Mark Bryan is a robotics engineer who has been married for 11 years and has a daughter. He identifies as straight and chooses to dress unconventionally. Bryan is an American living in Germany, and he doesn’t believe that fashion has to be gendered. You can find Bryan wearing a skirt and heels to work or out anywhere else he goes on any given day.
Bryan said he doesn’t like how limited men’s choices are in the fashion department, especially when it comes to office attire. Men’s pants only come in a few colors, mostly black, gray, dark blue and the occasional pinstripe, and cuts.
The stylish dresser believes that if women are allowed to wear pants, men should be able to wear skirts and dresses as well. Bryan likes how skirts come in many styles and patterns – and many more colors – unlike men’s clothing.
Bryan prefers to mix traditional gender looks by wearing masculine attire on his top half, like a blazer and tie, and traditionally feminine attire on the bottom half. He will typically wear a pencil skirt and four-inch heels on the bottom.
Wearing high heels is no problem for Bryan. He first learned how to do it when his college girlfriend asked him to wear high heels while dancing with her so that they were on the same level. They continued this for over a year.
Bryan doesn’t let stereotypes or assumptions stop him from dressing in a way that brings him joy. He challenges expectations and does so unapologetically. Keep reading to hear what Bryan has to say about his fashion choices.
Bryan has a very clear idea about how he likes to dress. He told Bored Panda: “To me, clothes have no gender. I prefer skirts to dresses. Dresses don’t allow me to mix the genders. I prefer a ‘masculine’ look above the waist and a non-gendered look below the waist. It’s all about clothes having no gender.”
He continued: “I am old enough to remember that in school, the girls could not wear pants. Pants have now become a non-gendered article of clothing. So why can’t skirts and heels be non-gendered? Besides, men wore heels before women did. Maybe not today’s stiletto-style heels, but men did wear heels before women.”
Bryan is correct about that. High heels can look back on a long history. Although historians and archaeologists cannot date their invention clearly, they have been around at least since the 10th century. And they were not a fashion statement at first. No, the first recorded use of high heels was eminently practical: the Persian cavalry wore boots with heels, called a kalash or galesh, that made it easier for them to keep their feet inside their stirrups. This is, by the way, the same reason why cowboy boots have a small heel as well!
Since owning a horse was a sign of wealth, only well-off men could afford to wear these high-heeled boots. The use of them slowly spread across Europe, and high heels heels became one of the fashion signs of rich noblemen or traders. In fact, following the Great Schism of the Christian Church in the 11th century, even the pope wore high heels.
It wasn’t until several hundred years later that fashion slowly changed. During the 18th century, cultural concerns in Europe came up about the distinction between males and females and talk about what men and women should wear arose. This is the point in time where the belief that fashion is something effeminate and frivolous that “real men” shouldn’t care about hails from. Due to these changing beliefs, men largely abandoned high heels heels, as they were seen as impractical and mere accessories.
Bryan is one of the examples of how high-heels are slowly coming back as an accepted form of footwear for men. Although the engineer champions the option of wearing high-heeled shoes for men, he understands many people will look twice when they see him. He compares his style choices to someone who chooses to dye their hair bright colors. He explained:
“Take a person with bright green hair. Green hair is not normal. You look up and see this person, your mind tells you it’s a person with green hair, you think to yourself, that’s odd or interesting, then you go back to do what you were doing and don’t give it another thought. I believe this is the same when people see me in a skirt and heels.”
Bryan doesn’t have to struggle to find skirts and heels that fit him either. He wears a size 8 in skirts, and with smaller feet for a man, his shoe size in heels is 8.5. If you know a man who is considering trying out wearing heels and skirts too, Bryan suggests starting with a lower heel until you feel more comfortable walking in high heels.
What do you think of Mark Bryan’s style choices? Do you know any men who would try walking in high heels? Let us know, and be sure to send this along to your friends and family.
Mom And Dad Going Viral After Birth Of Black Baby Because Both Are White
A baby’s birth is always cause for celebration, particularly when, after months of waiting, it’s time to finally see them in person. Nothing compares to touching our babies for the first time, even though ultrasounds allow us to glimpse them in the womb.
Babies frequently astonish us with their special qualities, such as adorable dimples or a hairy head. The most unexpected development, though, is when the child no longer resembles either of its parents.
This is what occurred to a family whose tale gained widespread attention and sparked internet rumors and speculation. Continue reading to learn what transpired.
At the Tennessee Celina 52 Truck Stop, Rachel works as a cashier. She gave birth to her son Cash Jamal Buckman on February 17. However, what caught people’s attention was that, although Cash appeared to be black, Rachel and her fiancé, Paul Buckman, are both white.
The truck stop wished Rachel luck with her new baby and shared a photo of the content family on Facebook.
The tweet said, “We are happy for our cashier Rachel and her fiancé Paul Buckman on the birth of their baby, Cash Jamal Buckman, on Saturday at 6:18 p.m.”
Nevertheless, the message drew criticism rather than support, with some speculating that Paul might not be Cash’s biological father.
Celina 52 Truck Stop updated their article to confirm that Paul is the father in response to the rumors. Due to her African American ancestry, Rachel may jump generations and give birth to a child who has darker complexion.
They concluded the post with the words “Please be kind,” and mentioned that Cash might have jaundice, which is common in newborns.
Internet jokes and queries persisted even after the truck stop responded.
Someone posted: “Happy birthday! He certainly looks like his father. What is his location?
Another person wrote, “Definitely needs a DNA test; what if they accidentally mixed up the kiddos in the nursery?”
Meanwhile, there were many who sympathized with Paul. “I feel bad for Paul, being duped like this is a whole new level of creep,” someone commented. Maybe he’ll come to his senses.
At that point, Rachel made the decision to take action on her own. She shared what she believed to be her DNA results on Facebook to demonstrate her ancestry.
Perhaps the results of my heritage DNA would dispel the naysayers’ claims that I [don’t] have black DNA. NOW QUIT discrediting my reputation and the name of my fiancé, Paul Buckman. “He truly is Lil Cash’s father,” she added.
However, the jokes persisted, and a good number of them ridiculed the circumstance and questioned the accuracy of the test findings.
It’s the strongest one percent I’ve ever seen. Someone said, “Looks like Maury has a job here.”
With comparable DNA, a second member commented, saying, “I have that too… and both my babies still look Irish as a boiled potato.”
The story swiftly gained popularity on social media, inspiring hundreds of individuals to share their feelings and opinions. Users from TikTok also jumped into the chat, contributing their own humorous perspectives on the situation.
Celina 52 Truck Stop announced that they would be administering polygraph and DNA testing to their employees in response to persistent rumors. The announcement incited even greater outrage, and many are now impatiently awaiting the conclusion of the probe.
This unexpected change of events has garnered a lot of attention, turning a routine birth announcement into a global sensation—even if nobody knows the whole truth.
Leave a Reply