Time was, all men were buff and strong, hunting, gathering, and whatnot. Then, ten years ago, Hedi Slimane at Dior got it in people’s thick heads that men who resembled strung-out waifs were actually chic and sexy and urbane. But just like fashion trends, trend pieces must be recycled every few years, and now the Times tell us that the recession has brought about the sudden resurgence of “manly” men, at long last. The piece is filled with vaguely offensive reassertions of this thesis:
Always. So you’d better show that you have a job at all right now. And you might think that looking like a corporate fat cat would be totally passe, but then you’d be wrong:
Real guys. And you know who is skinny, anyway? Twinks. That’s who.
So if you were born with the wrong kind of body, guys, you’re no longer the toast of the fashion set or the Times. Now they want “real men,” so either buff up, or just wait a couple of years until the trend piece on how looking hirsute and muscular is so 2010.
From Boys to Men [NYT via Gawker]
