Clothes are just clothes, and that is all that they should remain. But we have always had a history of blowing it out of proportion. For men, clothes became reflective of their masculinity, and for women, they got reflective of their character.
Harry Styles, an internationally renowned singer, came close to breaking the internet as the first man to appear solo on the front cover of Vogue, gracing the cover by adorning a big blue mesmerizing gown. On being interviewed, he described that “I’ll go in shops sometimes, and I just find myself looking at the women’s clothes thinking they’re amazing. It’s like anything — anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself.”
As an individual who views clothing as an earnest attempt of the truest expression of oneself, I view it as absolutely imperative for us to know how so many products today that are carried gorgeously by women were originally made for men. It needs to be understood that men deserve every bit of freedom to express themselves truly. Hence, awareness about these products will debunk stereotypical notions surrounding men’s fashion.
a. High Heels
High Heels are loved by especially women and are used extensively in the fashion industry, but they were originally created for men for different reasons. These were made for butchers to put on for keeping their feet clean from the blood of slaughtered animals. In the 10th century, Persian soldiers also used high heels to maintain balance and lock their feet in their stirrups while riding horses and attacking and shooting their enemies. In the 17th century, European men started wearing heels to look taller and more intimidating. Lastly, styles of wearing heels were adopted by women when most of them used while wearing skirts that reached their ankles. Heels helped to raise their feet to hide the rear part of their legs under the skirt and gave an impression of smaller feet.
Now, the next time you see Robert Downey Jr. gracing a pair of fabulous heels on the sets of Iron Man, feel the ecstasy of history turning into a full circle!
b. Stockings
Stockings are largely available in the market for women, but originally these were made for men's wear in the 9th century. It was only in the 18th century when women started wearing these. Stockings took over from masculine to feminine products totally from the 16th to 20th century. Don’t be surprised if you see a confident man next time in stockings and absolutely nailing the entire ensemble of his look!
c. Skirts
Skirts are one of the comfortable clothes preferred by women but in earlier times soldiers used to wear skirts on battlegrounds as it allowed them to move around and run with freedom. It also prevented overheating caused by armor. Most clothing ideas were also inspired by skirts with the simple motive of moving with freedom.
Even scientifically, it has been studied and proven that skirts are better suited for men's anatomical structure.
d. Crop Top
The main purpose behind crop tops in the 1940s was to save fabric during the war and this garment was purely invented by men for men to wear. Crop top fashion began in the early 70s by male bodybuilders, which prevented them from training shirtless. Later on, women adopted it as a summer trend to wear it with pairs of high waist jeans and skirts. We would definitely look at men wearing stunning crop tops this summer with absolute admiration!
e. Reusable menstrual pads
Hold your horses steadily before blurting out a huge “whoa!” and glance through why reusable menstrual pads were originally used by men.
Reusable menstrual pads were not a thing until World War I. Years before the war, some executives of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation—which made the first disposable pad—were touring Europe when they came across some new material made from pulp and paper. Cellucotton, as it was called, soaked in five times more water than regular cotton while costing half as much. The executives took cellucotton back to the United States. However, Kimberly-Clark did not find any use for it until World War I came along. Cellucotton was mass-produced for use in dressing injured soldiers. However, the female nurses treating the wounded soldiers soon discovered that it worked well for soaking up their menstrual discharge. Kimberly-Clark never paid attention to that until the market for cellucotton dried up right after the war. In 1920, it rebranded cellucotton and sold it as Kotex (from cotton texture), which became the first brand of disposable menstrual pads. Poor sales later made executives repurpose the product again into Kleenex, the first brand of facial tissue that hit the market in 1924.
f. Jewelry
In Mesopotamia (now the Middle East), jewelry making had also become a major craft. Both men and women wore extensive amounts of jewelry including amulets, ankle bracelets, and luxurious multi-strand necklaces. These were often made of thin metal leaf and natural stones such as agate, lapis, carnelian, and jasper. Jewelry has also been greatly revered in the Indian sub-continent, in China, particularly jewelry made of jade, in both the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Jewelry played such a major role in so many of these important civilizations in both reflecting status and power, as well as spiritual and religious matters. This piece of vital information is certainly a sign for men to adorn rings, pendants, earrings, etc., and look absolute stunners while doing so!
Products that originated in the past manifest that categorizing things into 'masculine' and 'feminine' is just a regressive advancement that shouldn't have been made. Clothes are just clothes, and that is all that they should remain. But we have always had a history of blowing it out of proportion. For men, clothes became reflective of their masculinity, and for women, they got reflective of their character. What we need is the entitled mentality that being feminine is a choice that anyone can make, that being mellow & nerdy is good, and the realization that men shouldn’t be always in the position to prove something to the society that they are masculine.
Being different is great. Being unconventional is not a sin, but erasing that unconventionally to fit in forcibly, is.
This article has been written by Ms. Akshiti Chauhan, a first-year student of the Army Institute of Law, Mohali.