The Man in the RompHim: Unthreading Aesthetic Masculinity
*If you are a man, with his finger hovering over the “back this project” button on Kickstarter this one is for you*
The internet is mad about grown men wearing clothes that they think women should be wearing. The apparent feminization of men’s clothing is a polarizing issue for both buzzed and CNN readers alike. Much has been written about the “RompHim” as an extension of children’s clothing ( a discourse strangely absent from rompers in women’s clothing), and how male rompers have been insidiously present in movies and musical festivals for decades. However, what seems to be missing from the “RompHim” conversation is how a shift in aesthetic masculinity affects our perceptions of the patriarchy and its power. Furthermore,our reluctance to take the RompHim seriously shows just how repressive masculinity is being held together by a thread as thin as that on a Forever 21 romper. I’m ready for that thread to break.
RompHim’s, whether made with this aesthetic intention or not, are a large step in a new direction for both men and women, for feminism and for the aesthetic disassembly patriarchy. I’d like to take a moment here to call out the importance of nomenclature: It’s called the RompHim, not he RompHer. The product was explicitly branded male .It had to separate itself form the conventional romper, usually associated with women to declare its distinctness from the female realm and assert its credibility. If it was not explicitly labeled male, I doubt such an item of clothing would have had the internet in stitches.
Sartorial fluidity has leaned in the direction of women coopting the slated structure of menswear, to symbolically inhabit that power. As feminism has gained ground, womenswear has leaned further and further into menswear. The aesthetic of the RompHim is important too. It’s full of pastels, bright, airy and preppy. It falls outside the realm of traditional masculinity, but its name continues to assert its new belonging to masculinity. Our trivialization of the RompHim speaks volumes about how feminine aesthetic continues to occupy the second tier of sartorial power.
Menswear, the aesthetic benchmark for power and seriousness, is found in grey shirts, structured blue shirts, colourless tees, raw denim jeans and ironed pants.The RompHim is the first public move to liberate menswear from this restrictive aesthetic and break down the repressive seriousness associated with menswear, and well, being a man. It is a clear aesthetic move, to place traditionally female aesthetics and dress at the same footing, and same power as male dress. Traditionally female dress has leaned into masculine aesthetics and asked to share some power. The RompHim flips the script: it is masculinity leaning into female aesthetics and asking to have some fun.That may be dangerous for some. If masculinity is not constantly asserting its power, and is being coopted by women to express their own… gasp… could this mean that masculine power under threat. Yes, and no. Admittedly traditional masculinity of seriousness and mahogany chairs does not fit into the portrait of the “himster”*, but it also means that we are opening up the expectations of aesthetic and gender roles. Aesthetic masculinity no longer marks the be all and end all of power, if men themselves start to reject it. For some men, this may be liberating. Not everyone wants to be a nuanced shade of testosterone grey.
The RompHim is exposing the thin and faulty thread of aesthetic masculinity. The way I see it, a powerful man is even more powerful in a cotton candy coloured one piece, than in a grey suit. The boldness to assert taste in the form of a RompHim, speaks volumes to self-assuredness, and a general disdain for gendered expectations. I hope that soon we may live a world where fresh faced young men, and bearded lumberjack types can buy candles at urban outfitters while feeling the joys of wearing a singular piece of clothing; Where men and women walk hand in hand in matching one pieces; Where a man can get ready for a first date on a summer night and contemplate whether the RompHim is a situationally appropriate outfit, without the weight of a grey suit weighing on his shoulders.
*“Himster” is a term I have lovingly crafted for trailblazing wearers of the RompHim. I felt the need to strip the word hipster of its gender neutrality and create a space for male specific belonging.
