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07 May 2009 @ 06:05 pm
Why there is no equivalent of a corset for men: a theory  
(Some thoughts prompted by this blog post)

A question I have often asked, and never gotten a satisfactory answer to, is this: what can I wear to a science fiction convention that would be as sexy as a corset?

Lots of women wear corsets at conventions these days. They make nearly any woman look sexy, whether she's svelte or generously proportioned. But I'm not aware of anything equivalent for men. One answer I've gotten to this question is "a corset, duh." But I've tried male corsets and they don't do anything for me. Fundamentally I believe the problem is that they don't change my shape at all. Another answer is "a tux." I can get into that (and have), but it's not quite the same thing.

I realized the other day that the reason there's no good answer to this question arises from Western society's ideas about gender. A corset is not sexy principally because it emphasizes a woman's secondary sexual characteristics. A corset is sexy because it emphasizes the differences between a woman and a man -- where "man" should be read in the deprecated meaning of "human being." In other words, a corset emphasizes the difference between a "woman" and a "person," or between "mark" and "norm." Thus, there is no equivalent of a corset for men because there are no differences between a man and a person (societally speaking) to emphasize.

Clothing that emphasizes a man's secondary sexual characteristics can still be sexy, and appealing to individuals. But it's not "sexy" in the societally-endorsed way that a corset is.

Note that I am not endorsing this view, I'm just observing it.

Your thoughts?

Elizabeth Colemancriada on May 8th, 2009 03:23 am (UTC)
I've often bemoaned the difficulty of finding sexy dress for men. A corset can make a woman anything from classy to slutty--men don't really have an equivalent. Maybe some of the wilder suits and zoot suits like Bruce Taylor and Jeremy Lassen wear. So many things just need to be worn in the right circumstances by the right people. Not everyone can pull off leather pants, but those that do...whoo.
Kilts and utilikilts are good, but honestly, rather than finding the wearers sexy, the kilt just makes me notice him, and admire him for his confidence. I think that's where the answer lies. Anything that's bold enough to show a guy's got balls--of the metaphorical kind--works.