The "Fun" Factor

[CassieJ]

When I look at society and the clothes we wear, there is a difference between the genders that is not normally discussed. From casual wear to formal wear, men have very little socially acceptable variance. A bright t-shirt or jacket with a cartoon print or design on it. A polo or button down with, oh my gosh, a pattern. (hopefully not paisley anymore). Formal wear is very strict with a neutral or dark colored jacket and pants or a tux. You can get away with a blue tux but everyone will treat you like you are crazy. Now, look at what women wear. From casual wear to formal dress, women are encouraged to have "fun" with fashion. Even when they wear a conservative business suit or a formal gown, they can accessorize with some really creative and fun shoes. Casual wear includes anything from the men's side of the closet and just about anything that can be imagined. Off one shoulder, halter top, poofy, frilly, slinky, shiny, and any combination or variation is perfectly acceptable. Shorts, short-shorts, pants,dress, skirt, gown, capris, and just about any bottom you can imagine is available. When you look to formal wear, almost anything goes now. Dresses made from almost any pattern or material has been seen on the runway for formal events. It is almost a contest for women to have the most "Fun" dress. Lady Gaga is on the extreme end of that scale but just look how far 'regular' women go today compared to 20-30 years ago. The point of all this, women have fun with their fashion while I see nothing fun about men's fashion today. Men's shoes are limited to a few styles, usually in earth-tones. Tennis shoes might have some bright colors or designs but the construction of the shoe is the same. Women's shoes have every combination of color and designs but go much farther as the actual construction of the shoe is completely open to customization. Heels take on just about every shape and height. Themes are applied to the entire shoe or an element, such as ribbons, feathers or metal studs. Women's shoes shout "Look at me!" Men's shoes are not supposed to stand out. Understanding this, I feel that it is time for men to have "Fun" with their fashion. I love High Heels so I choose to have fun with my various styles and colors of stilettos, wedges, platforms and chunky heeled shoes. I want to wear clothes (shoes) that scream "Everybody look at me! Aren't I the coolest shoes you have ever seen?" Even in casual situations, women can wear sequined flashy heels under their jeans and it looks great. Men deserve the same options without being judged as 'weird' or 'gay.' The more of us that get out there and show off our shoes, the faster society adjusts and it starts to seem normal. In the 70s, I remember men wearing earrings got a lot of, not so positive, attention. Now, no one really thinks twice about a man in earrings. Our shoe choices can be the same way in a few years. It just takes us to blaze the trail, endure the consequences for a bit, and encourage others that want to join in. This is what HHPlace is best at. We are all spread across the world. In some ways, it would be better if we could all be in a small area and help each other out while making male heels become 'normal' for that area. In other ways, perhaps it is better that we are all spread all over the world making changes to people's attitudes about fashion everywhere at the same time. All I know is that a large number of guys want to wear heels for many different reasons. I happen to like the "Fun" factor of heels. They can be admired, collected, worn and used in battle with the other heel lovers when encountered out in public. "Who has the coolest shoes?" Isn't it fun when it's a guy for a change?

[Henri]

Just to re-inforce Cassie's comment. I was at the Hotel lounge last night and being Valentine's Day it was a busy night. I had ladies come up and ask what shoes I had one. One of them told her husband before arriving that Henri will be wearing RED. She was right. Slowly we are being accepted. Thanks for letting me add my .02 cents. Henri

[newheeler]

I still havent figured out what has changed human thinking. In animal kingdom, most of the species have the males dressed up in colors, wide variation they look better. And we know its the opposite with us humans. If we look at natives and their fashion, i think its still the same as for animals. Maybe its the modern age, maybe its just all marketing, maybe...who knows what and why but its working like this..for now. If not in our age but perhaps within 10-20 years the trand will change or ease up. I wish us the best

[FreshinHeels]

and then on a sidenote about colours (if that's hoe you say it) Did ye ever see what colours soccers shoes are today? From pink to purple to yellow all seems allowed then

[Rei]

I don't think there's a single word in there that I disagree with... Props to CassieJ for putting everything I've thought about this topic into something coherent.

[StockingTop]

Very succinctly put Cassie, really puts things in perspective

[Pumped]

My wife and I both are very put off by men's fasion these days, especially shoes. A few years back you could buy men's shoes with various heel height. Now the fashion is a 1/2" heel and very little differance in the styles to choose from. It seems like there is maybe a dozen syles that everyone rehashes over and over. Why not even a cuban heel in a men's shoe?!

