I want you to know that this blog post may lead to separate blog posts on the same related topic, so make sure to keep reading John's Blog Space for this and other posts on the same topic. Most of what this post pertains to is about males wearing feminine fashions. While I did an entire blog post on this topic, this blog post is a more in-depth look at fashion freedom.
WARNING: While there is no seriously objectionable content, some of the content matter in this blog post may not be suitable for all audiences.
--- Fashion Freedom as a Concept ---
Fashion freedom would ask questions about fashion that mainstream society would frown upon instantaneously. For instance...• Why should only females wear skirts (or even dresses)?
• Why should only females wear high heels? Why should only females wear makeup and nail polish?
• Why is it that if a female attempts to wear male clothing (a la boyfriend fashion), she is seemingly okay; but if a male attempts to wears female clothing, he is considered crossdressing?
These questions and more are questions that those into fashion freedom would ask. The key point is in feeling able to wear clothing even from the opposite sex without fear of being considered gay or a transvestite by society.
--- Fashion Freedom: You Can't Wear THAT! ---
In the minds of those who feel they can wear whatever they want, there should be no reason why anyone should have to have restrictions on what they should and should wear. How come a male shouldn't be able to wear a skirt if he wants to? Why shouldn't a male wear pumps or some feminine heels if he wants to? We tend to live in a society where everything is taboo. Anything left of mainstream society is grounds for taboo and gossip. For example, a male who wants to wear a silky camisole top with a pair of chic jeans and either high-heel pumps or high-heel sandals should feel he can wear such a look without penalty or cruel stares. One male makes such a fashion choice and ends up having all sorts of mostly negative attention to him. Not everyone wants to wear something just to be noticed in a negative light.The male should have no problem wanting to go out sporting this look, right? Wrong. With the society we live in, there are those who would cringe at the sight of a male being left of socially acceptable. Females wear pink. Do males wear pink too? Absolutely males do. I've even known a few guys who wear pink, or even some variation of pink. To those who believe in fashion freedom, there should be no reason why a guy should be hated on for wearing something that would easily look cute/sexy/fierce on a female.
"I Want to Wear Whatever I Want."
Some people feel they should be able to wear whatever they like, and the feeling tends to be especially hard for school students. One such case was that of a (even I must say) very cute young male named Jonathan Escobar. In 2009, Jonathan Escobar- a (then) 16-year old from Miami who enrolled in North Cobb High School (Kennesaw, Georgia, USA) was kicked out of his high school since he wasn't allowed to dress up as a girl. An interview on television saw Jonathan dress up in a black wide-brim hat, a gray blazer, indigo blue skinny jeans, black nail polish on his fingernails and toenails, and a cute pair of platform high-heel sandals. It was concluded that the dress code strictly enforced students didn't dress or act in ways that would disrupt school functions... including crossdressing. Here was the news segment from 2009:Imagine something as simple as wearing certain clothes as a barrier of getting a good education. Sad.
Double Standards in Fashion?
Fashion poses a number of double standards. In case you need a refresher on what a double standard is, it means that one such situation is perfectly fine for one party but troublesome for another party. One can make the case for the boyfriend/menswear trend. For instance, it's perfectly fine if a girl wants to dress up as a guy or wear masculine-cut clothes. However, a male would be heckled or be frowned upon if he wants to wear feminine garments. There are females who dress and look boyish. Not every girl wants to wear sexy dresses and sky high heel pumps. But then, not every male wants to wear masculine clothing.Remember I discussed the versatility of feminine fashion from the outset? Well, fashion favors females more than males. Because of this favorable nature, a number of people would frown at the notion of a male wearing feminine clothing. Imagine that a guy wants to wear a flirty leopard-print elbow sleeve top, dark blue skinny jeans, and some black round-toe pumps. Not out of taboo, but because he wants to express himself through the means of fashion. Do you allow him to dress up this way, or do you admonish and criticize him because he doesn't dress up like other average males?
Homophobic Fears.
