Most of the gay men I know are usually extremely well-dressed, and seem to take a good deal of interest in their appearences. They also (to me) seem to wear trendy clothes…like when lapels got narrow agian-the gay guys semed to pick up on it right away.
Given that gay males have a lot of disposableincome, are fashions really tilted toward them? How large of a market are they, relative to starights?
Oh, and did the gays start the “pink shirt” trend?
[QUOTE=ralph124c]
Given that gay males have a lot of disposable income…QUOTE]
Dude, where are you getting your information? I work with gay guys at my hospital, and they would laugh if you called their income “disposable”!
How is that a “given”???
They work just as hard as the rest of us for their bucks, and I think they would resent your post.
Try again…
Q
I am quite good at dressing myself. But by that I mean the physical act of putting clothes on. Actually picking out clothes that are nice and suit me is not one of my strong suits. Fortunately, the boyfriend is very good at this. Though it ends up that we end up dressing a lot alike, I’m okay with that if it means I don’t have to deal with the whole thing.
I think the disposable income comment is in reference to fewer gay men needing to support a family, put kids through college, etc.
[QUOTE=Quasimodem]
“Disposable” income means income that is not devoted to necessities such as food, housing and care for children. There has been research (with the inevitable methodological problems) which indicates that gay men on average have higher amounts of money that isn’t devoted to these things.
And as far as who started the “pink shirt” trend, I wore pink button down Oxfords with navy blue pants and penny loafers way back in the 60’s, so who gives a flyin’ eff?
Jesus, if any post here ever screamed out homophobia it’s yours.
Think again, Controvert. Is that really what was meant? Today gay couples raise adopted children. Kids that need a home and love, and that takes money. Money that has to be earned.
I’m sorry. I know we’re in Cafe Society, and I do not mean to malign the OP, but I mean Damn! That’s just a stupid post, and if it were me who wrote it, I would ask that it be removed.
Again, I apologize for getting outraged in Cafe Society. Guess I deserve a warning or a kick in the ass.
I’m usually not this militant about stuff…
Q
…and it’s very confusing.
“Disposable” is just a term of art. It says nothing about where the money came from or the quality of the person who has it. You have disposable income too.
Right. It’s “disposable” in the most absolutely literal sense that it means that part of your income of which you may choose how to dispose.
Back on track to OP – I’ve known many gays who are absolute slobs: messy, uncouth, unsophisticated. But the gays who are attuned to style seem much more obviously so.
On top of everything else, you’re wrong, too. Gay men DO have more disposable income. Get off your PC high horse and get real.
The key word being fewer. I stand by my original statement.
Ahahaha.
You must be joking. Some of the worst dressers in the world (and many of the merely average dressers, myself included) are very very queer indeed. So… are gay men by nature more in tune with fashion? Um. No.
Do gay men control what you wear? Yeah, mostly. Them and some straight women too. That’s what comes about when a large chunk of the male movers and shakers in high class design are most definitely big ole homos of the raging sort. So do I control what you’re wearing tommorow? I can barely control what I’m wearing tommorow. Does some gay guy out there? Quite possibly.
The pink shirts? It’s all part of the Big Gay Conspiracy to strip you of your manliness using 1969 style “Femme Rays” unless the governments of the world give us…
One billion dollars!
Mwahah-mwahahahaha
And I stand by mine.
It took me many years, but after deep thought and much reflection, I have realized that being gay does not mean being stereotyped into one category or another. We are all members of the human race and to categorize gays with terms like “disposable income” and “did they start the pink shirt craze” is just as frickin’ wrong as assuming that all blacks have natural rhythm or play basketball!
And I will stay on my horse!
Quasi
Is it as wrong as saying that Blacks are less prone to Sickle Cell anemia or that Men are generally stronger than women?
Gay men can be arbiters of fashion all they like … just don’t expect me to pay any attention!
I don’t think you know what the word “homophobia” means. How is asking a question about a fashion trend stereotypically attributed to homosexuals a sign that the person asking it has a fear of homosexuality? :dubious: It’s not. It’s a sign that he is curious about homosexuality and fashion, and sometimes the curious ask ignorant questions.
Back to the OP. I (hetero) dress primarily based on comfort, and secondarily based on what elicits positive responses from women within the realm of my personal taste. I could care less who designs my clothes as long as chicks dig it.
Answer, based on my experience after 20 years of out-dom, is a limited yes: on the whole, with lots of exceptions, gay men tend to be more concerned about their looks and more willing to spend their resources cultivating them. That’s not to say that most have taste: the continued existence of the International Male catalog refutes that. But if you accept the argument that men tend to be far more visual in their sexual attraction than women (and I think anyone with even a smidgen of life experience would agree that this is true), it makes sense that men who try to appeal to men will, of necessity, tend to care about how they look.
And, of course, gay men know what they themselves find attractive, which can lead to a lot of psychic distress. Perhaps the greatest vote of confidence a gay man can give himself is to look in the mirror and say, “I’d do me.” But a lot of gay men can’t do that if they don’t look like a porn star, and that’s a serious problem - in my experience, I’d say the rates of dysmorphia in the gay male community are quite high.
Now, as for disposable income - there’s very little good data on this point. But to the extent that gay men are much less likely than other people to be rearing children, that does tend to free up funds. It also allows gay men to take lower-paying jobs and still live decently. I don’t think I could continue to work in legal publishing if I had kids to support - I’d need to keep practicing corporate law at triple or quadruple my current income.
… or, how about, one million dollars!
For crap’s sake, “disposable income” is a term of art. Look it up.
I don’t understand the righteous indignation. No one’s arguing that ALL gay men are fashion conscious, only asking whether they set the trends. First, in my experience gay men ARE more likely to take care of their appearance than straight men; and second, gay men are quite promiment in the fashion industry and thus have a role in setting men’s clothing trends.
(Plus, when we couple up with men the same height and weight we double our wardrobes! ;))
Gay men definitely have an influence in men’s fashion, sometimes in very roundabout and subtle ways.
For instance, it’s interesting that the currently popular male body image – ripped, six-pack abs, etc., was the gay ideal of the 50s (judging by gay publications of the time). Not only do straight men want to look this way, but straight women seem to think this image is sexy.
looks down
Currently wearing a green Celtic knot t-shirt and black knee-length shorts. I don’t think that’s exactly Karl Lagerfeld. But then I don’t have any disposible income to speak of.
I used to be a goth. I’ll let you decide amongst yourselves if that’s well-dressed or badly-dressed.
Fashion was always a “safe” field for gay men, and so back in the days when things were illegal and life was more dangerous, I think some men went into fashion to meet others of “our kind.”
And I do think some things started in the gay community and moved outward. Earrings for instance. I’m pretty sure we were the first to have earrings in one ear. When I came out (circa 1993) in smallltown BC, two earrings was the sign someone was gay. Within a year, straight guys were wearing two earrings.
I can also remember when tight, fashionable clothes were an indication of being “light in the loafers.” Last snide comment I heard in Montreal’s gay village was from a guy wearing just such an outfit.
I sometimes joke that I one day expect to be gaybashed by a guy in a sequined evening gown.
Calling the OP “homophobic” is probably a bit much; “homostereotypical” might be more applicable, since it does base a number of points on stereotypical concepts about gays.
Someone needs to spend less time listening to talk radio and more time hanging out with gay folks, methinks. 