Flash’em Studs

Men’s jewelry never got out of style then why are men judged for donning them? We flipped through the pages of history to bust some ignorant stereotypes that keep men from wearing earrings.

Dior’s Pre-Fall 2020 show’s key highlight was the coffee bean shell earrings paired with the designer, Kim Jones’ new collection. We can’t say that the award winning designer brought a seismic shift in the fashion industry because he just proudly embraced a style that ages back to the ancient times and has been a big part of men’s fashion ever since. However, there is a lot of stigma around men sporting earrings and we don’t get it.

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Gender “rules”

The arguments mostly revolve around jewelry or rather earrings being the sexual indicators. Men shy away from accessories because they have heard that jewelry emasculates them. Well, surprise surprise! Nobody who really cares about you is worried about how masculine you look besides what is masculinity anyway? It is you who define yourself and not the age-old ideas of gender identity. If jewelry makes men less masculine then why are the most famous rappers in the world such as Offset, Kanye West and others not worried about it? It’s simple, if you like it, wear it!

There is also another huge misconception that men who wear earrings are gay. First of all, earring don’t trigger gay-dar and even if they did, there is nothing wrong with that. Men also find themselves googling about the right ear to get pierced because the wrong one may confuse people about their sexual identity. We are happy to inform you that there is no ‘gay ear’. If we talk about the late 20th century, then yes homosexual men used earrings to come out. By wearing a stud in the left or right ear, they found a subtle way to reveal their sexual identity. We don’t live in the dark ages of the 20th century anymore and no matter what people say,the future is intersectional!

The bejewelled history

When people cite the history of earrings related to the gay and queer people, they forget how complicated and inconclusive the history of men wearing earrings actually is. In the 14th, 15th century the Cossacks of southern Russia wore earrings to establish themselves as the breadwinners of the house. While people in the english courts sported earrings just for the royal feel of it. To challenge the royal and elite culture, pirates started wearing earrings. It didn’t stop here as in east Asia, wearing an earring implied valour and bravery.

It also suggested that the individual wearing one had his life endangered once. In the Jewish culture, men wearing earrings were seen as outsiders or even prostitutes. The one thing that settles the debate is the fact that men were wearing earrings much before women started to do so. Hence, earrings are not meant for any particular gender, race or sexual identity.

Whether it be studs, hoops, strings, clip-ons or anything you fancy, luxury fashion brands have a variety of options to choose from. A trinket paired with the right outfit not only raises your style quotient but also highlights your individuality. If you are someone who desires to don earrings, go ahead for the fashion police supports you!

From the October 2020 issue of L’Officiel India.