One thing people do not want to have happen to them is being considered gay just because of a few fashion choices. More than anything, this is perhaps the biggest fear and biggest deterrent for most males trying on certain feminine fashions. The fear is that someone is considered/presumed gay just because he/she isn't "like everybody else." A certain preference in fashion does not make anyone gay. A lot of people would assume (especially males) to be crossdressers simply because they wear feminine clothing.So therefore, the concept of fashion freedom is a risky one. Many people take different things in different ways.
--- Fashion Freedom: How Others Would Feel about Fashion Freedom ---
(NOTE: This section is all opinion. It is not based on any scientific research I've done on this topic matter.)How Most Females Would Feel About Males in Feminine Fashions.
Most females would object to the notion of a male wearing anything feminine. To some females, males should stick to masculine clothes, and females should happily wear feminine clothing. This would be flawed logic by most males. The flawed logic would be that if a girl could get away with wearing guy's clothing, how come guys can't get away with wearing girl's clothing? The double standard here relates to how females could wear male clothing, but males somehow can't wear feminine fashion if a male chooses to do so.I've seen in pictures and in blog posts about girls looking boyish or even wearing menswear clothing. Many females can pull off such looks. However, a male who wants to wear feminine fashions is somehow unable or disallowed by others. Many average males would think of such males as gay or as crossdressers just because they are wearing feminine clothes. So if males wearing feminine fashions are gays/crossdressers to some, how come no one (or a certain few) refers to females wearing masculine clothes as lesbians/crossdressers? Males who are in favor of wearing feminine clothes would feel strongly opposed on how much more freely females can wear masculine clothing as opposed to males wearing feminine clothes.
I have said all along that fashion is a form of art. As a form of art, one should be able to express himself/herself however he/she chooses- including fashion. That even includes males who want to dress in a feminine way. Think of Jonathan Escobar from earlier in this blog post. It is okay to be disgusted or feel uneasy about a male wearing feminine fashions. However, you have to appreciate such males being able to pull off certain looks and proudly wear them, even if at the expense of looking awkward.
The next section will make the case that males should be able to wear feminine or feminine-inspired pieces about as easily as any girl could easily wear.
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--- Fashion Freedom: Males in Feminine Fashions ---
This is not necessarily about fashion freedom, but more along the lines of males who have no problem wearing feminine fashions and posting about their looks. The most important thing to remember is that these are males who wear feminine fashions and do not wish to have any sort of transgender surgery to permanently become the opposite sex. You are invited to visit their blogs and see these males showcase their style in feminine fashions.Click on the hyperlinked headings to visit their respective blogs or sites.
The Art of Avant Garde.
As one of the most unique fellows you'll ever come across, Eli is an androgynous fellow who proudly puts together some lovely outfits. His beauty and charm shows that males can greatly wear feminine fashions if a male so choose to do so and can pull such looks off. His sense of style has as much appeal to fashion as Lady Gaga to music and art. So visit "The Art of Avant Garde" and check out Eli's style.FASHIONpaak.
Paak Chan is a male from Hong Kong who has no problem wearing skirts, heels, or platforms. His style is unique as you see him sport a number of styles. Now, Paak is not androgynous or anything. He just shows that certain feminine fashions can look great even on males.high heels for men.
This blog is run by a woman showcasing males wearing high-heel shoes. They can range from average males to androgynous males. The males featured range from wearing masculine fashions to more feminine outfits. So you get a little of everything here. Most importantly, though, there are NO transgendered folk to speak of. All of the males featured are all males wearing high heel shoes.Hottest Heels - Heels Are Hot! Anything Else Is Not!.
This young blogger from New York City commonly posts on celebrities wearing high heel shoes. Sometimes, this fellow even showcases himself wearing high heels. This person very much shows that if a guy wants to sport some high heels, he should be able to do so and be confident wearing them. Even if pictures of him in high heels don't tickle your fancy, at least visit to see various celebrities wearing high heels.Androgyn.beauty's Blog (Wordpress).
