What is a “Manly Man”?

In early November, Vogue magazine released the star of their December issue, musician Harry Styles. Harry Styles became the first ever solo male cover star of Vogue, and he was hit with mixed reactions. Styles is featured in a blue dress by GUCCI, and while there was a lot of praise for what he wore, a lot of people did not approve of it. In the past Styles has been known for blurring the lines in what's feminine and what’s masculine when it comes to fashion. Styles is usually seen in his signature pearl necklace and colorful nails. In an interview with The Guardian he said that “I want things to look a certain way. Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool." Styles does not seem to care about how people view him based off of what he wears, he just wants to wear clothes that he is comfortable in.

There were a lot of people who loved what Styles wore in Vogue because of what it represented. He showed the world that fashion should have no gender, and people should wear what they want to. This caused people to break down their views on the gender stereotype that surrounds clothing. In the interview Styles said “I think if you get something that you feel amazing in, it's like a superhero outfit. Clothes are there to have fun with and experiment with and play with." But both Vogue and Harry Styles received a lot of backlash for having a man wear a dress.

Conservative author, Candace Owens, went to Twitter and complained about the photos. She tweeted that we as a society need to “Bring back manly men”. Other conservatives online agreed with what she had to say, and that men should never wear dresses. This brought other celebrities to stand up for Harry Styles. The photo of Harry Styles in a dress sparked the debate online if men should wear feminine clothing.

All of this discourse came to the surface because of the Vogue photo and everyone interpreted the photo in a different way. Some saw it as the death of “manly men” and the disappearance of traditionalism. Others viewed it as someone just expressing themselves through fashion and trying to normalize men in dresses. I believe that the primary purpose of the image was to show that men can be a successful and confident man while still wearing a dress. I do not believe that Vogue and Harry Styles' intention was to get rid of “manly men”. Everyone views the concept of “manly men” in a different way. Some view “manly men” as someone who is confident and not afraid to show their sensitive side.

When Harry Styles wore that dress it shows that he is no longer afraid to show his true self. He is wearing clothes that he loves, even if it is not accepted by society. Styles is not the first man to wear a dress, but he is the one that has brought the discussion back about whether or not men should wear dresses. Because he is one of the most popular musicians at the moment, both him and Vogue knew that this would get a lot of attention. This image showed that a “manly man” is someone who is not afraid to show their more feminine side. A true “manly man” is not someone who would tear down others for expressing themselves in a unique way. That is what both Vogue and Harry Styles showed in this image, and they hope that the people who see it will see the same.