By, Isabella A.
Harry Styles became the first guy to adorn the cover of Vogue Magazine by himself on November 13th 2020. Styles debuted a number of looks that mixed the masculine (such as suits) with the feminine (such as dresses). In the Vogue Article, he states “As a kid I definitely liked fancy dress,”, which implies that growing up he always loved the idea of “dressing up” and never made a difference to him whether it was masculine or feminine. Headlines broke right when Vogue announced he was going to be on the Cover, and many of his fans as well as other celebrities were very excited. His wardrobe was well-received, with many of his followers approving of his ambiguous style.
His debut, however, was not without criticism.
Conservatives were enraged…What’s new?
Candace Owens, a renowned Republican commentator, came to Twitter the next day to condemn the encounter. Her now Famous line “Bring back manly men” has drawn the attention of many people. It’s fair to assume that “manly men” refers to conventional masculinity. This includes things like appearing somber, dressing in men’s attire, and so on. Styles’ choice to dress androgynously is perceived by many conservatives and traditionalists as a sign of widespread emasculation.
Screenshot from Candice Owens Twitter Account
Apparently Men will no longer be Men
But here’s the thing….
Harry Styles does not reflect the majority of guys, and the majority of men do not choose to dress in feminine apparel. Most men today still don’t even paint their nails
It could be for a number of reasons. For one it could be because some men aren’t isn’t confident enough in their gender and don’t know where to look for it. It might also be an aesthetic decision – some guys prefer to dress masculinely. Styles’ dress choices, in my opinion and that of many followers, represent a widespread ascent of straight guys reinventing masculinity. By just wearing a pair of heels, they are gaining confidence in their gender identification and sexual orientation.
It’s the end of manhood as we know it, according to Candace Owens.
This poses plenty of critical issues. “What is the aim of conventional masculinity?” for example. “Does it still work today?” “What is a good model of manhood in the twenty-first century?”. Gender is becoming an increasingly intricate and researched topic in today’s world. Rather than focusing on the gender roles that have been established by binaries, an increasing number of people are opting to break them.
Since the beginning of time, men have dressed up. Throughout history, powerful rulers have reigned in luxurious and elegant attire. The fact that one male pop singer finds creative empowerment in femininity does not imply that Western civilization is dying.
Screenshot from Jameela Jamil Twitter Account
Jameela Jamil, an English Actress commented on the situation in a tweet, discussing that back in the 18th Century. Men were wearing wigs, makeup, and tights and that was also considered manly. She’s basically stating that men wore all these things hundreds of years ago and now that Harry Styles is wearing a dress on the cover of Vogue it’s officially the end of masculinity.
The emergence of feminism and LGBTQ+ rights in recent years has resulted in hysterical accusations that masculinity is under siege. Extremists like Godse and Trump, the protectors of “traditional” masculinity, have sprung out as a result of such irrational abstractions. We are now experiencing a masculine “crisis”. Men are pulling the world down with them in an attempt to live up to absurdly high expectations of toughness. Men are not losing their masculinity; rather, they are molding it to the harm of society.
The media encourages masculine standards and sends internal cues to viewers that these are the qualities that men should possess. Having people like Harry Styles express their femininity through wearing a dress, brings change on what masculinity can look like. It’s quite amazing watching someone who I’ve personally been a fan of for a long time come out of his boundaries and present something like that for the whole world to see. I think that cover was a step in the right direction when it came to men being pushed to shatter these masculine and sexuality norms, so that more men may feel at ease with their genuine selves.