I didn't know anyone did this outside of Seattle. Men in skirts time. While this is really just an attempt to legitimize the ridiculous amount of time i spend on the internet, anyone in this class and interested in fashion might enjoy this fusion of subjects.
This article features a whole list of designers and other various famous people who have been campaigning (or simply going about) skirts for men. Thus the image of Sean Connery in traditional dress. It also includes some examples of traditional clothing for men featuring skirts, again see above.
After the historical informational bit, the author goes into some very interesting commentary on several different photo shoots featuring men in dresses. Things i hadn't even thought about when considering photographic composition were brought up, as well as what the images themselves meant. I hadn't really considered how fashion shoots with women entirely naked could be feminist, but I'm reconsidering now.
"The tradition of men wearing skirts may have been brought about by culture or religion passed through the generations. But for others for whom men wearing skirts is not the norm, the practice has been wielded as a political weapon.
Women can wear suits and pants and command the power of a man, but men can not do the same.
The man becomes vulnerable by looking awkward in a dress. He is rendered powerless by a woman who also wears feminine garb, because masculinity has been humiliated and diminished by its inflexibility"
I'd definitely urge people to check this out, if nothing else at least there are some fun pictures.
(the site is image heavy though, so if you have a slow connection i might steer clear)
I think that the Men In Skirts idea is a very interesting concept-- do you think it is more likely, in the long run, to affect men's societal norms or women's societal norms? And I think it says something about societal constructions that I, who consider myself to be fairly forward-thinking, have never ever considered the idea of Men In Skirts.
ReplyDeleteWith the exception of kilts.
I liked the pictures, though. It's a very interesting premise.