH, is almost always dressees chic, if not sometimes quite sexy. Many times the real question is, "Why is she dressed up to examine a ratty foreclosed house?"
But you go out on the street, spend some time people-watching in a mall or downtown Saturday night and you see the same thing. Given their own free choices, men will still dress like crap with women who dress up.
I think I know what show you mean. I think someone in her position feels like she has much different standards as far as appearance in making her show marketable...I don't necessarily agree, but that is how TV is.
This is an issue I have with men's clothing. I was excited about helping my brother pick out a new wardrobe until we got to the store and I quickly realized men's fashion is extremely limited! It's very depressing that men are generally discouraged from being fashionable. I've noticed that men who show a strong interest in fashion are frequently derided as feminine or homosexual which may be one reason why they don't participate in demanding more clothing variety. They usually want to be well dressed but not so well dressed that their masculinity is called into question.
Women wearing pants is only socially acceptable now because of women's liberation movements, yet men rarely seem to have an interest in wearing skirts. Those who would like to wear skirts fear being derided as feminine or homosexual by their peers. Similarly, girls who like stereotypically "boy" activities or interests are frequently treated as an invasive species or an anomaly (tomboys) for entering male space, but women's rights movements have carved out a small niche for them to participate with little backlash compared to what boys face when participating in stereotypically "girl" activities or interests.
Why is it that we think it is better for girls to do "manly" things but it is bad for boys to do "girly" things? Why is it a greater attack on their gender and/or sexuality for them to be interested in typically female dominated spheres such as fashion? From what I've seen, it is largely because our society still has a tendency to treat female spheres as inferior to male spheres. For a man to chose something feminine and be socially accepted, he has to qualify it by saying things like "real men wear pink" rather than asserting that "girl stuff is equally as cool." This assures everyone that he has not lowered himself to being feminine, but has to instead re-purposed it as being manly--and, therefore, cool--to avoid being chastised by other men and women. Men being called homosexual in a derogatory way for liking feminine things plays on stereotypes of homosexual males being "girly" and is another way of emasculating and marginalizing them with bonus points for reinforcing stereotypes of homosexual men. Yet at the heart of it what is stripping them of their credibility is being associated with stereotypical female actions or activities.
That is not to say women never scold one another for "looking like a boy" or use the term "lesbian" to marginalize each other, of course. However, as we have previously noted, the social repercussions for women entering a masculine sphere can be less severe and even regarded as "empowering" for them. This is because men stereotypically occupy "better quality" or "more respectable" spheres than what is regulated to women. In other words, there are far more negative associations with femininity than masculinity. Thus, men either wish to avoid anything they fear will make them seem feminine or go out of their way to make fun of men who participate in things they consider feminine to reassert their own masculinity.
Which is probably why men don't demand a wide variety of fashion (since shopping for lots of different clothes is girly) or try to wear feminine articles of clothing like skirts. From what I understand, this is how sexism against women can also victimize men.
This is an issue I have with men's clothing. I was excited about helping my brother pick out a new wardrobe until we got to the store and I quickly realized men's fashion is extremely limited! It's very depressing that men are generally discouraged from being fashionable. I've noticed that men who show a strong interest in fashion are frequently derided as feminine or homosexual which may be one reason why they don't participate in demanding more clothing variety. They usually want to be well dressed but not so well dressed that their masculinity is called into question..
Normally this stuff runs in cycles like women's clothing, although the last cycle of highly stylized men's clothing was 'way back in the 70s. I'm not sure what is causing this extended "grunge and hood look" period of men's fashions.
This is an issue I have with men's clothing. I was excited about helping my brother pick out a new wardrobe until we got to the store and I quickly realized men's fashion is extremely limited! It's very depressing that men are generally discouraged from being fashionable. I've noticed that men who show a strong interest in fashion are frequently derided as feminine or homosexual which may be one reason why they don't participate in demanding more clothing variety. They usually want to be well dressed but not so well dressed that their masculinity is called into question.
