Comments by "Iain Mc" (@iainmc9859) on "The Secret History of High Heels is....Men?" video.

As a male I'm going to amass a whole load of 'negative' comments here. I'll qualify it by saying my daughters always complained I had more shoes and wardrobe space then both of them put together ... and they were right; so I sort of buck the trend. However, and its a big HOWEVER, you go into any multi-floored clothing store, eg H&M, and its first floor women's clothes, second floor women's clothes, third floor split half and half men and children's. Go into any charity shop (thrift store) and it is 80% women's clothing, same with any 'vintage' store. The choice of men's clothing IS limited compared to women's. To claim that this is just a social construct falls down if we accept that women have the choice to buy this greater variety of clothing or not. If they don't then clothes shops would simply be 50/50 female/male clothing. A matter of supply and demand not patriarchal misogynistic expectation. As a male who takes a keen interest in clothes and shoes I'm not taking responsibility or the blame for others (largely women) funding a global industry that has an appalling ecological (and employment rights) record. A spendthrift fashion victim only has themselves to blame ... blaming 'men' is simply a cop-out.
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Look at this from the other viewpoint, men are much more bound by 'conservative' societal expectations of how they dress ... women have greater freedom of what they wear. If a male politician (regardless of party affiliations) turns out in white shoes, sky blue trousers and an orange polo shirt ... he's going to lose; however he may just be on the way to the golf course.
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@jennypaxton8159 Unfortunately you're probably in the minority. The press would have a field day, much more so than if a female politician had on white shoes, a sky blue skirt (or trousers) and an orange silk scarf. In terms of clothing as a woman you simply have more freedom. I remember being pulled into the office as a trainee by the manager and being told 'don't dress like that', it was considered flamboyant. I had a black fedora and a wooly black scarf on when I entered and exited the workplace, it was cold and I was using public transport. Conform or your card is marked !
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@3-daysago It is changing ... improving somewhat, but the choice and freedom of clothing for men still has a long way to go before we catch up with women. Try to buy an 'interesting' clothing present for a 'middle aged' male and you're still down to socks or ties, which he probably can't wear for work; without being told to dress down or getting flack off his colleagues.
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@neoqwerty Yeah, or you could just say women buy more clothes and donate them when they've run out of wardrobe space or they're 'unfashionable'. And yeap, I'll darn socks and turn old tee shirts into clothes to polish shoes. On average I'll throw out two pieces of clothing a year. I'm still regularly wearing a sweatshirt I bought 35 years ago, although its got more holes in it than a sieve, sort of genuine post-punk chic ... in truth just old and tatty.
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@RuthvenMurgatroyd Although I think this is a very minor problem in terms of gender equality, what has been noticeable in the UK (can't speak for the States, which is a much larger and more stable economy) is the doubling of prices in UK charity shops as they've tried to turn themselves in to 'boutiques', just as the poorest people are struggling to pay the extra cost of housing, food and energy. I'd still rather support a charity but sometimes the cost is equivalent to or higher than the cheaper high street stores.
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