[Gudulitooo]

I have read articles trying to link fun fashion with the global meltdown. More economic sadness requires more fun in fashion. Now emancipated women earn their own money, and make the most possible fun with it. Meanwhile, many men I know still have a long-sighted management of their ressources, with a large part of it spared "in case", and the rest spared for ... entertainment, holydays, leisure, video games, portable phone etc. Childish. Only a few are into fasion, the vast majority being below 25, and favor sportwear or streetwear.

[roniheels]

You've hit the nail on the head as far as "fun" is concerned. When I spend a day out-and about in high heels, the entire day is so much fun for so many different reasons. But especially the fact that I am wearing high heels and showing everyone that I enjoy wearing high heels in public.

[HappyinHeels]

Cassie J, What a thoughtful and articulate commentary you have written on the state of men's fashion and the utter lack of imagination when compared to what the women are offered. There comes a day in every man's, or young man's life, when he looks up and sees the fun women take in their fashion and realizes that he is not going to share in her enjoyment of expressing himself rather he will living a utilitarian existence getting to work, and taking care of the house, the family, the pets, vehicles, machines, and other gadgets. The irony of this is that the same gender that is excluded from the creativity that defines women's clothing is the same gender that designs all those creative wonders! Men design the coolest shoes, dresses, and accessories that women wear all over the world yet are expected to wear dull-looking clothes. But, Cassie J. is quite correct in saying that trails can certainly be blazed today by creative male fashionistas so that the road is much easier for the men of tomorrow. Isn't this the purest form of freedom of expression?? Thanks again for your wonderful post. HappyinHeels

[mtnsofheels]

I agree totally with all of you and thank you CassieJ for bringing up the subject. In the last week I had fun wearing the shoes and boots I wanted and with moderate fashions to go with them, kind of like paring wine with food. I had a great time wearing 4.5" heeled ankle boots in Vancouver last Friday, then wearing some nice sandals with polished nails and toe rings, an dit was fun to just be there enjoying ourselves. Fun is a key factor in just doing it. So the motto is just going and have "fun" Great thread! Mtnsofheels

[shortskip]

@CasseJ: That's the truth... Most men must march the only way like a lemming. best wishes Shortskip

[JeffB]

Brilliant commentary, Cassie! You deserve to be applauded for everything you said as your words were right on the nose. Bravo!

[Guest]

...... I happen to like the "Fun" factor of heels. They can be admired, collected, worn and used in battle with the other heel lovers when encountered out in public. "Who has the coolest shoes?" Isn't it fun when it's a guy for a change?

Guilty on all counts Mi'lord.

Al

[Thighbootguy]

Fun is had when you are doing something you enjoy and that leads to a very broad variety of activities. I seriously think writing computer code is fun but I also think wearing thigh boots with stiletto heels in public is fun. I’m sure every reader has their own idea of “fun”.

I do take issue with the notion that guys don’t have fun with fashion or that guys are quite as limited as CassieJ suggests:

From casual wear to formal wear, men have very little socially acceptable variance. A bright t-shirt or jacket with a cartoon print or design on it. A polo or button down with, oh my gosh, a pattern. (hopefully not paisley anymore). Formal wear is very strict with a neutral or dark colored jacket and pants or a tux. You can get away with a blue tux but everyone will treat you like you are crazy.

Guys also wear pants that have a waist line somewhere around their knees, shoes with no laces, ratty looking sweat shirts, baseball caps on backwards, bib overalls with no shirt, … you get the idea. I didn’t say that fun had to look good; in fact a lot of folks don’t think a guy in thigh boots with heels looks good either, but it is fun.

It is true that gals have a wider variety of things to wear but does that increase the amount of fun they have? With that much variety, you now have the pressure of making a choice. I have never thought that pressure equated to fun.

Some folks enjoy making the choice on how they will present themselves and for them it is fun. But how many of us have a collection of clothes from which you can grab something to wear and most everything works with everything else and you don’t have to make choices?

For some artist, choosing the colors to use in an image is exciting and fun for others it is torment.

Maybe if guys stick to the limited selection CassieJ suggests, the pressure of making a choice is reduced and, while the fun level may not go up, at least it doesn’t go down.

However, for the guys that enjoy making unlimited choices about how they present themselves, I see no reason they should be limited to the “socially accepted norms.” Imagine telling any of the impressionist artists that their stuff “didn’t look real enough”, and people did tell them that. While not all the stuff they created was “good stuff” (equate to: wearing pants that have a waist line somewhere around their knees…), some of the images are extraordinarily beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and fun is the prevue of the practitioner.

Bottom line… guys, if variety is fun, go for it.