Women wearing pants is only socially acceptable now because of women's liberation movements, yet men rarely seem to have an interest in wearing skirts. Those who would like to wear skirts fear being derided as feminine or homosexual by their peers. Similarly, girls who like stereotypically "boy" activities or interests are frequently treated as an invasive species or an anomaly (tomboys) for entering male space, but women's rights movements have carved out a small niche for them to participate with little backlash compared to what boys face when participating in stereotypically "girl" activities or interests.
Why is it that we think it is better for girls to do "manly" things but it is bad for boys to do "girly" things? Why is it a greater attack on their gender and/or sexuality for them to be interested in typically female dominated spheres such as fashion? From what I've seen, it is largely because our society still has a tendency to treat female spheres as inferior to male spheres. For a man to chose something feminine and be socially accepted, he has to qualify it by saying things like "real men wear pink" rather than asserting that "girl stuff is equally as cool." This assures everyone that he has not lowered himself to being feminine, but has to instead re-purposed it as being manly--and, therefore, cool--to avoid being chastised by other men and women. Men being called homosexual in a derogatory way for liking feminine things plays on stereotypes of homosexual males being "girly" and is another way of emasculating and marginalizing them with bonus points for reinforcing stereotypes of homosexual men. Yet at the heart of it what is stripping them of their credibility is being associated with stereotypical female actions or activities.
That is not to say women never scold one another for "looking like a boy" or use the term "lesbian" to marginalize each other, of course. However, as we have previously noted, the social repercussions for women entering a masculine sphere can be less severe and even regarded as "empowering" for them. This is because men stereotypically occupy "better quality" or "more respectable" spheres than what is regulated to women. In other words, there are far more negative associations with femininity than masculinity. Thus, men either wish to avoid anything they fear will make them seem feminine or go out of their way to make fun of men who participate in things they consider feminine to reassert their own masculinity.
Which is probably why men don't demand a wide variety of fashion (since shopping for lots of different clothes is girly) or try to wear feminine articles of clothing like skirts. From what I understand, this is how sexism against women can also victimize men.
Very good observations and posts. Rep points given! I have believed this to be true myself. That being the case, I wonder why such sexism and bad treatment of men wearing women's attire or stepping into women's roles is also given by women. As I have discussed in several forums regarding the lenght of mens' shorts, I still prefer to wear shorter lengths as a man even though the style has, for the last 25 years or so, been associated with women. I have sometimes faced ridicule and rude treatment for doing so. In all but one case, these negative reactions were from women.
Last edited by Kemba; 06-26-2014 at 07:10 PM..
Reason: spelling
I pretty much wear what I want, I even wear capris and sports bras.
What I'm sick of is not finding pants that fit how I want, shorts that go far enough below the knee(chonglers), because this is not the 70's, and the shoes I want in my size. There is no excuse that knee high all stars only come as large as 13, when the standard shoe comez in a 15, they are the same shoe, same damn shoe.
Very good observations and posts. Rep points given! I have believed this to be true myself. That being the case, I wonder why such sexism and bad treatment of men wearing women's attire or stepping into women's roles is also given by women. As I have discussed in several forums regarding the lenght of mens' shorts, I still prefer to wear shorter lengths as a man even though the style has, for the last 25 years or so, been associated with women. I have sometimes faced ridicule and rude treatment for doing so. In all but one case, these negative reactions were from women.
I have heard that this phenomenon is called "internalized sexism" where women have heard these things said so often that they start believing it or feed into the stereotypes as well. There's also a chance that it could be a situation where bullying breeds bullying. Statistically speaking, people who are bullied are far more likely to bully others than those who have not been bullied. There are cultural trends of this occurring when marginalized minorities (sex, race, religious, etc. minorities) lash out at others who they see as being in a vulnerable position to feel more empowered. Thus, in this case, women who feel like men judge them may subconsciously lash out at men when they see an opportunity to judge them without considering the vicious cycle of misogyny-misandry they are playing into.
At least, that's the best I understand the situation. I'm sure someone who is an active feminist or gender equality activist would be able to explain it better than I can. All I can say is that I am of the firm belief that misogyny and misandry are absolutely linked and feed off one another. That's why it's important to always be careful not to let the promotion of men or women's rights be used to marginalize the other sex's experiences since both forms of discrimination are very harmful to everyone.
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