Anybody notice one aspect of "maleness" that doesn't seem to have evolved ever since the Victorian Era? It's the fact that while women have liberated themselves from the rigid dress code of dresses and skirts, it seems that Western men are still stuck in the Victorian age, when all they can wear are shirts, suits, slacks and ties!Generally, the menswear section doesn't contain any dressy sleeveless tops (only wifebeaters, not suited for any occassion after 7PM!), halter necks, pantyhose, backless tops or maybe some masculine dresses, e.g. Toga which highlight the beauty of the male body without looking "feminine". And that frustrates me, because fashion designers and store managers haven't seem to have gotten the idea that men DO want to express themselves through their fashion; the reason why so many guys aren't interested in fashion is the extremely rigid and conservative options we're allowed (suits, shirts,pants ties. that's as much freedom of expression you have as a man. BORING!). And no, changing a black suit to a purple one hardly counts as "individualism". When I say "individualism", I mean having as many cuts and patterns and colors as the female wardrobe. I mean, why is Western society so eager to keep the male body under wraps with the constant "men look sexier when they're buttoned up" statement? I won't believe for a second that my body is aesthetically inferior to the female body, only that patriarchal culture has ensured that we believe the male body to be a repulsive, sweaty smelly, barbaric lump of junk that looks "sexier when it's covered up", unlike the more "aesthetically pleasing" female body. Any boys had a similar experience to mine? Feeling somewhat "repressed" by your extremely limited and subdued options of menswear, and being unable to achieve the particular bold and daring aesthetic (e.g. backless tops) you want, because the menswear section doesn't have the particular cut or garment with which to achieve that aesthetic? Guys, WAKE UP! We don't live in the Victorian Era anymore! We should feel free to wear whatever we want, to alter our clothes in any way we like, and to see a tailor to custom-make our clothes, in order to express ourselves through our fashion, and not suffer being stigmatized as being "cheesy", "gay", "tacky", "worst-dressed" etc for emancipating our gender role and liberating our bodies from the strict confines of Victorian prudery. Why should women have the monopoly on physical "sexiness"? Why should the Female Gaze be deprived of man flesh, in our sexually unbalanced culture which oversexualizes women, and undersexualizes men? Surely the beauty of the male body can be displayed in the same way the female body is displayed in an elegant and form-fitting cocktail dress - it'll take some creativity, but it certainly CAN be done. Carpe diem, people! Let's showcase the beauty of the male body to the world! Let's show some skin, boys!!!