This is a Wordpress blog of an androgynous male beauty from Spain. He posts a variety of different posts where he mostly shows you his fashion style. This fellow has androgynous beauty with such smooth legs. Fashion items he wears are mostly casual and mostly chic. There are also skirts and dresses he may wear, as well as a handful of feminine shoes. His blog and his beauty will impress a lot of you. One last thing (and maybe a word of warning)... I would be disgusting most of my reading audience if I mentioned this, but he even has a few pictures of himself wearing lingerie. His looks and charm are surprisingly so lovely that he looks very passable even in lingerie.Fashion Freedom for Men (Wordpress).
This blog highlights on fashion freedom for men. It showcases a level of style when males wear feminine clothing. It also features various fashion insights. If you are someone who feels strongly that males should be able to wear feminine fashion if they so choose, this site is for you.I won't go crazy on videos, but I will show one video of a male wearing feminine fashions. Let this be some inspiration for you males to wear feminine fashions if you feel fashionable and confident enough.
Before I show you this video, I would NOT recommend you wear this in this situation. Anyhow, Gregory GORGEOUS shares with you this outfit. Any sexy girl would look hot in this outfit, but leave it to the Canadian to wear with outfit proudly:
Note the painted fingernails. Remember- this is a GUY wearing this outfit. Almost any female confident enough to wear such an outfit would have no problem wearing it. However, this fellow proudly wore this outfit.
If there are any other male fashion blogs or videos relevant to this topic, I will feature them in future edits.
--- Final Thoughts ---
This Final Thoughts section is a two-part deal. I will provide some lasting thoughts as well as what I would wear if I were to try feminine fashions for my own frame.Final Thoughts on this Topic.
I have expressed this topic from a journalistic standpoint throughout this post. When you really think about it, those who feel strongly in favor of fashion freedom feel that males should have as much versatility and freedom in fashion as females do.I know there are social stereotypes on any thought regarding fashionable males. You know, almost as if males should only dress up in masculine fashions and only masculine fashions. Society would mostly draw cruel stares at males who constantly are image conscious and take great care of themselves much like a lot of females. There is nothing wrong with a male who wants to look his absolute best, even to being real high maintenance with his looks. However, there are males who would think that if females can wear masculine fashions without penalty or complications (for those females who can comfortably and confidently wear masculine fashions), how come males can't wear feminine fashions if they so choose? This double standard in fashion has some fashionable males feeling disappointed.
This is more about fashion versatility and comfort than addressing any gender stereotypes or homophobic fears.
Would I Try Any Feminine Fashions?
A few times thinking about topics like this, I often imagine what it would be like if it were me sporting some of these fashions. Going out and about, I'd lack the confidence to go with anything really feminine if I were to try any looks mentioned here. You have to be confident in what you wear, even if you appear to look mostly awkward to many people.The challenge for men trying feminine shoes is in finding a pair of shoes that will fit. One rule of thumb is that for males wearing feminine heels, your feminine shoe size should be added by two. I could fit in a 10.5 D(M) US shoe or even a 11 D(M) US size shoe. So for women's shoes, they'd have to be either 12.5 B(M) US or 13 B(M) US. So here's a little reference:
• Male seeking female shoes = your women's size is two (US) sizes up.
• Female seeking male shoes = your men's size is two (US) sizes down.
So if I was crazy about getting feminine shoes, you shoe retailers better have some lovely shoes in a men's size 10.5 or 11! :D What I just mentioned is just a general rule of thumb. The only way to really know if a pair of shoes fit you best is by actually going out and wearing these shoes for yourself.
What I'd go with has to be completely casual. That's why I'd be okay with something like a long denim jean skirt and maybe some mary jane wedges. I haven't really thought of what kind of feminine top I'd try on. Then too, I doubt I'd look great wearing any sort of feminine top or dress for a frame like mine. So I'll just stick to bottoms and shoes here. I rarely wear sandals outside of the house, so I am not sure if I'd actually want to wear feminine sandals or any open-toe/peep-toe shoes. I wouldn't try slingbacks unless wearing any bottoms that extend above the ankles. Trying some VERY feminine shoes takes MUCH more confidence than wearing something like ballet flats or flat gladiator sandals.
And those are your Final Thoughts from me, including a "What If?" if I was trying these looks myself.
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How do you feel about the concept of fashion freedom? You are welcome to share your thoughts here. Thanks for reading!
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