Why is men wearing jewelry so taboo?

[Elfboy]

I'm not sure if this is the best place to put this thread, but why is it culturally unacceptable for men to accessorize and wear things like necklaces, rings, bracelets and such? why are women aloud to look glamorous and sexy while men are shunned for any kind of outrageous clothing?

 

[mmhmm]

it's not.

 

[Stigmata]

The answer to this question is entirely dependent on how much you adhere to the modern societal gender norms. The taboo in this context only exists as an implication, an implication which would differ in widespread opinion based on age demographic. if that's what you wanna do, there's technically nothing stopping you, so go for it. Just know what doing so entails.

 

[uncommonentity]

As far as I'm aware It's not. I know plenty of men who accessorize and wear more necklaces and rings than women do. All men I know that do this don't get shunned they get laid either because chicks dig on their swag or think they must have money because they're fitted out.

 

[SilkRoad]

I think a little bit is ok - ie. a necklace and one or maybe two non-wedding rings. And something tasteful/understated.

More than that, to me, tends to make the guy look vain or like a player. I guess that's societal conditioning? But I genuinely think that some guys I've known who are really into jewelry have turned out to be just those things... Certainly not all, though.

 

[KDude]

maybe this is why you're like.. "extra gay" or something. you live in a repressed area that even stigmatizes jewelry wearing. i don't blame you.

i'm sorry, is this post rude? not meant to be. just trying to be funny..

 

[Metamorphosis]

Yeah, it isn't. I used to wear a ton of jewelry.

With that said, it probably works better in some places than others. I don't wear much now and even back then I kept it to a minimum when I was in a professional setting wearing suits and shit.

As far as outrageous clothing and looking glamorous goes...er...I don't know. I would suspect that it has something to do with the fact that appearance is less important for men than it is for women in a mating sense.

 

[Qlip]

Yup, it's not. But as in all things, it just depends on how it's done. Are you attempting to wear pearls? That might get looks.

 

[mmhmm]

there's always an occasion for a pearl necklace.
jock gives them to me all the time.

 

[goats]

I think mens' jewelery is pretty awesome.

 

[Thalassa]

I'm not sure what you mean. It became quite popular for men of a certain subculture to wear jewelry in the 1970's, and then in the 80s a tremendous number of young guys, at least, got one ear pierced and wore choker-type neclaces, like a gold chain with a matching gold bracelet, or something more "beachy" like puka shells...in fact that reminds me of guys wearing beads in the 1960's as well...

And anyway now lots of guys wear bracelets or necklaces or have multiple piercings.

Are you talking about big jewels, though? Is that what you mean? I think men did do that at some earlier points in history, like wealthy men in Europe in like the 1600s-1700s.

 

[Beargryllz]

Why is men wearing jewelry so taboo?

Is it taboo?

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

In my opinion, a man should wear a watch.

This is all the jewelry I need:

 

[Thalassa]

I like it when men wear nice watches.

Men used to carry pocket watches back in the day, as well.

I wonder if Elfboy wants to wear sapphire earrings...I think plenty of men have something like a diamond or a ruby set into a wedding band, or a cluster of small diamond chips... or into one single gold ring if they aren't married.

I remember old guys doing this a lot when I was a kid, and I still see it now sometimes.

 

[Lady_X]

it's not.

+1

 

[Elfboy]

The answer to this question is entirely dependent on how much you adhere to the modern societal gender norms. The taboo in this context only exists as an implication, an implication which would differ in widespread opinion based on age demographic. if that's what you wanna do, there's technically nothing stopping you, so go for it. Just know what doing so entails.

there is nothing stopping me, I do it. I just wonder why people are so ignorant about it

 

[SilkRoad]

On the earrings subject, I wasn't quite old enough to pay much attention in the 80s, but it seems like in the 90s loads of guys got one ear pierced - even guys who weren't necessarily all that "rebellious". My impression is it's really gone out of fashion again, unless you're a rock star or gay, pretty much!

 

[Elfboy]

maybe this is why you're like.. "extra gay" or something. you live in a repressed area that even stigmatizes jewelry wearing. i don't blame you.
i'm sorry, is this post rude? not meant to be. just trying to be funny..

a bit ignorant, but I wouldn't call it rude as much as misinformed. I don't really consider myself "extra gay" (people of this nature who go out of their way to do things screaming "I'M GAY" really bother me) it's just that my personality has a strong feminine side and I like things related to beauty

 

[Thalassa]

Where do you live that it's so taboo for men to wear jewelry? As far as I know preppy frat boys can have some jewelry like the choker-type gold necklace and maybe a watch and/or one nice bracelet...hippie and emo dudes wear jewelry all the time...guys who are seriously into body modification can walk around looking like they're more metal than skin....the only reason I can see anyone saying anything is if you're doing the whole 1970s Elvis row 'o bright rings on each finger...or hell, I don't know. I remember totally normal, preppy, conservative guys from middle class homes wearing understated jewelry even in the 80s.

 

[Thalassa]

On the earrings subject, I wasn't quite old enough to pay much attention in the 80s, but it seems like in the 90s loads of guys got one ear pierced - even guys who weren't necessarily all that "rebellious". My impression is it's really gone out of fashion again, unless you're a rock star or gay, pretty much!

I guess I paid attention to it because although I was in elementary school, my grandfather's wife had a son who was 17 when they got married, so I saw him and his friends, etc.

Plus I had baby-sitters who were girls in high school and they had boyfriends.

And I lived in West Virginia, not a major city.