Cognitive Dissonance

[Daryl]

I still feel slightly uncomfortable seeing a man in a very colourful and frilly dress, which annoys me as I know it is only conditioning (or whatever term you like to use) and I would like to wear more fun and cheerful clothes myself. It is difficult to purge oneself of a lifetime of stuff. I raise my hat to those who have.
I do think it helps seeing more and more men wearing traditionally feminine styled clothing. It must be working as I got so used to seeing Moonshadow in nice colourful dresses, that I was shocked to see him in pants.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Colleagues and friends now notice what I'm wearing when its not skirts. The topic of "justifying" skirt wearing has never really been a thing so far in my experience, but I once expected it to be.

[Big and Bashful]

You can get Cow Pie from the New Inn pub, aka The Hungry Horse at Langstone, Newport Gwent. Complete with pastry horns.

Thanks Gregg, next time they let me go South in the direction of Wales, I will have to look that one up!

[Gregg1100]

There are two Hungry Horse pubs in Glasgow, and one in Clydebank.

[Sinned]

We have one within walking distance of my house - it's called the Flying Legends.

As to cognitive dissonance, familiarity tends to overcome that. There are some fashion styles that grated on me that I now accept. Short shorts worn with tights was one. Another was leggings with a skirt. The last one was the moneysupermarket adverts with the men in tight, short denim shorts and heels. So yes, familiarity and seeing us out there will slowly spread the word.

[Big and Bashful]

There are two Hungry Horse pubs in Glasgow, and one in Clydebank.

Oh, it's a chain pub thing, I will have a look see! Horns or not, I love a good steak pie, no kidley, mushrooms or decent ale are alowed, but kidley is a waste of space that could have been used for more steak or decent gravy!

[Daryl]

We have one within walking distance of my house - it's called the Flying Legends.

As to cognitive dissonance, familiarity tends to overcome that. There are some fashion styles that grated on me that I now accept. Short shorts worn with tights was one. Another was leggings with a skirt. The last one was the moneysupermarket adverts with the men in tight, short denim shorts and heels. So yes, familiarity and seeing us out there will slowly spread the word.

Yeah, short shorts with tights and leggings with a skirt were both things to get used to for me too, but now I just think they look bad not "wrong".

I found that advert on Youtube. Strutters and Builders in choreography almost straight out of Bollywood. Priceless.

[Caultron]

...The last one was the moneysupermarket adverts with the men in tight, short denim shorts and heels...

Really? What was the connection? Are there any videos online?

[Sinned]

Caultron , google moneysupermarket twerking adverts.

Here's one of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8kn86SB-Fg

[Caultron]

Caultron , google moneysupermarket twerking adverts.

Here's one of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8kn86SB-Fg

Bizarre but attention-getting, that's for sure. And maybe it'll catch on!

I know, unlikely, but I did say maybe.

[Kirbstone]

I for one would reach for the off switch not many seconds into that sort of nonsense. The 'music' isn't exactly to my taste either.

Tom

[Sinned]

Not my cup of tea either, but heels, shorts AND braces. Shudder. Seems bizarre to me but after the initial culture shock it almost, I say ALMOST seems normal now.

[moonshadow]

I still feel slightly uncomfortable seeing a man in a very colourful and frilly dress, which annoys me as I know it is only conditioning (or whatever term you like to use) and I would like to wear more fun and cheerful clothes myself. It is difficult to purge oneself of a lifetime of stuff. I raise my hat to those who have.
I do think it helps seeing more and more men wearing traditionally feminine styled clothing. It must be working as I got so used to seeing Moonshadow in nice colourful dresses, that I was shocked to see him in pants.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Colleagues and friends now notice what I'm wearing when its not skirts. The topic of "justifying" skirt wearing has never really been a thing so far in my experience, but I once expected it to be.

You know, these statements above are quite striking, in really digs into how we grow accustomed to certain things. The members on this site are completely thrown off by the sight of me in a pair of dingy work pants, and yet, thanks to my job that is how I am 80% of the time. Skirts and dresses are still only worn on weekends and occasional weekdays when I'm off.

Those in meat space tend to be jarred by the sight of me in a dress or skirt, "feminine" or not.

To me, this PROVES that men in skirts and dresses, even feminine ones can indeed become as second nature as a woman in a pair of cargo pants, it simply has to be normalized.

Some people may look at us (especially me) and say "no that's wrong, you shouldn't do that", but the fact is the only reason it's "wrong" is because it isn't commonplace. A hundred years ago, seeing a woman in a pair of men's trousers was "scandalous" and "wrong", but now it's not so because we have normalized it.

Jenn was jarred by the sight of me in a skirt at first, and now she's grown accustomed to it.

These glasses I've been experimenting with even jarred ME when I first put them on and looked in the mirror! Now I have already grown accustomed to the look.

It just takes time and persistence.

[Big and Bashful]

I suppose that we all have our boundaries, I am afraid that to me a mini-skirt on a man almost always looks wrong, probably because I am used to being covered, at least to near the knees. Society has changed but as I have grown older my boundaries haven't. I remember my Nan, she used to hate the idea of a doctor who wasn't white, I suppose she grew up when most professional people were white and probably very English. I find myself uncomfortable when watching openly gay relationships on TV, I try to ignore it but with my fossilised world view it still doesn't seem right. On the BBC Torchwood and now Doctor Who feature main characters who are gay, it still bugs me.
As for the frilly dress or extremely short skirt on men, to me they don't look right. I think the fact that I have never seen a man in the flesh wearing something like that doesn't help. If there were more men wearing them, it would be just normal clothing, as it should be.
I sometimes wonder what people walking past think, if they glance in and see a large man wearing a macabi and wielding a strimmer, let alone what my neighbours actually think!

[Darryl]

I'm probably behind the times, but my cousin's son went to Prom last week.

Tux - somewhere from charcoal gray to black, white shirt....PINK vest and PINK bow tie and PINK spats.

Didn't expect that, but they've been in Arizona for a few decades now, so we just post on FB.

[denimini]

To me, this PROVES that men in skirts and dresses, even feminine ones can indeed become as second nature as a woman in a pair of cargo pants, it simply has to be normalized.

A good example of this happened to me tonight, I went to a neighbours for an evening meal (tea, dinner, supper??) and was wearing pants as I came from working at the local news (the 8 hours a week I wear pants). A recent teacher was present who came to town at the start of summer and has never seen me in anything but a mini skirt, working on scaffold ot attending social functions. and never commented. Tonight she was surprised to see me in pants and said, "Gee, is it winter coming that you are wearing pants".