Clothes have no gender, he says…
If you’ve ever had a hard time picturing who a ‘nonconformist’ truly is, this guy right here is the perfect picture. Whatever society said about how men and women should dress, he doesn’t care.
Mark Bryan has been happily married to the love of his life for 11 years and has a young daughter. [1] He’s a fully heterosexual man who does not believe in the societal constraints placed on clothing choices. Mark is an American robotic engineer based in Germany, and in his book, fashion stereotypes are nonexistent.
He enjoys rocking heels and skirts to work because he loves the variety in his wardrobe. If women can wear pants, slacks, cargos, and boots, why can’t men have women’s clothing choices too?
For his 203,000 besotted Instagram followers, Mark brings a whole new vibe to the world of corporate fashion. He prefers to combine both male and female clothing, often wearing a button-down shirt or polo on top and rocking pencil skirts and stilettos below the waist. The confidence!
“I am old enough to remember that in school, the girls could not wear pants,” Mark told Bored Panda. [2] “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. 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.”
His family is supportive of his clothing choices
Mark said he fell in love with heels during his college years, when his girlfriend at the time dared him to wear heels whenever they went dancing. It would have been hilarious seeing a couple both wearing heels on the dance floor, but Mark said the footwear made him feel powerful and confident. Ever since then, he’s been a fan of his heels and he walks amazingly in them, too.
Mark admits that he usually gets weird stares from people, but it doesn’t bother him at all. He likened it to the general reactions a person rocking green-colored hair would receive.
“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.”
Speaking on how his family feels about his choice of clothing, Mark said: “My wife often makes suggestions on what I should wear. My daughter wishes she could borrow my shoes at times.”
He continued: “I feel no different as to me, it’s just clothes. Naturally, on a cold or windy day, it physically feels different. When wearing heels, I feel taller, but also empowered for some reason. In all, maybe having the inner strength to have the confidence to wear non-conforming clothing has also given me the confidence and strength to handle my pressures at work.”
Mark said he’s never had any trouble finding the right skirt and shoe sizes for himself. He wears size 8 skirts and since he has small feet for a guy, his shoe size is 8.5. He encourages other men out there with the same inclinations to break through the stereotypes and dress without constraints. A helpful tip: go for lower heels before walking your way up to the killer stuff.
Mark is always upfront about his personality and sexuality. His Instagram bio reads: “I am just a straight, happily married guy that loves Porsche’s, beautiful women, and incorporating high heels and skirts into my daily wardrobe.”
References
- “Robotic Engineer Proves That Skirts and Heels Are Not Just For Women.” Tip Hero. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
- “Skirts And Heels Are Not Just For Women, This Guy Proves That Perfectly (30 Pics).” Bored Panda. Hidreley. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
