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Openwork tights, dresses, transparent fabrics, pink shoes — all these are elements of … men’s fashion in recent seasons. What does this trend say? And what are the leading designers of the world calling for men to do?
Tunics of the ancient Romans and harem pants of Eastern women, universal Indian sarongs and African djellaba, which are worn by men and women at the same time — these and other types of clothing show that in the world history of fashion there is no clear connection between skirts and trousers with a certain gender. It all depends on the specific place and time of action. According to the standards of our European culture of the last centuries, the appearance of a man in a skirt in public is outright outrageous or a sign of non-traditional orientation. Meanwhile, there are more and more such men. Why?
“This trend is not entirely new,” says culturologist Olga Vainshtein. — Remember the French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier’s Une garde-robe pour deux collection with men’s skirts — this was in 1985. In 2003-2004, the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted the famous exhibition “Bravehearts. Men in skirts «(» Daredevils: men in skirts «). But, of course, in the last two years, the number of men’s collections with details of women’s clothing has increased markedly, moreover, this fashion has begun to actively move into life.
Celebrities are increasingly appearing in dresses and skirts on the red carpet or socially significant events. Among them are 18-year-old Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith, actors Jared Leto, Van Diesel, rapper Kanye West. And of course, the most famous fan of the kilt, skirts, sundresses and other women’s wardrobe items is the American fashion designer, creator of his own brand Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs.
Ekaterina Orel, psychologist:
Partly about the desire of modern men to better understand women. After all, disputes about the social role, rights and opportunities of women in society do not stop, on the contrary. On the one hand, trainings “wear skirts and serve your man” became more active, and on the other hand, a powerful wave of discussions of family and sexual violence, women’s interest in traditionally male professions … And it seems to me that the fashion for men’s skirts is a kind of continuation of this conversation. There is a good expression in English — standing in my shoes (literally “standing in my shoes”), which means accepting the opinion, situation, ideas of another person. Fashion designers literally force men to try on the role of a woman with all its features, advantages and limitations.
Olga Weinstein, culturologist:
I perceive this trend primarily as part of a general trend towards the destruction of conventions and cultural stereotypes in fashion. This series includes protest campaigns against photoshop, the appearance on the podium of overweight women, people with disabilities, older models. And in a narrower sense, this trend is described by the concept of «gender-bending», which means the expansion, softening of the rigid boundaries of gender. Today, the convergence of roles, the feminization of men and the emancipation of women are taking place at various levels. Women are becoming more powerful and successful. In the English-speaking world, there is the concept of «empowerment of women», which means strengthening the positions and opportunities of women, increasing their self-confidence. And men, on the contrary, are increasingly demonstrating softness and femininity — remember the type of metrosexual that appeared in the early 2000s, and at the same time new principles of male self-care, self-care came into fashion.
Skirt — a sign of masculinity?
On the one hand, the process of feminization of men is becoming a serious problem today. Phillip Zimbardo, a classic of social psychology, devoted a separate book to the loss of their identity by men.1. «CAre modern boys failing academically, socially, and sexually, and are women under the age of 30 outperforming men in both education and earnings? — emphasizes Philip Zimbardo. “Harmony between man and woman is increasingly disturbed. In order to restore gender balance, it is necessary that the right to raise issues of equality is also given to the man.”
In this regard, the development of skirts and dresses by men is a good sign, an attempt to restore balance. Indeed, women have been wearing trousers since the beginning of the last century, so why do men still have to separate clothes into men’s and women’s?
But the fashion trend has another angle. “Like any phenomenon in the postmodern world, men’s skirts carry a double message: in many ways they emphasize the masculinity of their wearer,” says psychologist Ekaterina Orel. — After all, the first association with a man’s skirt is a kilt, the clothes of mountaineers, who have an aura of courage and aggressiveness in Western culture. Therefore, putting on a skirt, a man, on the one hand, tries on a female image, and on the other hand, declares his strength and superiority, emphasizing the connection with the image of a warlike highlander.
“Men in skirts look quite masculine,” confirms Olga Weinstein. – Let us recall at least the ancient Roman soldiers in short tunics. Or, for example, a black leather skirt, rough men’s boots, stubble on the face and muscular men’s arms — this combination creates a rather brutal image.
One way or another, the loosening of cultural stereotypes and gender boundaries, their relativity is obvious. This is facilitated by the process of globalization. “Bloom pants, traditionally oriental clothing, are becoming fashionable all over the world, sarongs are worn not only by people from Southeast Asia, but also by Europeans, David Beckham, for example, loves them,” reminds Olga Weinstein. — That is, of course, we can talk about the rapprochement of the East with the West and the expansion of cultural borrowings. The emergence of transgender models — men and women who change their sex in a surgical way — testifies to the loosening of stereotypes.
1 F. Zimbardo, N. Colombe «A Man in Separation: Games, Porn and the Loss of Identity» (the book is published in August 2016 by Alpina Publisher).