Men's plaid pants. [photo/i.pinimg.com]
All around the world, the definition of what makes a man has changed drastically.
This has seen the rise of controversial TAGS such as metrosexual, or more recently, slay the king, and BEING today’s typical macho man is increasingly a struggle.
We have to admit that times are a-changing. There is no longer one set of characteristics that define a man, as was the case say 50 or so years ago.
They even have to be sectionalised, with some being termed traditional, others metrosexual, yet others, slay king.
Where the traditionalists berate it as being a bit on the fence, the metrosexual man is intricately aware of the subtle details of fashion and dressing, prefers cocktails to beer, and has little to no interest in sports or politics.
But, traditionally inclined urban men are also complaining of stigmatization.
Holding firm to the belief that a man should dress and behave “like a man”, society often describes them as out of touch and draconian. So, in these most modern of times, we see a social clash between two ideologies. Men who think it’s ok to be in touch with their feminine side, and those who think it just isn’t.
A well-dressed man means that he takes his reputation seriously. There are reasons men wear best clothes to job interviews because they want to put the best foot forward.
For instance, you shouldn’t wear wide shoes with slim fit pants, because you will look unbalanced and the overall appearance will lack harmony.
When you take the time to dress well, you consider which colors and which fabrics go well together, and so on.
It is considered un-African for a man to carry a baby. While modern thinking insists that there’s nothing wrong, traditional culture explains that in public, a man should always be alert to protect his wife and child.
Traditionally, men and women were both taught how to relate to each other and their duties according to their genders.
This includes dressing; a man should dress and act like a man.
According to the sociologist, today’s man has to contend with having to cope with himself as well as having to measure up to the feminine standard of masculinity.
The existential trap for the modern man is that he is expected to simultaneously look James Bond suave, while at the same time oozing the Rock’s machismo.
The modern woman wants her man to be a superbrand model in the day and Tarzan by night; beauty and the beast rolled into one.
Unsurprisingly, this is part of what is causing the ballooning of the gay generation.
Men are literally rebelling against their female counterparts, with a good number electing to give womenfolk competition at looking smooth.