smash the patriarchy – Phil Pool

Last week a rare thing happened, possibly a unique thing.

Wearing ordinary, typical man type shorts, and walking to my GP in a hurry, I overtook a woman who slightly moved out of the way for me and I said ‘ta’. And a moment later she called to me, ‘nice shorts’.

I turned around and thanked her and, noticing that she was also wearing shorts, I said ‘yours are nice too’ – and they were. And, as I carried on walking I realised that we were wearing the same colour shorts and, presumably, hers was a bit of a jokey comment.

I noted that I’d never usually say something to a stranger about their appearance, and that, in male clothing (I look like a man whether or not I am genderqueer), it’s unheard-of to be complimented by a stranger, and rare even from friends. Most men’s clothing is, of course, by design and by decree, boring at best, and mostly ill-fitting.

However, as a male looking person in clothes like skirts, leggings or even with just coloured nails, the complete disinterest in what I wear ceases immediately. It becomes open season for women to comment, complement and to compare legs – apparently mine are devine…

Most men, of course, say nothing – well, other than the occasional van-headed louts who shout their murderous lusts while, I imagine, wanking themselves into a foam from their manly oeuvre.

Most men say nothing to women, they say even less to other men, unless they are wearing something unmanly in which case, just a few men are aggressive. Women say pretty much nothing to men wearing men’s clothes, but they’ll say lots to manly looking humans in fem clothes. I wonder why.

And – it’s an interesting state of affairs for men or those of us that look like them. We only have to add they tiniest affectation of fem, and we may as well have a big, flashing, dong on the ends of our noses. . .

To step out is to be brave – to be seen – to be noticed – all I need do is have coloured nails and to cross the road without clenching my fists to hide them and – ‘Nice nails! Ready for Pride?’ – calls a woman walking by.