The rationale of gender style: female vs. male

[noname]

Clothes are more than just something to wear. They are meant to express the wearer. For example, Babydoll dress: Suggests playful, fun and whimsical. When was the last time you saw a mens shirt that said, "love" on the front, or perhaps had hearts or flowers on the shirt. In short it's because are suppose to bold and strong.

Since were on a fashion rant here, I saw a large poster for jeans the other day that said, "new! It's back, the classic strait cut for men." As if I was going to see the poster and say to myself, "I love the classic strait cut! I haven't seen that in years!"

[Ruth]

I think the OP has got it in their mind that men are men and women are women and they're as different as black and white. (A strange idea for someone who hangs out on this forum.)
Anyway, the variation is enormous and there is even some overlap - some women have big shoulders and a tight little butt.
And there's me with my slight build, narrow shoulders and big hips: I reckon most women's clothes fit me just fine and I don't feel like a square peg. But I'm not some sort of freak - I am just at one end of the spectrum of normal male body shape.
The "rules" about clothing style are arbitrary and dictated by convention, not by body shape.

[Karren H]

Actually I think it all started. When an acient roman female accidentally washed her her white toga with some red rugs and they came out pink.. Then she sewed a little lace ion the sleves and neckline and rest is history!! Lol.

Personally I like that women get to wear all that pretty clothing!! Make crossdressing very difficult if everyone could wear what they want??

[NathalieX66]

I think the OP has got it in their mind that men are men and women are women and they're as different as black and white. (A strange idea for someone who hangs out on this forum.)

well, only physically. My point was that female clothing was designed to play up, and enhance the esthetics that males kind of don't have. Other wise, why else would some CD'ers go through much trouble to enance certain features using shaping forms, wigs, and what not?
As for the "strange idea for someone who hangs out on this forum", I am merely the messenger of the mainstream point of view.That said, it doesn't mean i practice it. I never advocated any rules of what society should follow, I am merely trying to observe from a cultural anthropology standpoint. That doesn't mean we can't stop doing what we're doing, right?

don't believe society has anything to do with what style of clothing is worn by each gender. The market is what makes the detirmination. Some designer somewhere says, "I think women will really like this blouse open to the navel." So a few are made up, and no one buys any! "Oops," says the designer! "I better change this to a mans shirt." It sells like hotcakes!! Personally, I would rather have the blouse!

Yes, and no. yes, I agree. Someone here mentioned, though too far up the forum to grab the exact quote, which was the effect of 'women's clothes show more skin, and mens clothes hide more skin'. Any heterosexual male with a decent libido enjoys seeing more skin on a female, thus marketability. Once society establishes this phenomenon, the trend turns into an established practice, the root it takes is so deep that it's often hard to see it any other way, unless you are open minded and able to overcome fear of doing things in any other way. The 'no' standpoint comes from not looking at society from the retail standpoint. How many job interviews in mainstream society can you ace while wearing a skirtsuit?

I coudn't answer a question about an observation about American beaches about why most American men wear knee legnth boxer trunks, but the only men who wear speedos are European men other than Cultural differences.

I'm not advocating what anyone should or shouldn't wear (...job interviews aside, if you need the income), otherwise why would I be here on this forum?

[Celeste]

I count myself rather fortunate in this regard. I have a natural figure much like a slender female athlete -- not the hourglass, but some sign of it. Call it halfway between typical male & typical female. It was the bane of my existence as a teenager, but I've learned to have fun with it.

I suspect much of the reason for the widespread "comfortization" of clothing is that a growing percentage of Americans have a figure like Jabba the Hut. Until this society kicks its junk food habit, we're going to see more of the same.

Thats so true,I could easily put on 30 pds. and never show it with the potato sack drab mens wear their pushing.Its all extra large and I feel like tearing it to shreds.I truly despise it, if I weigh 150,I don't want to look like 200.