Brad Pitt’s skirt and genderless fashion could end toxic masculinity

Brad Pitt's skirt and genderless fashion could end toxic masculinity. Photo / Getty Images

This story was one of Herald Entertainment’s most read in 2022

OPINION:

A few days ago, Brad Pitt rocked a red carpet looking like a whole snack. The only unusual part about this was that he did so while wearing a skirt.

Now, Pitt is far from the first male celebrity to experiment with styling traditionally "female" items of clothing. I would argue that it was made particularly famous by actual angel Harry Styles, who we now expect to see in outfits that bend the gender "rules", with top-notch nail polish to match.

There's also Billy Porter's fabulous tuxedo gown moment (as well as plenty of other appearances in dresses and skirts), as well as a bunch of other men being no strangers to a skirt on the red carpet — such as Jared Leto, Jaden Smith and Marc Jacobs. You basically won't ever see Machine Gun Kelly without nail polish.

When you widen the search to influencer-level famous people, TikTok abounds with gorgeous hetero men who don't mind playing with traditionally "female" style. I mean, have you ever seen a man looking so sexy as this TikTok creator in a halter-neck crop top? No, you have not.

A great many people lost their heads over Brad Pitt's red carpet look - but it wasn't as unprecedented as it seemed. Photo / Getty Images

I'm not even including the men who've worn kilts here, because they're obviously a category of their own.

However, as far as public personas go, there isn't an actor alive considered more manly in the most mainstream meaning of the word than Pitt. Straight females want him (like me, please) and straight males want to be him.

There's a certain type of person who could perhaps find ways to denounce the other male celebrities who love to don a skirt as "queer" and somehow use that to invalidate the choice (which I 100 per cent do not agree with, but we all know that opinion exists).

Harry Styles wore a dress while performing last October. Photo / Getty Images

I've even seen online content creators be flooded with comments from other straight men telling them they're just "pandering" to women (they're not, but don't be mad just because they know what women want when you haven't got a clue).

However, not even the most toxic of masculinity would dare make that same kind of judgment on Pitt.

Jaden Smith is no stranger to playing with fashion. Photo / Getty Images

The man was Tyler Durden, after all. He's also played every he-man, desirable and heroic character Hollywood has to offer. That's even before we look at his long line of A-list relationships with Hollywood's most beautiful women.

He's top of the approval list for men's men everywhere, and he wore a skirt.

Well actually, I've lied. Perhaps the only other man beloved as much by straight men is Vin Diesel. I don't understand it, but I promise you 95 per cent of straight men assume Diesel is a woman's dream man.

Vin Diesel rocked a skirt at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2003. Photo / Getty Images

Well, somehow, we all missed it, but he also had a red carpet leather skirt moment on an MTV red carpet way back in 2003. Not to mention rappers like P.Diddy, Kanye and 2 Chainz.

Does this mean the official end of gendered clothing, even in the mainstream? Will this mean straight men finally have more fashion options on the red carpet, and a night out, than a boring old suit? I think, yes.

Is this one step closer to ending toxic masculinity? Let’s hope so.