*Photographed by: Tyler Mitchell / all copyrights and photos owned by Vogue*

“Go for blue, the colour pink is far too feminine for a man like you.”

I overheard the father confidently say to his son, as they were standing between the clothing aisle's in Zara. His tone laced with a sense of repulsion at the idea of his son wearing a shirt, that in his eyes indicated femininity.

Misogyny has plagued the fashion world, from shapes and patterns of clothing, to colours and styling. Leaving fashion and gender expression incapable to coexist. Men are limited due to their urgency of conforming to gender roles. The fear that many men have in expressing femininity in fashion, is an example of toxic masculinity.

Toxic masculinity could be defined as the notion that “being a man” involves embodying stereotypes like aggression, misogyny, homophobia and dominance. In practice, this leads to cultural pressure encouraging men to behave in a certain way. At its heart it is a fear of being feminine, a passed on inter-generational idea of a ‘traditional man.’ This belief is imprinted into their minds at a young age, that boys have to continuously strive to fit into this stereotypical concept of a man. But, men aren’t the only ones conforming to gender norms, women are also bound by these expectations. Irrationality, fragility, and weakness are seen as equivalents to femininity when showcasing emotions. If a man were seen to exhibit these characteristics, it would be a humiliation or even more, it would be seen as emasculating.

Fashion plays a huge role in presenting our identity. Men who are confident and secure in their masculinity may fall under scrutiny from misogynists, for wearing clothing that is normally defined as feminine.

An example of this, is Harry Styles’s controversial photoshoot with Vogue in 2020. His outfit within the photos was recognised as a threat to masculinity. It ignited arguments between those who project their gender conformity to others, and those who strive for acceptance of individualistic expression. One critique that stood out due to the backlash she received from the public, was Candace Owens.

The conservative author and activist used her Twitter to plead: “bring back manly men,” in response to Style’s front cover Vouge photoshoot. She expressed that the feminisation of men is an “outright attack” and
without manly men in our world, our society would be incapable of thriving. Owens continued to criticise Styles, irregardless of the amount of people who came to his defence, by replying to her tweet. She stated no matter how many examples were presented to her, she remains resolute in her belief that dresses are “not what a man should wear.”

Many men are still exploring their confidence in the way they dress, and negative statements against it, could once again force them to conform to gender norms.

Men’s mental health is often neglected and overlooked. According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2021 the suicide rates for men in the U.K were 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people whilst women were at the rate of 5.5 deaths per 100,000. Undoubtedly, there are other factors that affect this, but prominently a massive impact on men’s health around the world, comes from toxic masculinity.

Deciphering the outdated stigma of how a man should behave or look, is a step forward to eliminating the role of toxic masculinity in the growth of our society. Masculinity should not be defined on what you wear on the runway, or anywhere else in your everyday life. Rather, someone’s choice of clothing should not strike up arguments regarding their sexuality, nor should it become a label for who you are.

Instead, fashion is seen for what it is; simply a way to express yourself as an individual.

Who knew clothes had gender?