Master Resource: General Public Discussions of men in heels

[Jimnj3]

Ilikekicks, Hope you have a Merry Christmas! Just who was the argument with? Darians brother? Hopefully it's all over by now so you all can enjoy the day. Sometimes being honest doesn't go well but hey, they asked! Again, I really enjoy your outlook and post's!

[ilikekicks]

I'll send ya a PM, dont want to much-up this thread

[SleekHeels]

I know about the state of the globale economy. This doesn't answer my initial theme that alot of major corporations employ fashion and photography industry people for the advertising and marketing which is widely distributed and is thus seen by the average population.

I hadn't considered it in this way before, but actually adverts that ridicule others tend to create a very negative impression of the advertiser, so something like guys in heels tends to be used in more clever and positive ways, usually breaking down stereotypes to convey an innovative impression (I'm thinking the Pirelli Carl Lewis ad from the 1990's or more recently the Stella Artois beer ad on uk tv). It's not just that it's seen by the average population, but that it evokes an "I'm cool with that" reaction rather than putting people off.

[dww]

I remember the Pirelli advert back in the 70's I was working in Portsmouth at the time, Don't know if it was Carl Lewis or not, just remember a coloured guy in red stilletos in a start of a race position. I believe the slogan was traction is everything, and I remember a few women got the hump about it.

[Foxyheels]

I believe the slogan was ''Power is nothing without control''

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=power+without+control+is+nothing+advert&hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4DSGJ_enGB380GB385&biw=1366&bih=569&tbm=isch&tbnid=mT5lCa7LZXY2iM:&imgrefurl=http://tarmacworshipper.blogspot.com/2010/10/power-is-nothing-without-control.html&docid=cdageHAp785PSM&imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P5PVuuB_ke0/TMglFqgKoSI/AAAAAAAAAA8/dy83LSxg0JA/s1600/Pirelli%252B-%252BCarl%252BLewis%252B-%252BPower%252Bis%252Bnothing%252Bwithout%252Bcontrol%252B(Medium).jpg&w=800&h=394&ei=lLHdUJOfNqur0AXeq4GABQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=2&vpy=145&dur=8221&hovh=157&hovw=320&tx=166&ty=176&sig=112100625923338468144&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=284&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:88

[Steve63130]

Sleekheels, I did a search for the Stella Artois beer ad on uk tv but came up empty handed. Is there a video of it posted online somewhere? Steve

[SleekHeels]

Try here Steve: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/04/advertising

[euchrid]

Sleekheels,

I did a search for the Stella Artois beer ad on uk tv but came up empty handed. Is there a video of it posted online somewhere?

Steve

I hated that stupid advert while it was being repeatedly shown on TV. Thank god they no longer show it.

heaven knows what message the marketing men thought they were sending out.

No doubt they'd say it's just "fun & irreverent". Maybe so but there's a transphobic undercurrent to it.

The implication seems to be that since the guy is wearing heels he wouldn't be chasing women. i.e. Heels = Gay.

[Steve63130]

Yes, I finally found it after I posted that. I was amused, but I'm not sure of the implications. I think it was intended to be innocent of the transphobic undercurrent that Euchrid sees,but who knows? Steve

[SleekHeels]

I agree it's possible to read all sorts of mixed signals from it. My take was that ultimately the guy in the heels was "the winner" drinking the beer they're trying to promote while the "transphobic" primeval alpha-male was at a complete loss. To me the focus seemed more on the shifting definitions of masculinity and trying to make their product appeal more to a modern-minded man (I think the older guys slightly raised eyebrow at the end is a fascinating little detail which cleverly diffuses any transphobic sentiment).As a (straight) guy who enjoys wearing heels and drinking an occasional beer (and apparently also critiquing beer ads!) it really didn't offend me at all. That's just my personal perspective.

