• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    I wish it was socially acceptable for men to wear the colorful stuff women do on formal occasions. It’s almost always black, white, grey or maybe dark blue.

    I want things like paisley suits to be considered normal. Why not? It’s just a pattern.

    I’m not saying it because I want to do it, I’m saying it because I want to see it. Make congress a sea of color rather than a bit here and a bit there.

    • ApollosArrow@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      I honestly wish more stuff that is shown on runways would make it over to men. There’s a lot of fun that can be had. Plain suits are boring, even if you add color to them.

    • DJDarren@thelemmy.club
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      8 days ago

      I wish it were acceptable for men to wear bright dresses.

      I said that to my wife a few months ago, so she said “why don’t you try on some of mine?”

      So yeah, I now have few dresses I wear around the house. They’re great. Nice and floaty.

      • bluewing@lemm.ee
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        7 days ago

        Get a kilt for the out and about look, my good fellow. While wearing one will draw some looks, it is far more acceptable and good-looking and practical than an ill-fitting woman’s dress.

        • DJDarren@thelemmy.club
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          8 days ago

          All power to kilt wearers, but I feel that it’s an inherently different thing. It’s a specifically gendered garment, a ruggedised, masculinised form of skirt that it’s acceptable for some men to wear. Cool though they are, they’re not as fun and floaty as a light skirt and a pretty dress.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        Yeah, dresses are pretty comfortable. I did a couple of things in high school that I guess you could consider drag, except I was playing this old lady character I invented that would ramble on and on about very little in a Harvey Firestein voice because she also chain smoked.

        Anyway, I wore dresses for that. They were quite comfy. It would be awesome if a man could wear a formal dress to a formal occasion and not get stares (unless the stares were at that amazing dress he’s wearing).

        • DJDarren@thelemmy.club
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          8 days ago

          I don’t even see it as drag, because I’m not dressing as a woman. I’m a guy wearing a dress, not a guy trying to be a woman.

          Because when you really stop think about it, it makes no sense that clothes should be gendered. What is inherently ‘female’ about a dress, beyond the expectation that only women should wear them. I mentioned that somewhere on here before, to which one guy mentioned that swinging dicks might be an issue, and right, two things: 1) underwear exists, and 2) I don’t know about anyone else, but my dick doesn’t swing that low. Perhaps I’m unlucky.

          But yeah, the older I get the less sense it makes that we must dress in a specific way based on what genitals we have.

          I kinda just want to feel like my clothes look pretty sometimes. Women can dress masculine with barely a mention, so why can’t I dress feminine sometimes?

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            8 days ago

            Sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest it was drag. I just was suggesting that’s what you could have called the times I wore a dress.

            It shouldn’t be drag. It should just be normalized.

        • DJDarren@thelemmy.club
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          8 days ago

          Depends on where you are, init. It was bloody glorious during the summer, walking downstairs, gathering a ball of cool air in the skirt. When it gets cold, wear leggings.

    • Luminocta@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      I feel like you can, however it seems men take themselves too serious when dressing well. If you take yourself too serious as a man, wearing for example a pink suit will make you insecure.

      So dark, solemn colors are easier to accept.

      I wear suits for work and have them dark, but my social suits are light and colorful ( light blue, purple) and regardless I’ll wear fun and colorful shirts with them.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        I don’t know that you can in business or political situations. I think if a man showed up to a business meeting or a legislative session wearing a paisley suit, they would get screamed at about not having proper decorum.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                8 days ago

                I’m pretty sure relying on food stamps and soup kitchens is not a revolution.

                And if you’ve ever had to survive that way, you’d know it’s fucking horrible. Especially if you have kids.

                So I guess keep wishing because people don’t want to have to resort to that.

                • meep_launcher@lemm.ee
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                  8 days ago

                  Yea I agree with squid that we should not consider the soup kitchen the place of liberation.

                  I would say as a guy who has dressed in colorful formal attire when I worked in corporate jobs that you don’t get punished. This meme is like when conservatives say “you can’t say anything anymore”. Obviously you can, and frankly most of the backlash is made up.

                • aidan@lemmy.world
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                  8 days ago

                  Especially if you have kids.

                  Exactly, I’m fine with being on edge, but its not right to force that on kids if you can help it.

                  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                    8 days ago

                    I’m sorry, but you’re not going to insult people into your revolution.

                    You’re also going to have a very hard time convincing everyone to significantly lower their standard of living because they have no money.

    • shastaxc@lemm.ee
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      8 days ago

      My fancy shirts are colorful silk patterns. I got bored of the old traditional formal wear, and I like the attention I get now.

    • bitwolf@lemmy.one
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      7 days ago

      I once found a sick purple/red paisley suit jacket.

      At the register my family pleaded I not get it. That it’s embarrassing to wear.

      I feel you

    • odelik@lemmy.today
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      8 days ago

      I had an ex tell me once that I wore too much brown and dull greens.

      Since then I’ve been aware of my color choices and have a lot of “loud” colors in my wardrobe. I will even intentionally wear clashing colors and have made it a style choice.

      I still have browns and dull greens, but I have fun with them now.

      All that said, I’ll wear something until it starts wearing out then that’ll be relegated to chore/diy project clothes.

    • chakan2@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Uh…it is en vouge I think. Depends on your audience, but most of the kids these days are wearing flamboyant suits and they look sharp.

      I wouldn’t go to 80 olds on very nice retirement plans for fashion advice.

    • Shou@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Perhaps consider looking for decorative belt buckles, tie pins, cufflinks and similar suit accessories. It might not be flamboyant, but it may make your day. It provides that extra touch.

      Or bring multiple bow ties and change them throughout the party just to mess with people.

      • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        those are socially acceptable though, the post your replying to is expressing a want for wider social acceptability. Imo look at the formal kimonos and jackets worn in japan. Many of those were heavily decorated for both men and women.

        • bluewing@lemm.ee
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          7 days ago

          I have always wanted a kilt. But it’s not socially acceptable where I live and frankly impractical 6 months out of the year due to well below freezing temps. No one would say anything directly to your face, but you would be stared at and talked about behind your back by everyone.

        • Shou@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          Any ideas on how to transition men’s fashion? Could start with elaborate patterns and decor on suits. Shirts already have patterns of flowers, or birds on em. Why not suits too?