Should men wear skirts?

Men in skirts would help chip away at toxic masculinity

Question: Should men wear skirts?
Position1 of 2›: Men should wear skirts
Argument‹2 of 2: Men in skirts would help chip away at toxic masculinity

If more men chose to wear clothing that was considered feminine, it would help to undo certain toxic ideas about masculinity in our society.

The argument

Concepts of gender in clothing are nothing new, but they are also not stagnant, and the historical record is this argument's first move. Ancient Roman and Greek societies saw both men and women wearing tunics, togas, and various other draped garments that we would currently classify as dresses. Whatever the current rule feels like from inside it, it is not a fixed fact about men and clothing; it is one arrangement among several that different societies have arrived at. As things currently stand, it is socially unacceptable for men to be seen wearing skirts, and the reason is not the garment itself but what wearing it is taken to say. Skirts are not only seen as clothing that is feminine, it also suggests that the wearer is feminine, which is what makes the transgression costly. The double standard becomes obvious once the comparison is made. Women can wear pants, suits, and even clothing in men's sizes without anyone batting an eyelash, and no one reads those choices as a claim about the wearer's identity. It makes no sense why this is acceptable for women, but not for men. But ultimately, fashion is about self-expression, at least in our modern interpretation, and men should be allowed to express themselves as much as women can when it comes to their clothing. The sharper point is what the asymmetry reveals: the rule polices men more tightly than women precisely because moving toward the feminine is treated as a demotion. More men choosing to wear skirts would serve as one small step towards freeing them from patriarchal ideas about masculinity and what it means to be a man — the same ideas that make the prohibition feel natural in the first place. Let men decide for themselves what being a man means to them, skirt or no skirt.

Premises

[P1]Gendered clothing norms are neither new nor fixed—ancient Greek and Roman men wore draped garments we would now call dresses—yet today skirts on men are socially unacceptable while women freely wear trousers and suits. [P2] Since fashion is about self-expression, this double standard is unjustified, and more men choosing skirts would chip away at patriarchal ideas of masculinity, letting men define manhood for themselves. [C] Therefore men should wear skirts.

Counter-arguments

There are plenty of men who are actively working against patriarchy and toxic masculine ideas, but for various reasons still choose not to wear skirts or dresses. It is possible to work on reaching a goal of gender parity without adopting the styles of clothing of the female gender. More men in skirts might draw some attention socially, as several instances have noted, but it is almost always performative. If men really wanted to wear skirts, they would wear them, as they did for hundreds of years in the past. If they choose not to wear them, that is their prerogative while still working towards gender equality.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The ancient examples describe garments that were not gendered the way skirts are now, so they show that norms change rather than what these norms ought to be — and the asymmetry with women's trousers is presented as a puzzle rather than explained. [Rejecting P2] The move from "should be allowed" to "should" is where the argument gives way: a case for permission does not establish an obligation, and as the counter notes, many men reject restrictive ideas of masculinity without changing what they wear.

Proponents cited

Trisha Balster
“Expectations of masculinity still seem to weigh way too heavy, especially outside the realms of fashion. As much as designers try and subvert the connections of clothes and gender, as much as they work beyond the borders of the body, as little of this progress actually finds its way into the mainstream. There, almost exclusively feminine attributes are still projected onto skirts, suddenly turning a single piece of garment into a symbol for this gap – and making it into an important and all the more timely tool for men to rebel with.”
Billy Porter
“My goal is to be a walking piece of political art every time I show up. To challenge expectations. What is masculinity? What does that mean? Women show up every day in pants, but the minute a man wears a dress, the seas part.”