Can men wear pink?
Generally speaking, I’m a patient man. But this week I have found myself incensed by narrow-minded, bigoted and frankly, pig-ignorant blokes who reckon that men shouldn’t wear pink, use fake tan, apply a hand cream or even take time to look after their skin simply because ‘that’s not what men do’.
Now, I don’t suspect that any Mankind customers are like this (you’re an enlightened bunch I know) but I have discovered, in my capacity as a journalist who drops in on various style and grooming message boards, that the world is full of (how can I put this?) absolute plonkers. This week I have engaged in some fairy ferocious message board shennanigins with guys regarding the subject of ‘should men wear pink?’ Responses to this sartorial conundrum ranged from “nah, pink doesn’t suit men’s skin“ (do men have a different coloured skin than women then?) to the delightfully cryptic, “Pink is for men who like to cry while watching sitcoms and/or movies.”
Now, I’m not ashamed to say that I openly shed a tear when Mr Spock died in The Wrath of Khan and, if memory serves, I wasn’t decked out in a pink fleece at the time so that theory’s out the window. Personally, I much prefer the insightfulness of the bloke who simply pointed out that “Pink is gay innit?”
All of this nonsense I can just about handle – people are entitled to their opinions after all - but what really gets my goat is the pathetic notion that men shouldn’t wear pink because “it’s just always been that way”. I mean, if the entire world operated on that this basis we’d have no health care system, there’d be no such thing as paternity leave and Doctor Who would still be populated by monsters made of egg boxes and spray-painted Bubblewrap. It’s called progress right?! It’s what drives mankind (forgive the pun) to better things.
Men who say guys shouldn’t wear pink (or moisturise or wax their backs) because that’s ‘not wot men do’ aren’t being retrosexual, they’re just being plain stupid. If you think about it, twenty years ago men didn’t wear sunscreen that often. Protecting your skin against sun damage wasn’t ‘wot men did’. Well, times have changed and we now know how crucial suncare is. Likewise, we know how moisturising daily can protect skin again long-term damage, wrinkling and dryness. Just because we didn’t do a thing doesn’t mean we can never do it.
But I digress. My second gripe about the pink thing is…exactly who says men can’t wear pink? The last time I looked we didn’t actually have an established Fashion Police in this country. Okay, so there’s Gok Wan but he’s far too busy policing bra crimes to care about male misdemeanours. Nor, for that matter, do we have a Ministry of Masculinity yet (though it might be fun to see Mandy in charge of one if we did).
As far as I’m concerned you should wear whatever makes you fell good and whatever makes you look good – and to hell with what other people think. As one guy correctly observed, a pink shirt actually looks great with a blue suit and women love it on a man. In fact, pink is one of the biggest selling colours these days for basic men’s gear like polo shirts. You see it on everyone from city boys to inner city chavs. And I like it when it’s used to highlight an outfit (cufflinks like these look great with a crisp white shirt cool for example).
Enlightened men know pink looks great. So don’t limit yourself in what you wear for fear of how other people might perceive you. After all, if you’re confident in who you are and in your own sense of masculinity you wouldn’t be remotely afraid of wearing pink. Am I right?
PS. If you’re man enough to wear the cardi in the picture you can find it at New Look.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 4:08 pm and is filed under Mankind Grooming Editor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Well i thought mankind had moved on…is pink really suck an issue?
I didnt think any colour was taboo for men these days, although the current trend in shops seems to be a sea of grey. But grey can work well with a shock of pink (bright magenta pink- not baby pink, its isnt 1984!)
Im sure that all men who do wear pink also have noticed that women react rather well to this shade. One it shows confidence and security in your sexuality and it also shows that you take pride in your appearence. I have a bright magneta t-shirt that always gets comments from ladies, often coming over to comment on it…..so it looks good and is a talking point with new women….brucy bonus!
So come on lads dont be so insecure!
Have fun in pink
Barry.
Well I have just bought a pink/lilac Rip Curl surfing style top, which I think is the muts nuts. I will wear it in the pub proudly this weekend.
Cheers, David Rouse
Hi David,
Well, let us all know how you get on.
Lee
PS. Am liking ‘mut’s nuts’ as an alternative to ‘dog’s bollocks’! lol
Hi Lee
The top went down OK in the pub and considering I live in a rural community, is no mean feat…
Cheers, Rousey
I’m not a fan of guys in pink. I class it as a fad, like the old Nickelson t-shirts, or burberry baseball caps. Infact, any guy in a pink t-shirt around here is doing it to either say ‘I’m fashionable’ or ‘I can wear pink, it doesn’t make me look g*y’ (apologies but I live in Essex – home of narrow minds).
