Boys Just Want to Dress Up

I speak for the masses when I say watching men wear the same boring suits on every red carpet is getting extremely old. Men’s fashion has been a topic on the rise lately as we see more and more men experimenting with color, silhouette, and style, on the red carpet and in everyday life. 

Celebrity influence has undoubtedly helped the overall stigmatization of men’s fashion, especially with the increasing traction of self-expression and creativity being accepted by most instead of being punished.  

Still, even though immense progress has been made, there is still a huge stigma revolving around men's fashion, one that will unfortunately be around for years to come. For generations, men were taught that fashion is frivolous and feminine, which in turn has led to a staggering amount of toxic masculinity. There have been arguments made that “real men” do not care about their appearance and what they are wearing.

The truth is, a lot of men want to dress up and feel good about themselves and what they are wearing; they just feel trapped in a box of what they believe is traditional masculinity. The fear of being judged by their friends, partners, or even strangers is enough to make many men throw on the first pair of black shorts they see. 

That fear is unfortunately all too real. Many men who step outside the traditional comfort zones often face comments, judgment, and even assumptions. It creates an unusual double standard; we want men to be more expressive with their fashion, but feel the urge to judge them when they do. 

It is this way of thinking that leads men to back down from pushing the envelope a little and resort to wearing the same boring pieces over and over again. 

Despite there still being themes of toxic masculinity in fashion, there is still a lot of progress being made. More men are experimenting with different prints, jewelry, and other articles of clothing that would have been taboo a decade ago. 

Men’s fashion is slowly becoming a place where people can dive deep into who they are and feel good about expressing themselves that way, rather than sticking with the usual uniform of a white shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers that should have been thrown out a year ago. 

The real hope is that as trends continue to begin and evolve, the stigma will soon die out. Young boys will not feel the need to shrink themselves into a muted version of who they truly want to be. Grown men will stop conforming to what it is they should wear, and instead focus on what they want to wear

Fashion is not about proving anything to anyone. It is about the endless possibilities at our disposal to express the true and authentic version of ourselves.

Boys just want to dress up, and it is about time we let them. 

Strike Out, 

Matty Wolfe

Boca Raton

Matty Wolfe is the Senior Editor for Strike Magazine Boca. This avid reality television consumer loves to escape the world as often as he can. You’ll find him outside often, working on his tan and playing mermaids in the ocean. He’s also a future Survivor contestant, even if the producers do not know it yet. You can reach him by email at mattheww0507@gmail.com 

Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram / @chrisbriney_