[Steve63130]

Sleekheels, That sounds like a good interpretation. I'll buy it. And I'll buy you a beer when we meet someday! LOL Steve

[meganiwish]

Is it a man thing?Are there women who are put out by men doing what they want?. Why would a man care what another man liked? I ask merely for information. Ah, you're going to ask me, are there women who care what other women do. Touchee.

[Puffer]

Is it a man thing?Are there women who are put out by men doing what they want?. Why would a man care what another man liked? I ask merely for information. Ah, you're going to ask me, are there women who care what other women do. Touchee.

If I understand your questions correctly, megan, I would answer that it is human nature to care about/object to/dislike/be embarrassed by (etc) something done by someone else, of either sex (as well as to like or approve of it of course). Plenty of room for sour grapes, if that is one's wish!

But the reaction, and its strength, will depend of course on one's own values and degree of tolerance. I will give a simple personal example. I have no interest whatsoever in any sport (playing or watching) and admit to being very irritated by the over-exuberant reaction of so many men (and women) who are clearly loving it when it impinges on my world (as it often does).

You don't need to comment on women v. women - we all know how bitchy they can be when it suits them.

[ilikekicks]

If anyone is to ' over sensitive ', please be advised to skip over this post. I do think theres many others whom might have insight to this though.

Is it a man thing?Are there women who are put out by men doing what they want?. Why would a man care what another man liked? I ask merely for information. Ah, you're going to ask me, are there women who care what other women do. Touchee.

As kids, ' then and now '. buys and young boys tend to be of a ' pack mentality '. Sure, the women/girls all have their groups, but with younger guys, LOYALTY and fitting in were a top thing.

Me? I never did. I went my own way and didnt have many problems due to the people I did associate with ( They werent very nice and today I often question the insanity I played with back then! ).

In my time, if you called someone a ' Fag ', the fight was on. There was none of this " You hurt my feelings, shame on you! ", that would have earned you an extra boot to the head while you were laying there on the ground AFTER the beating you just took.

Sure, it was a rough and tumble area where I grew up but, I learned a lot from it.

This next comment might ruffle some feathers but.. here goes..

MOST of the kids I see today.. They are what we would have just refereed to as ' Pussies '. They whine and cry and honestly, the only way to secure their survival is to eliminate ' Natural Selection ' as much as possible.

Its one thing to be a ' sensitive guy ', its another to be a babbling bag of idiotic emotional display.

Some call it ' bullying ', some call it ' intimidating others ', I call it *humanity*. Cavemen fought with sticks and stones back in their time, it just ' happens ' and that will never change. If someone can show me ANY century documented in mankinds existence where men werent killing men, I will gladly stand corrected. ' Right ' or ' Wrong ' doesnt matter. It happened ( and still does ).

I believe such attitudes and outlooks add to why some guys might frown upon others whom might put on a pair of NineWests and go for stroll. Its not that its wrong, immoral, unacceptable, impossible.. some find the thought of such a concept to be ' incomputable '. They dont understand the concept of ' someone doing their own thing '. They might see such as an ' insult to the pack ' and feel compelled to say something or do something.

So.. "Why would a man care what another man liked?". Again, that whole perception of ' Pack '. Look at what happened to gay men. ' Fag bashing ' was almost a sanctioned sport. Everyone knew of an incident or heard of one locally and often, someone was severely hurt. Assault is NOT a good thing. Because someone loves someone ( better then 2 people fighting ) there needs to be an ass kicking? Doesnt make any sense at all. Many ( you could include some women in this too! ) treated such as ' no big deal '. There are idiots TODAY that still see such as ' no big deal '.

With the whole concept of ' What is being a man '? Being a ' man ' doesnt exist anymore. Chivalry is dead, feminism murdered it.

"Is it a man thing?" Whats a ' man thing '? With the acceptation of the use of some organs, women can do anything a man can do. They fly fighter aircraft, shoot, do construction work, they are CEO's.. Whats exclusively held to ' men ' that women havent already taken as that of their own?

