I have thought long and hard about what would go into a mainstream, masculine nail-painting style that would actually catch on and be popular and add something to most men’s style, and not just young, waifish catboys with narrow hips, but would also benefit Carl down in accounting. (Rusty metal? Lumberjack plaid? little dicks painted on each?) And after that mental exercise I realized two things.
1 - Nothing we do as a species makes any sense and our attachment to social norms is never, ever going away.
2 - Gendered expression that isn’t just hanging a sign around your neck with an arrow pointing to your genitals is utter nonsense also. Why do so many people associate painted vestigial claws with femininity? If you paint your dog’s nails in a color you or others will start viewing your dog through gendered lenses. We are a silly creature.
Why give so many fucks about style? Who cares what anyone thinks right? Shouldn’t we all just dress comfortably and quit worrying about appearances? Focus on what matters? Meaning of course, our personalities and our humanity. People always wanna act like how we appear somehow matters. I hate vanity, which is why I dress plainly, rock a plain haircut, and don’t “express” myself through visuals even though I would “get more pussy” if I catered to society’s expectations. Instead I let my principles and morals shine through my actions, which actually have an impact on the world.
While nothing you said is incorrect from your own personal views and desires, avoiding fashion or stylistic expression is as much your own paradigm as someone who does choose to wear certain things or express themselves in certain ways. IE: choosing no style is also a style. You simply cannot escape self-expression unless you are utterly alone on an island, and it could be argued that even then self-expression will be valuable for preserving your sense of self.
Self expression and creating identity is just a human thing that we’re never going to get away from, nor should we unless we’re ready to like… become absorbed by some kind of hive-mind. We are social creatures, we literally can die without social identity.
I have thought long and hard about what would go into a mainstream, masculine nail-painting style that would actually catch on and be popular and add something to most men’s style, and not just young, waifish catboys with narrow hips, but would also benefit Carl down in accounting. (Rusty metal? Lumberjack plaid? little dicks painted on each?) And after that mental exercise I realized two things.
1 - Nothing we do as a species makes any sense and our attachment to social norms is never, ever going away.
2 - Gendered expression that isn’t just hanging a sign around your neck with an arrow pointing to your genitals is utter nonsense also. Why do so many people associate painted vestigial claws with femininity? If you paint your dog’s nails in a color you or others will start viewing your dog through gendered lenses. We are a silly creature.
Why give so many fucks about style? Who cares what anyone thinks right? Shouldn’t we all just dress comfortably and quit worrying about appearances? Focus on what matters? Meaning of course, our personalities and our humanity. People always wanna act like how we appear somehow matters. I hate vanity, which is why I dress plainly, rock a plain haircut, and don’t “express” myself through visuals even though I would “get more pussy” if I catered to society’s expectations. Instead I let my principles and morals shine through my actions, which actually have an impact on the world.
While nothing you said is incorrect from your own personal views and desires, avoiding fashion or stylistic expression is as much your own paradigm as someone who does choose to wear certain things or express themselves in certain ways. IE: choosing no style is also a style. You simply cannot escape self-expression unless you are utterly alone on an island, and it could be argued that even then self-expression will be valuable for preserving your sense of self.
Self expression and creating identity is just a human thing that we’re never going to get away from, nor should we unless we’re ready to like… become absorbed by some kind of hive-mind. We are social creatures, we literally can die without social identity.