Pink isn’t around so much anymore, so I’m a little more tolerant. So much so infact that I own a pink tie. It’s a pastal pink though, not the bright, in your face, ‘i’m totally cool because i’m wearing pink’ pink. I also found an awesome shirt in Blue Inc, which I discovered to be a very light shade of pink. I missed that being colour blind though.
As for Barry Brooks stating ‘it shows confidence and security in your sexuality’ – load of rubbish! See my comments above regarding this. If pink was out of fashion 10 years ago, I’d have agreed with you. Sorry mate.
Well they say, to see the true masculinity of men, they should wear pink. Despite of the “girly” color, if men who wear pink still do look manly, they are real men. It’s a matter of carrying your style, not the color.
yes, men wwar pink.
In my youth I did buy a pair of pink shoes… an overly confident purchase (like EH_Fella I’m from Essex) that wasn’t a roaring success and wasn’t repeated. To be honest, that put me off pink and I’m not sure I’ve bought anything in that colour since. Personally, I think too much pink in an outfit isn’t a good look on a man or woman, I prefer a splash of pink.
It depends what the pink item is. I wear a Pink shirt but wouldn’t wear pink trousers, or a hat! I would wear a pink jumper but not pink shoes!
In my opinion pink doesn’t look cool on man.Pink looks bulky for gents.When I have to buy I mostly go for black ones like as green and blue color.Wear clothes to build confidence not to become a show up only because first impression is the best impression.Fashion should speak your personality.
Wow, it’s pretty rare to see someone put things into perspective the way you just did. I wish that other bloggers and people that post content to the web would take a page from your book! Do you have any other sites that I could visit or could you possibly make a recommendation as to where I might be able to find some more information? Either way, thanks for an excellent resource and I look forward to being a repeat reader!
I think more men should wear pink! It suits most men and just because everyone thinks of pink as a girly colour it doesnt mean men cannot wear it!
I believe guys can wear pink. Pink is great. Today pink is a man powered color as well.
I think pink is not so bad as all are think.Moderate use of pink is the good choice.
Why shouldnt men wear pink. Its a great colour and does look good on grey haired men.I think its great when a bloke takes a pride in himself and looks after his skin etc. Keep it up guys.
I guess it all comes down to the current fashion trend. Pink is not so popular for men these days but it was all the rage in the early 80s. I can remember my boyfriend wearing pink socks and pink ties and not feeling embarrassed or awkward about it at all – but then again, many other men at the time were doing the same.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with men wearing colors(pink in particular), I don’t think other people care either. It really depends on whether you suit it or not.
I don’t think there’s any problem with men wearing pink at all – some of my favourite things that my boyfriend wears are grey and pink t-shirts – I think they look really good.
I also think that men should take care of their skin and eat properly just like women – The issue isn’t them doing these things – it only becomes a bit weird when that start obsessing over it the way women do!
Men wearing pink was an issue back then but come on, the world has changed. We are not in the stone age now trying to define what masculinity is from the feminine aspect. Let us be pluralistic now. If a man feels good in wearing pink then let him be. What matters most in this world is how you feel about yourself and not others telling you what to do.
On the other hand, I greatly disagree that men should not use facial moisturizes, hand sanitizers and other stuff for personal hygiene. We have to admit it that the world is a little unhealthy and we have to do something about it. Being a man is that you have to admit the reality and do something about it. Real man is grounded by his principles and not seeing himself so masculine and all. I think we need to change some bits of our culture now.
I am going to a party this weekend where the theme is ‘hint of pink’. I have just bought a pair of pink plimsolls but stuck what to wear with it. Any ideas??
I guess us mothers are to blame for this issue ever arising. We may dress our daughters in blue, but never ever our sons in pink.
Personally, I believe that it’s a matter of skin tone and like women, some men are really suited to pink whereas others or not.
Problem is how to bypass the EGO
So my advice to men would be to wear their pink proudly and who knows you may be setting the next big fashion trend!
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Go for it Man. Feminine or not, my favorite shirt is also a pink striped one, and I absolutely love it! Thanks for reading, cheers : )
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There is no restriction that men can’t wear pink color , i think on fair complexion,being a woman i like this color on men, i found now time is changed and men wearing girlish colors.
Men Wear readymade garments are getting more popularity these days and also they can be easily purchased online and also one can get value for money on purchasing them online.
The modern man can definitely wear pink, it shows they have a softer side.