Most of the clothes women wear ( top end/designer that is ) have a GUYS NAME on the tags. GO FIGURE! Those clothes dont even fit the guy whom designed them in most instances..

So what is ' manly '? Absolutely nothing outside of being able to sport a boner. What is ' womanly '? Absolutely nothing outside of being able to give birth.

Besides those 2 biological/physical aspects, there really isnt much to gender or ' rolls ' anymore. Modern times rejects the concepts.

In knowing such, there are still some holdouts to the ' forgotten realms '. Most of us have tried to move on doing what we wish.

[meganiwish]

Gosh. But don't you think men and women are different in other ways? For instance, we listen to other songs. Not important maybe, but different.

[Shafted]

I always wonder what you're going to come up with next, ILK.

I wish I could argue with your points, but I never can without some type of contrived excuse.

Gosh. But don't you think men and women are different in other ways? For instance, we listen to other songs. Not important maybe, but different.

Do we?

[meganiwish]

Do we?

Good point well made. But don't you think Tapestry was a girls' album? OK, so some boys listen to Blue, but how many really?I just don't think there's anything shameful in men and women being different.

[Shafted]

I just don't think there's anything shameful in men and women being different.

As long as it's not forced or contrived, I'm in complete agreement. Men are physically different from women as well as mentally The whole point being men and women are complimentary.. How they compliment each other depends on how the individual traits compliment each other, both mental and physical. The combinations are limitless.

[SleekHeels]

Is it a man thing?Are there women who are put out by men doing what they want?. Why would a man care what another man liked? I ask merely for information. Ah, you're going to ask me, are there women who care what other women do. Touchee.

I've come across guys who resent that "new man" is somehow raising the bar of expectation and surrendering their sense of male supremacy (which mostly entails their right to sit in front of the tv with beer and fart while their wife holds a baby in one arm and irons their shirts with the other arm). Despite that, whether the female psyche finds "manly man" or "new man" more objectionable really rather baffles me.

And I'll buy you a beer when we meet someday! LOL

Cheers Steve, I shall raise a glass to you across the Atlantic next time I have a beer

[Steve63130]

Thanks, Sleek. I accept your toast gladly, and hope we can do it in person in the not-too-distant future. Getting back to the topic, I found it ironic that at one point during the New Year's Eve celebration, I overheard two gals nearby talking about cars and tires, while I was engaged in a conversation with another woman talking about our experiences at the new salon that opened in town last summer! So there ya go, whatever that proves! HA HA Steve

[ilikekicks]

I always wonder what you're going to come up with next, ILK.

I wish I could argue with your points, but I never can without some type of contrived excuse.

My thing is.. well.. Im trying to think of a way to state this so it actually makes sense.

Some believe im a harsh person but in actuality, Im no different then anyone else. I just say things for how they are ( even when I dont like it ). I dont need long explanations or some long scientific analogy to reinforce the obvious.

I look at Society today and ask myself what is a ' man ' or a ' woman '? Not to sound graphic, but there have been all sorts of leadings/explanations and none involved a cock or breasts. Both seem to be irrelevant in the discussion. In some discussions, both are considered ' abnormalities ' or the ' wrong parts '. I accept such. Its unfortunate we all arent born the way we feel we should have been or how our mind makes us to really be in view of ' ourselves '. Medical sciences are starting to ' correct ' this or these ( I hate saying this as it sounds really bad ) ' errors '.

Some say Marriage is a ' man and a woman '. Legally, it used to be. Such is no more ( and for good reason IMO! ). If marriage is supposed to be some unity of a man and a woman for raising a family, why is it same ' gender ' couples raise kids just fine?

I dont think I really need to get into ' women ' and their attire or where they stand in the world ( Face it guys, they own this rock! ).

Outside of the whole boner/childbirth thing, theres really no barriers left between men and women.

I accept Darian as my ' Equal '. I might call her my ' wife ' but she is FAR from being lesser then me ( I would say shes the better human being of the 2 of us ).

