Shafted Posted March 30, 2013 Posted March 30, 2013 I think it's difficult to define that line. Dr Shoe - you are saying that Jeff B is stylish. Suppose I would take one of his pictures and show it to a random number of people who are not visiting this site, but maybe a forum on DIY home repair. How many do you think would vote that the photo is stylish, and how many would vote for ridiculous? (Sorry, Jeff, I could also have referred to my own picture in kilt + boots) I can see what you're saying, but remember the old (at this point) line that the reality of a guy in heels or alternate dress can be much different from peoples preconceived ides. A photo just doesn't cut it in the real world. Shafted, the boots that is! View my gallery here http://www.hhplace.o...afteds-gallery/ or view my heeling thread here http://www.hhplace.org/topic/3850-new-pair-of-boots-starts-me-serious-street-heeling/ - Pm me if you want fashion advice or just need someone to talk to.
JeffB Posted March 30, 2013 Posted March 30, 2013 I think it's difficult to define that line. Dr Shoe - you are saying that Jeff B is stylish. Suppose I would take one of his pictures and show it to a random number of people who are not visiting this site, but maybe a forum on DIY home repair. How many do you think would vote that the photo is stylish, and how many would vote for ridiculous? (Sorry, Jeff, I could also have referred to my own picture in kilt + boots) Hey, don't worry about it, no insult taken. I'm just a crazy kook who wears what he wants and gets a thrill out of it. I fully understand that I might well be seen by the average Joe and Jane on the street as ridiculous instead of stylish, I grasp that, and that doesn't deter me. I've probably already mentioned this here, but I don't try to hide or get away with anything. Regarding the so-called holy grail of public acceptance of men wearing heels or alternative fashion, I don't waste what few brain cells I have thinking about that, especially since that might well never come, so I'm going to wear what I want, when and where I want and have fun while I'm at it. I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman!
ilikekicks Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 @llikekicks / Dr. Shoe: Perception is in the eye of the beholder, they say. Nonetheless, I strongly agree with Dr. Shoe. How often do you see women doing their grocery shopping in 5 inch stiletto heels, or wearing outfits during daytime that regular hookers would wear? Well, not so often. I've noticed that especially guys who discover any sort of forbidden fruit (whether it's heels, pantyhose, or whatever you can think of), tend to go over the top. If we want to gain acceptance for men wearing heels (or skirts, or whatever), we should make sure to take a deep breath and do a sanity check before walking out of the house. Is this outfit appropriate to where I am going or what I want to do? ilikekicks, don't get me wrong. From what I've read from your end, none of what I just mentioned applies. Nonetheless, I think many overdo it, just like Dr Shoe wrote. I think the question that was asked by pumpcat was exactly what this is about - where is the fine line that shouldn't be crossed? Im gonna be a bit blunt.. EVERYONE wants to be accepted. I get it. But its not going to happen. Im not going to tell people that ' Jackstands ' or Pleasers shouldnt be enjoyed. To each their own. But if you go out wearing them and someone laughs AT you, refers to you as trashy, or you become the blunt of all the jokes, its understandable. Many people will NOT grasp such a concept. Shafted and I had a conversation recently about some things and why they may or may not happen and the results from them. Im using ' jackstands ' as an example in this, but manny other items can be inserted. People associate Pleasers with being cost effective/on strippers/on women whom cant walk in regular heels ( oh yes, I have heard such a comment from women! Standing right next to me when they have stated such! ).. Basically, they are refered to ( in summary ) as what a lot of people would call ' second class ' or ' lower tier '. Put them up against CL's, Jimmy Choo, Dior.. Face it, those jackstands really are cheap in all comparison.. Now some GUY is going to put them on.. and go out and about.. Picture some guy.. wearing just a pair of single soled NineWest pumps. Classic pumps, black kidskin, nothing fancy.. in just their normal attire. Who is going to be ridiculed by the masses first? Just as we are free to choose what we enjoy, others are free to believe in and react to what they find humorous or laughable. Such isnt being mean. Such is being honest and not burying how they truly feel. Back to that ' line ' as you mentioned ( and some other thoughts that I have ): I think it's difficult to define that line. Dr Shoe - you are saying that Jeff B is stylish. Suppose I would take one of his pictures and show it to a random number of people who are not visiting this site, but maybe a forum on DIY home repair. How many do you think would vote that the photo is stylish, and how many would vote for ridiculous? (Sorry, Jeff, I could also have referred to my own picture in kilt + boots) That line is different for all of us thus why it cannot be defined. Its funny you mentioned a DIY forum. I was on a few contractors forums and a picture of me wearing my NineWest boots with a pair of jeans was posted. It wasnt really noticed nor commented on for almost 3 weeks till someone actually realized what I was wearing. When such was exploited, some of the others on the forum said ' I didnt say anything as I thought he was a babe '. Others laughed and had some rather rude comments BUT, I laughed WITH them. The fact that some of them didnt even know what they were looking at.. and these guys are supposed to inspect damages to homes.. and fix them? So much for attention to detail! They want to be hired now? Personaly, I know that if I go out on the street with heels, I will definitely get into someones comfort zone. Even with my 2 1/2 inch heeled men's shoes from Dior, I got into someone elses comfort zone (telling me that only a pop star should wear something like this). So - nowadays when I go out, the only question I ask myself is whether a woman in my age, with my figure