Fashion

[caughtbywitness]

Are gay guys actually as great at fashion as the stereotype suggests?

I think I have fair taste, it's more what I can afford though at the end of the day.

[Ridiculous]

Originally Posted by caughtbywitness

Are gay guys actually as great at fashion as the stereotype suggests?

Yes. Compare the average straight guy and the average gay guy, and we're gonna win.

[Allegro molto]

Admittedly, I'm better dressing women than men because I read a bunch of women's fashion magazines (in secret, of course). So, I guess that's one stereotype I actually fall under 100%.

[Josh S]

I'm rather dull in this respect [plain, no-logo T-shirts; jeans; and one pair of sneakers.]

I'd like to eventually dress more interestingly, [though still not 'flamboyantly' or 'stylishly'] but there hasn't been any need for me to do so and I hate shopping/trying on new clothes as it is. >_>

[Veronica]

This is where my science-mind clicks in ...

One danger when analysing groups of people like that is that we often underestimate the effect of social pressure. Straight guys aren't supposed to care about fashion. I am willing to bet that a lot of them would find it interesting if they actually gave it a chance. On the other hand, gay people due to the mentioned stereotype aren't only allowed to care about fashion, but even often assumed to care. At least according to one of my gay friends who constantly gets bugged by women to come shopping with them. He hates that.

Same with women. They're allowed to and assumed to take an interest in fashion. Many of them don't, but to an extent feel forced by social pressure to at least care a little. As you can see, the whole picture can get incredibly skewed by this.

I think fashion is like any other interest. Either you're a person that potentially or actually have an interest in it, or you don't. I'm not so certain gender nor sexuality has much to do with it. I do care to an extent about fashion. Much more so than most guys I know. But I didn't use to until I actually took an interest. Navigating the complicated landscape that is women's clothing makes it a necessity that I found I enjoy.

Stereotypes are self-enforcing things. It's socially induced circular reasoning

[Cheria]

I just think gay men are more willing to be fashion-conscious.
When straight men actually give a fuck, they do wonders.

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by Cheria

I just think gay men are more willing to be fashion-conscious.
When straight men actually give a fuck, they do wonders.

Sums up what I tried to say quite nicely

[kellymporta]

I have absolutely no interest in fashion. Personally, I would be fine if I had to were just jeans and a white t-shirt everyday.

[Samadhi]

I'm too lazy and broke to worry about fashion. I'll dress nice if I can, but usually I'm in class wearing a labcoat, so it becomes moot :P

[Colton]

I really could care less about what I wear in public

[solarcat]

My interest in fasion is basically... I care about how I dress, but don't care if it's "fashionable."

So really, I have no interest in fashion, and o I have no clue how good my taste is.

[alex2020]

My interest in fashion/ fashion sense is minimal at best. I like to look nice, but I probably don't dress fashionably. I just try to avoid looking like a mess most of the time.

[NoPlanB]

I try to dress as nice as I can and I think I have a good sense of what's fashionable, but like you said, I really can't afford to dress the way I'd like to.

[Chip]

There are certainly stereotypes, but there's no question that gay men are far, far more attracted to fashion than their straight counterparts; within the fashion industry itself there are far more gay men than straight men (probably 7 to 1 or something). Ditto theatrical costume design; there are pretty much no straight men in that field. And same with interior design, architecture, and the like... way more gays than what would be statistically expected.

Now... that said, I and several of my friends are the complete opposite; the fashion antimatter if you will. And for several of my fashion-challenged friends and myself, we've definitely felt the peer pressure and even the desperate attempts to remedy our repeated fashion faux pas by our more fashion-consious friends, but to no avail. So again, I don't think it has as much to do with peer pressure and a desire to fit in as it does with some other, more inherent trait.

It's not circular logic, it's not peer pressure, it's not crowd mentality. It's just that, for whatever reason, perhaps the same thing that affects sexual orientation may also have some effect on aesthetic senses and taste.

[Veronica]

Well, I wasn't referring to circular logic. That doesn't even apply to the case. I was suggesting that the stereotype is self-enforcing. Social conditioning is a very significant part of any behavioural patterns being it based on gender or sexuality. There is little evidence that indicate these factors, or any other dividing factors, are pre-destined by genetics to any large degree. The evidence points to it largely being social.

What is needed to work in these industries is creativity. Different people will apply their creative skills in different fields. Who you are is to a very large degree a result of social interaction. Social interaction is a lot more than just peer pressure. Social interactions from early childhood and onwards even affects the way your brain develops. How far this influence extends is debatable. It is often here where the false dichotomy "nature vs nurture" comes up.

The last assertion in your post is not, I think, a very well supported one by the science.

[Danny19]

ive heard i have good taste in both mens and womens clothing. Just to say i have better taste than my mother. she is a lost cause sometimes and i have to help her out. lol

[Emberstone]

I would love to have good fashion sense, but so far, I have more fashion sense for what women wear than what guys wear.

I do not consider myself that fashionable (i rarely buy clothing, mainly because it is a expense I can live with out), so outside of my argyle sweather, I don't really have anything fashionable.

[Rinamir Mortem]

I think my approach to fashion is sometimes just pure luck. I throw on a few clothes, check if it looks good and then wander into the world.

[Black Cat]

Do sweatpants count?

I reject fashion, mostly because I don't find anything that is in style to be all that comfortable. I can barely stand to wear jeans. I try to look nice when I leave the house, but I wouldn't be able to compare with a proper gay man who dresses nicely.

[IanGallagher]

I wear T-Shirts I like and jeans. I'm the polar opposite of fashion savvy. But I'm mostly straight lol, so that was probably not included. I don't think stereotypes are true though. Sometimes they are, but sometimes the manliest of guy's guys could actually like guys.