However, even the famous and popular are massively criticized online for these fashion choices. Netizens predict that we are witnessing the downfall of a “real man.” A real man, that is, one with a well-tailored suit.
Sports tailcoat
Commentators probably don’t realize that ideals regarding men’s and women’s clothing have changed dramatically over the centuries. As fashion historian and cultural anthropologist Zuzanna Żubka-Chmielewska explains, sober men’s clothing only became a trend at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.
– The push for men to dress minimalist came from England and quickly spread throughout Europe, which was fascinated by all things English. What we now consider elegant menswear dates back to the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. However, at that time it was classified as sportswear. A tailcoat or morning coat was worn when hunting and hiking. Shades of black, white, dove grey and navy blue also became fashionable – explains the expert.
The 19th century was also the time when makeup began to be associated with femininity. Once again, England played a big role in this. Queen Victoria, supported by representatives of the Anglican Church, believed that wearing makeup was vulgar and vain. So they were assigned to promiscuous women.
Killer powder
Previously, as Żubka-Chmielewska emphasizes, “men were not only inferior to women when it came to ornate clothing, but often wore clothes that were more decorative and expensive than women.” Their clothes shone in different colors and had striking cuts. In addition, there was avid use of makeup.
In ancient Egypt, it was considered a man’s style to paint large lines across the eyes – this was done to prove that the person wearing the makeup belonged to the elite. In fact, the lines made a comeback as a part of men’s appearance in the 1970s and 1980s, thanks to musicians like Prince and David Bowie. And then some rock bands. However, they never became as popular as they had been thousands of years earlier, on the banks of the Nile.
The Egyptians also created pigments that allowed them to paint their eyelids. Men voluntarily chose the color green, which was supposed to connect them to the god Re and thus increase their strength and fertility. In turn, the ancient Romans used pigment to make their cheeks rosy. They also painted their nails with a mixture of pig’s blood and fat.
In the countryside, long before the fiefdoms, the division into male and female clothing began to be observed.
In the 16th century, powders were used to enhance pale skin. It was also one of the most deadly makeup trends. Powders contained lead, and when used in abundance, they caused serious health problems and sometimes even death. However, powders had been used for hundreds of years, and in the 17th century, the trend was complemented by lush wigs that hid baldness or skin lesions resulting from poor hygiene.
Woman disguise
The first men’s clothing was a loincloth. At first it was made of animal skins, later also of wool. In ancient times, loincloths began to become more ornate. This was especially true in Asia, because in Europe they tried to keep the colors softer. However, they did not shy away from decoration. Thus, Greek chitons and their Roman counterparts, that is, tunics, were often fastened with gold clasps, heavy necklaces made of agate, amethyst and rock crystal were hung around the neck, and the wrists were decorated with bracelets. Men’s and women’s clothing did not differ much from each other, but there were certain rules regarding gender.
– Men’s clothing was shorter so they could comfortably ride horses and do physical work. In Greece, if a man wore a long tunic and had long hair, he could be ridiculed, explains Żubka-Chmielewska.
Significant changes in men’s clothing occurred at the end of the 11th century, when Byzantine fashion spread throughout Western Europe. As we read in the book “From Skirt to Trousers: The History of Men’s Fashion” by Krzysztof Łoszewski, “long cloaks with wide sleeves were a real novelty. The tunic ended in a kind of train that trailed along the ground.” The clothes of the elite were studded with precious stones, and the whole look was complemented by shoes with long, upturned toes.
The full development of the trend was blocked by the Catholic Church. According to the hierarchs, such rich clothing was inappropriate for men. They should have called it a woman’s disguise. However, this could not stop the fashion revolution. This does not mean that you could afford everything – on the one hand, fashion excesses were restricted by the Church. On the other hand, some rulers used anti-luxury laws that began to be introduced in many parts of Europe in the 12th century.
