Escaping the man box - action needed

[Barleymower]

.I can see that before 2020 freedoms to wear what you want was on the increase. Then the pandemic came along, wokeness came along and pronouns joined them. The movement to change men's clothes took a backseat.

It's not the first time this has happened. I was not old enough to remember but in the 1960s there was another attempt to revolutionise menswear and escape the man box. It failed.

I recently posted a Try Guys video where they wore skirts and dresses for a week. It was derided for not taking MIS seriously. It's a valid point they were not taking the issue seriously. The point I wanted to make was They really enjoyed wearing skirts and dresses - if only men would admit they want this but as long as they are trapped in the man box it will never change.
Question is:
CAN MEN EVER ESCAPE THE MAN BOX?

[Midas]

Talking about it, is what you seem to be advocating. The only way anything is going to be achieved is by getting out in a skirt or a dress, all or most of the time.

[Modoc]

CAN MEN EVER ESCAPE THE MAN BOX?

Men are doing it everyday,
One man at a time, wherever he is, as soon as he realizes that the box is his own making.

[Barleymower]

I do and it's not enough.
Do I just want to talk about it? No I don't.
People's reaction to me is notjing at all. Essentially people say nothing mostly. Occassionally someone will have a brief chat on the lines of "i like your skirt" . One lady said to me that when CIS men like me normalise skirt wearing this is a help to her friends who are trans. Trans people are being vilified and hated at the moment.

I dont really want to get caught up in someone elses fight but i do feel action is needed for us. I'll organise a MIS meetup for the new year and I hope lots of us will come along. Stevie had a very successful meeting with a reporter for example. More action like this is needed.

[Seb]

Being out and about is ofc the most important, but for someone like me, who does not get seen/meet a lot of new people while out in my daily life is probably not the most impactful way to promote. Some of us live in big cities and ride public transit which ofc increases the reach tremendously but not so much when like me you live out in the boonies, get seen by the same 10 neighbours every week and commute to work by car - and have to change into scrubs when you are there.

I do think there is a big merit for those who dare to show it of in media and another way everyone can help is to support those that do promote mens skirts in media, every like and positive comment is a step in the right way and leads to more exposure of the material - this is an action we all can take when we come across something, this is how we are able to gain momentum and increase our reach. And the more secret skirters that see men out daring to wear skirts in public(and online) the more the urge will be too get out there too. And it also helps bring in new men who want to try it out, see what the fuss is about.

If movements like flat earth or anti wax can gain momentum, surely we can too!

[FLbreezy]

...not so much when like me you live out in the boonies, get seen by the same 10 neighbours every week

That's my situation as well, aside from a few neighbours and delivery people nobody sees me out and about on the regular unless I go shopping or walking in town.

If movements like flat earth or anti wax can gain momentum, surely we can too!

I think you're on to something...we need to have some man-o-sphere bros posting on tiktok that wearing skirts boosts testosterone or something...it certainly doesn't have to be true.

[Coder]

I think you're on to something...we need to have some man-o-sphere bros posting on tiktok that wearing skirts boosts testosterone or something...it certainly doesn't have to be true.

[robehickman]

.I can see that before 2020 freedoms to wear what you want was on the increase. Then the pandemic came along, wokeness came along and pronouns joined them. The movement to change men's clothes took a backseat.

It's not the first time this has happened. I was not old enough to remember but in the 1960s there was another attempt to revolutionise menswear and escape the man box. It failed.

I recently posted a Try Guys video where they wore skirts and dresses for a week. It was derided for not taking MIS seriously. It's a valid point they were not taking the issue seriously. The point I wanted to make was They really enjoyed wearing skirts and dresses - if only men would admit they want this but as long as they are trapped in the man box it will never change.
Question is:
CAN MEN EVER ESCAPE THE MAN BOX?

Why not start making YouTube videos / posting on other social media platforms yourself? That's probably a better way of reaching a larger audience than can be done in person, and there's a big lack of serious content online.

[Barleymower]

I'm not looking for suggestions of what more I can do. I'm looking for MIS to do more for the group.
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,”

[crfriend]

I'm not looking for suggestions of what more I can do. I'm looking for MIS to do more for the group.
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,”

"It's not 'my country' any more." [0]

This is precisely what sets the individualist off from snivelling children that are incapable or unwilling: The individualist analyses the situation, forms a plan of action -- and then acts -- alone if need be. No whinging.

