The robotics engineer Mark Bryan is married for eleven years and has a daughter. He dresses in an unusual way and identifies as heterosexual. Bryan, an American living in Germany, disagrees that clothing should be gendered differently. Bryan is frequently spotted wearing heels and a skirt, whether at work or elsewhere.
Bryan voiced his displeasure with the small selection of men’s fashion alternatives, especially when it came to business wear. Men’s pants come in a restricted selection of shapes and colors, mostly consisting of black, gray, dark blue, and the rare pinstripe.
The stylish fashionista believes that males need to be allowed to wear skirts and dresses, just as women are allowed to wear pants. Bryan enjoys that skirts come in a wider range of patterns, colors, and designs than men’s clothing does.
Bryan enjoys blending traditional gender roles by dressing mostly in feminine items for his lower body, such a pencil skirt and four-inch heels, and masculine pieces for his upper body, like a blazer and tie.
Bryan does not mind at all wearing heels. He first learned how to dance when his college girlfriend insisted that he dance with her in high heels so that they could both be on the same level. They continued doing this for over a year.
Bryan will not let preconceived ideas or preconceptions get in the way of his ability to express himself via clothing. He confidently and audaciously violates expectations. Find out what Bryan thinks about his stylistic choices by reading on.
Bryan has a certain sense of style when it comes to clothes. He stated that he did not think gender should have any bearing on what people might wear in an interview with Bored Panda. He said he prefers skirts to dresses because they let him wear different gender identities. Bryan emphasizes his belief that clothes should be free from gender norms by favoring a “masculine” appearance for the upper body and a non-gendered appearance for the lower body.
He continued, saying, “I remember a time when gender standards prevented girls from wearing pants to school. Pants, however, are now seen as unisex apparel. So why can not heels and skirts be seen as non-gendered clothing as well? It is important to remember that historically, men were the ones who wore heels before women. Although fashion may have changed over time, guys wearing heels is not a novel idea.
Bryan’s assessment is accurate. Centuries have passed since the invention of high heels. Historians and archaeologists are unsure of the precise origin of high heels, but they have been around since at least the tenth century. It is interesting to note that high heels were not originally worn as a fashion statement but rather for functional reasons. For example, the Persian cavalry used boots with heels called galesh or kalash to make it easier to put their feet firmly in stirrups. It is also for practical reasons that cowboy boots have a low heel!
Having a horse was a sign of status, therefore wearing high-heeled boots was a privilege reserved for the affluent. As these shoes became more and more fashionable throughout Europe, wealthy merchants and nobility began to associate high heels with prestige. It is interesting to note that during the Great Schism of the Christian Church in the eleventh century, even the pope started wearing high heels as a fashion statement.
It was many centuries before fashion started to change. Europe began to address cultural concerns of gender roles in the 18th century, and debates about what constitutes proper clothing for men and women began to take shape. Around this time, the idea that fashion is flimsy and feminine and something “real men” should not worry about began to take hold. Men increasingly ceased wearing high heels as a result of these changing views, believing them to be needless and impractical accessories.
Bryan is a perfect example of how men can still look stylish while wearing high heels. Even while the engineer supports this tendency, he admits that others might question his decision. He compares those who choose to wear bright hair colors to those who make a fashion statement. He clarified:
Think of a person whose hair is a vivid green color. A hair color like that is unorthodox, for sure. Your first impression of this person is the unusual green hair, which makes you think of oddities or mysteries. Then you go back to what you were doing, pushing the experience out of your memory. I argue that this response is similar to what people say when they see me in a skirt and heels.
Bryan finds shoes and skirts that fit him well with ease. He has smaller feet than most males, thus his heel size is 8.5 and his skirt size is 8. Bryan advises guys who are interested in trying on skirts and heels to start with a lower heel so they may get used to walking in high heels gradually.
Kindly provide your opinions regarding Mark Bryan’s wardrobe selections. Do you know of any guys that would be open to trying out high heels? Please spread the word to your friends and family and feel free to express your thoughts.
H/T : wdyst.me