Their purpose was to prevent people from flaunting their wealth. Such behavior was seen as a manifestation of pride, greed, and sinful nature. The regulations specified maximum amounts for spending on robes. It was also determined which social classes had the right to wear precious clothes. Sometimes the maximum length of the dress was specified or additional decorations were prohibited. Historian Zuzanna Żubka-Chmielewska gives Florence as a vivid example of how absurd these laws could be. Men were not allowed to wear silk fabrics there. In Venice, gold buttons were banned.
A time of splendor
At the beginning of the Renaissance, anti-luxury laws began to be questioned, the violation of which was rarely punished. In turn, with the advent of the Baroque, men completely stopped limiting themselves when it came to fashion. As we read in the aforementioned book “From Skirt to Trousers”, Baroque men paid a lot of attention to their appearance. As the author explains, “the time spent getting dressed took up half the day”.
We learn that men wore pearl earrings, curled their heads in curls, and sprinkled perfume on their collars. Their clothes were said to be so rich that “women seemed modest in comparison.” – If we look at the household accounts of England from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, we can see that women’s clothes prepared for an audience with Queen Elizabeth I cost less than men’s, notes Żuzanna Żubka-Chmielewska.
The first ties also appeared in the 17th century, although they were later made of lace and spread across the chest. They were not hung on a single strip as they are today. Kings Louis XIV and Frederick V probably loved them as much as high-heeled shoes. This solution came to Europe from Persia and was mainly of practical importance.
As Żubka-Chmielewska explains, “the heel helped to stay in the stirrups and at the same time indicated the status of the man wearing them.” Lower-class gentlemen, who had to travel a lot on foot rather than by horse or carriage, could not afford such extravagance.
The 18th century brought a revolution in the textile industry. Sewing became faster and faster, not only because of technical progress, but also because new markets opened up in the colonies. Fashion magazines helped people find their way through the flood of fabrics and patterns.
Men, though still dressed formally, abandoned their baroque splendor. Their wigs became smaller and their fabrics became less colorful. The upper classes began to abandon stockings in favor of trousers, which had been introduced two centuries earlier (their ancestors were medieval trousers). Fashion began to move toward modern divisions—what is masculine is simple and understated, what is feminine is sophisticated and colorful.
Women can do more
Żubka-Chmielewska emphasizes that when we talk about clothing, we usually focus on the upper classes. The lower classes had slightly different – more conservative – rules. In the countryside, long before the feudal lords, the division into men’s and women’s clothing began to be observed.
– A country woman, even if she had the financial means, would not wear a long dress with a train, as it would hinder her field work. But she also could not dress completely comfortably. In the Middle Ages, men could work in just a shirt and pants, and women in a dress or long skirt, says the historian.
This rigid division spread across all social classes in the 19th century. Today, conservative fashion rules apply mainly to men. This is one of the few areas of life where women can afford much more. Research by sociologist Emily Kane shows that we are conditioned to do this even as children – parents are much more accepting of daughters than of sons who dress in a way that is incongruent with their gender. Parents are particularly sensitive to any manifestations of feminization in their sons. The researcher sees the sources of these reactions in patriarchy and patterns of toxic masculinity, which make us think that the greatest insult for a man is to be compared to a woman. This, in turn, may explain the strong reactions on the Internet to photos of men dressed in “feminine” clothes. And this despite the fact that such feminized clothes would already have been considered very masculine. For some, this is undermining the paradigm in which they have operated until now – they treat it as a threat.
This is a difficult change also because there has always been some division – more or less clear – about what is appropriate to wear depending on gender. This despite the fact that cultural and social norms and fashion are constantly changing.
Given the visible resistance to this mix of orders today, Żubka-Chmielewska does not predict that men will soon start wearing skirts en masse. But she adds: – On the other hand, the world is changing very quickly. Just a dozen or so years ago, a strong tan was popular, but now it is frowned upon. Trends also tend to come back, so perhaps men’s clothing will become a little feminized.
