There's something happening in Stepford...or in our gay community.
Since I moved to L.A., I've seen the "invasion" completely take over. Gay men are losing themselves in this Stepford-ish look. Faux-hawks, Ed Hardy/Designer jeans, skinny pants, and horrible attitudes.
What's happened here? When did we, we as gay men, wanted to look like everyone else? I blame Queer Eye for a Straight Guy. This evil piece of TV acted as a bible to men (gay and straight). Every week, we were told to look like them in order to be fabulous. Instead of being a "how to dress and act" guide, it instantly became "the only way to be".
I've always thought of us as original people, like mutants. We are the outsiders, not accepted by everyone, special talents that most people don't have. Our sexuality pushed us beyond our safety zones and exposed us to new possibilities. But now, I'm not sure if that's happening.
More and more, I'm seeing the clones. Human gingerbread men walking around Santa Monica Blvd and Melrose. I know trends have always been around for decades, but this is kind of freaky. Why spend tons of money on clothes, just look like everyone else? Why go after a guy when you can barely tell him a part from the other 20 people in the club?
I guess I'm lost on this notion. Maybe with the help of Dr. Matthew Bennell and Joanna Eberhart we can figure this out before we are all assimilated.
4 comments:
Gay guys are as susceptible to trends as anyone else. I think there are still plenty in our greater community who aren't afraid to go their own way.
In any aspect of culture, I think you'll find there are more than a few "sheep"...the ones who just go along, cause it's easier than being original. "Clones" was an issue in the 70s/80s, too, with all those hairy chests and porn star mustaches...not everyone is brave enough to follow their own voice...
...as long as they've followed it enough to come out and say "I'm gay", I suppose we can overlook the rest...and hope the Fashion Fairy breaks in and redecorates their lives.
Don't look at the crowd. Look at the people! Underneath all that sameness, I bet there's still individuals...
Sorry to be clueless, but who are Bennell and Eberhart??
Here in the Central Valley, everyone wants to look like and A&F model.
Most don't.
Especially when they're 40.
Let's face it: mainstream anything generally is rotten. Even when it's mainstream and a subculture at the same time.
It may seem that we've lost our diversity over the last decade, but in reality, the "clone effect" has been around since the 1970s in GLBT America. I'm sure even earlier than that. But now, we have Logo, Bravo, and Here! to constantly show us what we're "supposed to look like." And it's not just limited to LA, either.
Originality isn't dead, though. It's just suppressed by the popular clicks... just like high school all over again! I think the real trick is to stop having all the visible gays and lesbians be so similar. Isn't the point of the media to show our diversity, anyway, or is that as much of an illusion as I think it is?
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