Menagerie.
The stigma surrounding men’s fashion is in slow decline, with recent menswear collections breaking gender boundaries and detrimentally changing consumer’s perception on masculinity.
Lingerie, a term commonly associated with women and the embracement of female sexuality. I see the sight of barely dressed supermodels flaunting their sensual underwear on billboards and posters regularly, this type of material has integrated into our society and is being labelled as ‘normal’. But, what if your local Anne Summers display was advertising a male model in lingerie?
I personally feel that the stereotypical man would feel degraded by being put into a lace body-suit, highlighting the vulnerability of masculinity (a social construct that solely restricts people’s behaviour and attitudes) . Menagerie have revolutionised intimate wear by creating an unique selection of lingerie exclusively for men, allowing males to feel the “finest satin, silk and lace”. Images from their 2015 LookBook can be seen below;
My point is not to force this trend upon uncomfortable heterosexual males, but to open people’s eyes to the stigma behind men’s fashion. Gender is utterly irrelevant to the clothes you chose to wear; whether it be lingerie, high heeled shoes or cropped tops- it is simply double standards to expect these items to only be ‘appropriate’ for one gender.
By Liam Gilliver
