What makes male fashion designers so effeminate? Or is it that effeminate men generally go for the profession?

Question

I know I am generalizing but, don't you think?

Answer 1

there are 2 different parts to your question, and i am going to give the full answer:

first, some gay men are effeminate because they identify more closely with women in adolescence. so, while heterosexual boys associate closely with other heterosexual boys around ages 8-13, gay children (or children who will eventually become gay) form much closer associations to females. (not all do this - but a lot do). homosexuality is determined in the womb by prenatal hormones, and gender non-conformant behavior can be seen as early as 4 years old. before puberty, everyone sounds like a girl, because vocal pitch is still high. after puberty, it becomes obvious that some men sound effeminate. they have also mapped their body langage patterns on to those of females that they relate to. it's all a big accident - not an act. straight males map their body language patterns onto the "alpha" male of their clique in middle school - so as to fit in. This is all done subconsciously, by the way. no 10 year old chooses a girl that he wants to be like and tries to imitate her. it just happens. also, gay guys don't really choose to act effeminate. in fact, it is looked down upon in the community. read any gay personal ad listing and they all say "must be masculine" - because gays prefer men that act like men, not men that act like women. some gay guys go to speech therapists and acting coaches to get rid of their "gay accent" that they developed when they were younger.

now, on to part 2 of your question... gay men become fashion designers they are good at it. they are in the unique position to do this work because their mind combines the need to attract a male (and thus beautify themselves since men are more superficial than women) with their own strong sense of aesthetics and visual attraction (like a straight male - more visually stimulated than women). Straight women are not visually turned on by men the same way that gay men are. Men are more visual. Straight men do not feel the need to "beautify" themselves for female partners, because heterosexual females are generally not looking for "pretty / hot" men like gay men are. So, when you have a gay man, you have the perfect combination for design.

If I don't get the points for the best answer on this, I'll die. I have reserched this personally w/ some of the major researchers in the field of human sexuality!

Answer 2

Five answers.

(1) The number of male fashion designers isn't higher than that in the general population, but cultural biases make us remember those fashion designers who fit the stereotype and ignore those who don't. Similar to how someone convinces themselves they're psychic by remembering all the times their guesses were correct but forgetting the much larger set of incorrect guesses.

(2) Cultural biases put pressure on male fashion designers to act that way. Male American football players feel pressure to act a certain way, so why not the other way around?

(3) Fashion design tends to attract flamboyant people in general. We notice the effeminate men in the field because our expectations for women allow for greater flamboyance, but our expectations for men require stoicism and conformity.

(4) They're creative people. Creative people tend to either not give a bit of thought to convention or even consciously break it. The greater number of perceived effeminate male fashion designers could be because fashion designers enjoy more media coverage than other creative groups, even though the prevalence is the same.

(5) Men are, from the outset, pushed to conform to a gender role. This strongly goes against the natural inclination of some men, who are alienated and punished for their unwillingness to conform. Many eventually break free from gender roles entirely and develop a sense of self that isn't based upon an prevailing model which would limit their interest to things only "men are supposed to be interested in". If a man isn't living under those constraints, he's free to find interest in stereotypically female-roled pursuits like fashion. While they aren't actually effeminate, someone conforming to the male role will see them as violating that role and therefore (lacking the knowledge of a middle ground) see them as trying to conform to the female role - in other words, effeminate.

Answer 3

I know straight guys in fashion design. They are effeminate, so it would lead me to suspect that being in that industry makes men effeminate. I'm sure sometimes it works the other way. It is probably due to the excessive contact with females. We all adopt manerisms of people we are surrounded with.

Answer 4

I think certain professions are so associated with gay men -- hairdresser or fashion designer, perhaps dancers -- that very few straight men are self-confident enough to take such a job and not be concerned that most people will assume they are gay or at least bi. That was one of the main story lines in "The Turning Point," after all, where dancers were assumed to be gay unless they made a big deal out of "proving" they were straight.

But I wonder sometimes. Robert Tonner, one of the best designers in the country, does not impress me as gay, and as I understand it, is married. I guess some guys are just so macho they don't even care who knows it. (Or maybe he is bi; his business, not mine.)

P.S. Tonner designs fashion dolls, but I think he started his career with life-size fashions.