I'm out there most every day, having recently gone back to wearing skirts after a month in mourning attire for what was my country. Is it easy? No. Categorically, "No", in fact. I don't pick up much ridicule because I'm respected within my community, but I have self-selected entirely out of ever being in a romantic relationship again because of my attire and the fact that even though I'm respected, I'm not well understood.


[0] It's not that I forsake my country, it's that what was my country forsook me. I am, quite literally, a "man without a country" at the moment. Of course the IRS won't hear a lick of that. Gotta prop up those billionaires that don't pay tax.

[Damon]

Barleymower wrote

"It's not the first time this has happened. I was not old enough to remember but in the 1960s there was another attempt to revolutionise menswear and escape the man box. It failed."

I was a young married man with kids and a mortgage in the 1960s, so I remember thinking MIS was going to really happen. They sold skirts for men in Carnaby street boutiques and we bought, eventually three, boys dresses from the boys clothing department in Bentalls Department store in Kingston for our 3 to 4 year old son, who loved them until he learned that he shouldn't. The head of costume at the V and A, James Laver, staged confidently that skirts for men would be the norm by the year 2,000. But yes, it failed. And we are no further ahead.

[Barleymower]

Barleymower wrote

"It's not the first time this has happened. I was not old enough to remember but in the 1960s there was another attempt to revolutionise menswear and escape the man box. It failed."

I was a young married man with kids and a mortgage in the 1960s, so I remember thinking MIS was going to really happen. They sold skirts for men in Carnaby street boutiques and we bought, eventually three, boys dresses from the boys clothing department in Bentalls Department store in Kingston for our 3 to 4 year old son, who loved them until he learned that he shouldn't. The head of costume at the V and A, James Laver, staged confidently that skirts for men would be the norm by the year 2,000. But yes, it failed. And we are no further ahead.

I'm glad you said that Damon. Like I said I wasn't there enough, born in 1965. I know it happened and then didn't happen. I wasn't really sure, it one of those spoken/unspoken things.
I am sure of one thing now. I'm not alone except for a few other misguided deviants. Men do want this. The message it however clear "you can't do this and be a man". It's up to us to prove that you can.

[Barleymower]

This is precisely what sets the individualist off from snivelling children that are incapable or unwilling: The individualist analyses the situation, forms a plan of action -- and then acts -- alone if need be. No whinging.

I'm out there most every day, having recently gone back to wearing skirts after a month in mourning attire for what was my country. Is it easy? No. Categorically, "No", in fact. I don't pick up much ridicule because I'm respected within my community, but I have self-selected entirely out of ever being in a romantic relationship again because of my attire and the fact that even though I'm respected, I'm not well understood.


[0] It's not that I forsake my country, it's that what was my country forsook me. I am, quite literally, a "man without a country" at the moment. Of course the IRS won't hear a lick of that. Gotta prop up those billionaires that don't pay tax.

It is one of the problems of men is we act as individuals not as groups. Groups are more powerful than in a single voice. It's one of the defining attributes of men, self reliance, not asking for help.

You have the respect of your community, that's massive! Gaining respect takes time and effort. It means that when people compare what you are doing to what they are doing they hold you in high esteem.

If you are not being successful in the romance dept, it's not the skirt. You not attractive to the opposite sex. Either you are being too grumpy or your look is putting women off.

[miloshlavka]

One lady said to me that when CIS men like me normalise skirt wearing this is a help to her friends who are trans. Trans people are being vilified and hated at the moment.

If true, this is a useful side effect of this our "skirt mission". Because I believe that trans people also deserve to be accepted for who they are, and that this is just another side of striving for a more diverse world.
Freedom for all, as long as it's not at the expense of the freedom of others.

[TheSkirtedMan]

Escaping the man box is just too big a step for men, not just to wear skirts. Majority of society need to be within a herd mentality. To be in a minority or sidelined many cannot cope with. It's a catch 22 situation, how do you get mainstream thinking when the mainstream will not do it. As has already been said, slow process, one by one.

At the end of the day just be you. You will never please all in any situation. Escaping the man box is already there for those who want to, you do not need to wait for the mainstream to allow it. Those who want to escape are proactive in life and hopefully those who er slightly will take strength to follow. Negative talking or looking unsure is not productive.

With regards MIS to much emphasis by society of an expected male appearance is still present.