that wants to go where I am going and wants to do what I want to do would wear something similar. Even then, there are things that I still consider too feminine, but that's my personal opinion. If someone still considers my outfit to be too far in his comfort zone, well... I try not to care. If I cared all the time, I would no longer be wearing heels. Today I was wearing this brown puffer coat , petrol colored turtleneck, blue jeggings and these brown knee-high boots, and a girl looked at me like this: *sigh* well... I know that the outfit as such looked ok, but I guess I was in her comfort zone... The problem is ' culture '. It was part of what I stated to Shafted in our conversation. I wont bring up any remarks he made but I will state here what I have said in my comments from the conversation. Ive never had anything handed to me. Ive had to earn what I have and I can truly appreciate it. I know what things really cost. That includes respect, having others accept me for who I am, and to have some whom give me a thought of consideration even when we dont see eye-to-eye. MANY ' cultures ' teach people that ' respect is given freely '. If such is true, it has no value. Its ' free '. The same applies with how we dress ourselves. Am I supposed to believe I can dress like a stripper, strut down the street, with a beard/mustache and believe that everyone should respect me and not laugh or say anything bad? Maybe if I lived in a stagnant society where there was no individuality allowed, I might come to terms that such was the foregone conclusion. But that doesnt exist, ANYWHERE, so that whole myth of freely giving out respect really doesnt exist and is a JOKE! If people truly, and in their hearts felt, that respect was to be given out, there wouldnt be any form of discrimination and laws for such wouldnt exist. The fact all those laws exist proves people really dont have respect for each other. The laws existence doesnt change reality either. There are people whom need to realize this and un-program themselves. Where are those ' lines ' drawn? Everyone draws them for themselves. People choose what they can admire and what they will laugh at and thats just how it has always and will always be. REPEATEDLY ARGUMENTATIVE, INSULTING AND RUDE. BANNED FOR LIFE.
aussieheels1 Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 this had been an interesting thread... I think at the end of the day everyone is pretty much agreeing to each other but we are all just at different stages of our life and different stage of heel wearing and acceptance. Yozz - i think you make a great example... for those that think it's too specific, please note that example is just there for make a clear point and obviously Yozz is going to find an example that gives the most black and white points to his case... but our own experience is probably somewhere in between.... it doesn't have to be a respected university professor to have those issue... it could just be someone doing an office job where they are worried about prejudice and not getting promoted because of their choice of footwear... sure they can make a fuss to HR about discrimination but is it worthwhile to do so... at the end of the day, it comes back down to heels are not generally socially accepted on men and thus is another possible reason where people can make incorrect judgement on us.... we can choose to face it and live with it or avoid it but also miss out the complete freedom of wearing heels all the time....
Histiletto Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 Most of us guys haven't had the training to build a wardrobe of outfits that match or coordinate. We have been more, if not obsessively, focussed in just having/wearing the high heels that have enthralled our senses no matter what we have in our closets, which means overall attiring has not been a priority. Throw in the idea of being the only male in our perpective areas to wear heels means there is no immediate support for any public display for guys who choose to wear anything regarded publicly as feminine. Therefore your lifestyled orientation is going to be looked at as perverse. How can this social attitude be corrected? Since women find it with in their abilities to cross the theoretic gender line for their attiring selections with out social degradation, the idea of men finding items they want to wear that are across the same line should be treated as human nature and not acts of invading femininity. Are women becoming more masculine by wearing items that use to be men's only? Obviously not! Then why is it assumed that men will become more lady-like wearing attire society has dubbed for women only? Furthermore, who's to say men aren't capable of having the feminine personality or disposition? Certainly, there are many examples of women known for their manly exploits. Even feminist movements have emphasized women in displaying their masculine abilities to equalize the social field. So why is effeminacy used to tear down the male image? As I alluted to the gender line being theoretic, it is actually a false assumption to think that as human beings men and women are incapable of the desiring the same items of attiring. The mere fact that I am a member of a forum dedicated to promoting high heel wearing for both men and women is only one example of the human condition that acknowledges the misguided stereotyping. So what's more difficult? Being a guy wearing anything obviously girlish and passing it off as a manly choice.
wedgemao Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 Great advice Heelster! I'm going to wear what makes me happy. I look amazing in lululemons, and they are very comfortable. Not with heels though, just lifting weights and running. That's what they are meant for anyway! if you are fit/ muscular you surely look good in yoga pants/ lululemons ir whatever you call them....I see guys in my gyms wearing them, as long as you do not have a tatoo on your lower back I gues it is ok (but even then, if you are cool with...who cares) personally, I always work out in tight shorts, sometimes I also work out in some sort of what you call lululemon and nobody is making fun (ever) especially what I do my heavy squats or deadlifts... enjoy the work out and lift the iron...
Recommended Posts