I dont see the whole ' gender ' thing anymore. Ive been called ' miss ', ' misses ', ' sir ', ' dude ', ' babe ' Maybe even ' chic '.. ' Hey man ', ' mate '..

While wearing heels and sporting a woody, I managed to run a quite successful company with employees and no ' free cheese ' types of handouts from government. I dont think gender had any role in any of it.

This whole concept of ' men in heels ' really doesnt phase me. ' Women in heels ' doesnt phase me either.

So whats the hangup about some clothing?

The biggest problem I have with ' The Guys ' isnt what I wear. Its usually my outlook that there isnt much difference between men and women. The statement of ' I could never hit a woman ' was recently changed in my group of associates when one of the girlfriends literally beat the shit out of our friend. He deserved it ( run around, see what it leads to, what you have earned ). *I* wouldnt want to have tangled with her. Shes not ' butch ' looking by any means! Could probably do runway work IMO.

I guess being a ruffian or being able to ' handle ' ones self gets scratched off the ' manly ' column.

What else is ' manly '? Working on cars? Guns? Chopping wood? Working on a farm? Construction? Running a company?

Whats a man? Hmm..

http://dictionary.re.../browse/man?s=t

man

¹ [man] race;humankind: Man hopes for peace, but prepares for war.

4.

a human being; person: to give a man a chance; When the audience smelled the smoke, it was every man forhimself.

5.

a husband.

man·ly

[man-lee] men, as strength or bravery.

2.

pertaining to or suitable for males: manly sports.

adverb

3.

Archaic. in a manly manner.

Playing football is manly? I dunno, I saw a video of some 8yr old girl playing running back in a peewee league and they couldnt catch her!

Outside of childbirth, I feel theres nothing sacred to either of what people call ' genders '.

I think this explains why I often sit here scratching my head saying ' Why not just go out and wear what you want so long as your ass/privates arent exposed! Whats the big F-ing deal?!?! '

[Gudulitooo]

Well I am still reading at page 13 of this thread and I am not any near to catch on... LOL. Could we say that the NYT article, kazaky, and the tumblr pictures push the boundaries, while our HH wearing as regular guys firmly hold them streched. A kind of Gaga effect. Once in a while I overcome a small challenge, and after wearing more conservative items seems easier.

[Jimnj3]

ilikekicks, I really like your outlook! You have a great way of explaining your opinions! And they do make sense!

[Gudulitooo]

People arent becoming interested in music as they were either. Theres fewer and fewer kids today learning music.

KH, ILK, I can't help but suggest you produce a Psy + Kazaky cooperation music and video...

[ilikekicks]

KH, ILK, I can't help but suggest you produce a Psy + Kazaky cooperation music and video...

Kazaky!?!? I cant do those handstands or anything and I dont have half the build of those guys. I dont speak Ukranian and none of them play guitar ( from the looks of it ).

[kneehighs]

A discussion about men wearing heels on Lookbook.nu. The thread MEN WEARING HEELS was started somewhere around March 3, 2009 and is still receiving comments almost 4 years later.

And a discussion on The Chive.com, centered around Victor Blanco's wearing of high heels. Most of the comments are negative.

[ilikekicks]

And a discussion on The Chive.com, centered around Victor Blanco's wearing of high heels. Most of the comments are negative.

victor-blanco-high-heels-11.jpg

Drop the bag/purse and coat and thats usually how I go about.

[kneehighs]

victor-blanco-high-heels-11.jpg

Drop the bag/purse and coat and thats usually how I go about.

Cool!

[JeffB]

victor-blanco-high-heels-11.jpg

Drop the bag/purse and coat and thats usually how I go about.

Yeah, but those pumps look to be white. Would you dare to wear white after Labor Day?

[Shafted]

Yeah, but those pumps look to be white. Would you dare to wear white after Labor Day?

You don't set trends by following imaginary rules. Really Jeff, I thought you'd know this.