Recently, political activist Candace Owens posted that she was upset that Harry Styles was wearing a dress on the cover of Vogue and she said that ‘we need to bring back manly men.’

“There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men,” Owens said.

I cannot explain how irritating this is. Why does it matter what other people wear when it is not hurting them or the people around them? I believe that pieces of fabric do not correlate with your masculinity or femininity. Yes there are aisles in stores that say ‘women clothing’ or ‘men clothing’ but that’s someone’s preference.

The thing is, when referencing ‘manly men’ of the past, some of those men wore skirts. Vin Diesel, 2 Chainz, Ewan McGregor, and so many more. How is that any different from today? 

According to The History of Men and Skirts by JR Thorpe, it says that famous men wore skirts and they were socially accepted.

“Skirts on men have of course been used as a quick method of signaling gender-conforming behavior for decades, from the glorious gown-wearing David Bowie to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana sulking around in floral dresses. However, the movement to make skirts socially acceptable wear for men,” Thorpe said, “something ordinary instead of a sign of specific thought or intent — is garnering strength on the world’s catwalks and among certain millennial men. What’s often missing in the discussions of skirts on men is historical context, so let’s get into the realities of how men have been sporting flowing hemlines for eons.”

As for Makeup, men have worn makeup for centuries. Egyptians were the firsts ones to wear makeup. 

According to From 4000 BCE to Today: The Fascinating History of Men and Makeup by Amanda Montell, makeup wasn’t so much for girls back then. Egyptians would wear black pigment.

 “For generations, makeup has been seen as a “girls-only” enterprise, so we forget that it wasn’t always that way…Masculinity was important in ancient Egyptian culture, and makeup played a role in that.” Montell said. “As early as 4000 BCE, men used black pigment to create elaborate cat-eye designs. A few millennia later, kohl eyeliner, green malachite eyeshadow, and lip and cheek stains made from red ochre were also popular.”

Some of our famous male artists from today get their nails done like Lil Peep, Travis Scott, ASAP Rocky, Bad Bunny. I just don’t get what’s so different about them getting their nails done and it being accepted, but you see someone at your school and you think he’s automatically weird.

I think men just want to feel like they’re tough and want to do “manly” things so nobody else criticizes them, deep down dresses, getting your nails or makeup done isn’t just for women, it’s for everybody! That’s why we need to put an end to toxic masculinity and instead of criticizing someone for what they are wearing, maybe compliment it.