"People are going to be really uncomfortable with my black (expletive) ass in a ball gown, but it's not anybody's business but mine."
The remark from the Tony-winning stage performer, actor and singer was both prescient and disproven. There was mega-praise for his velvet custom tuxedo look by Christian Siriano and outrage over the notion that an African American man in a dress was a threat to black masculinity.
10 comments:
Okay, Come on Billy Porter! This dress looks great not just because it is a really expensive, custom made, completely fabulous gown tuxedo, but because it radiates pride and confidence on a live broadcast. As he said, it really isn't anyone's business but his own-- usually I'm tough on celebrities doing or wearing outfits of clothing for the public media attention and controversy, but this dress is simply him being himself and doing a great job. I also don't really understand the phrase "threat to black masculinity", how do you threaten something that is an outdated notion and frankly kind of toxic to our environment. Also, the oscars are simply not a time for anyone to pass any judgement on sexuality or gender identity, especially in a business that prides its self and makes tons of dollars on diversity and inclusion. If anyone continues to give Billy Porter grief over this dress, I'll be the first to call it out as homophobic and disrespectful.
Good for Billy Porter. Women have been slowly gaining the right to expand what we can do, in clothing and otherwise, for years, but the progress for guys in the other direction has been slow. It’s a lot easier to say “we deserve the right to do and be what is valued” than it is to say “maybe what we value itself is a reflection of our prejudice, and we should be able to do what is not valued without pushback.” A woman in a dress is considered ‘normal.’ A woman in pants is considered ‘masculine,’ but no longer out of line. A man in pants is considered ‘normal.’ A man in a dress, however, is considered not only ‘feminine’ but ‘emasculated.’ Equality runs both ways, and making femininity accessible to boys is just as important as making masculinity accessible to boys. I hope that more men and boys will follow in Porter’s footsteps and, if they want to wear ‘feminine’ clothing, thats a reflection of their self-assurance, not their lack of masculinity.
I absolutely love this. Billy Porter is doing so much for young men and especially young gay men in the world today. His ability to unapologetically express himself how he sees fit is the purest form of masculinity I have seen in a while. There are so many expectations and limitations for young men that have persisted for centuries that are not only harmful to them, but those they interact with too. I think one of the biggest causes for the huge amount of sexual misconduct in the world today perpetrated by men is a direct result of this ideology that we have been brought up with that demands for us to be tough, hard, and emotionless. Breaking out of this mold and this way of thinking is extremely important for men and all people in the world. Being a man means showing who you are and what you believe in regardless of others. It is not about being the biggest or strongest unless that is who you want to be.
I love that Billy Porter took this opportunity to make a statement about what he believes in so strongly, it is so empowering on so many different levels. The dress itself is absolutely stunning and the reasons behind it are even more so, I don’t think that this idea of toxic masculinity is a topic of conversation as frequently as it should be. We are getting to an amazing place in society of acceptance and many groups like women have made great progress in the discussion of the unattainable societal pressures faced by them and the effect these pressures have. I do feel as though we have significant room to grow in order to open up a dialogue about how men are affected by societal pressures as well and are not free from its poisonous effects. Billy Porter is just one example of someone who is pushing to open up discussions about these important issues and it is important to remember as wonderful as it is for them to be doing so celebrities can’t be the only ones making actions for change we all need to contribute.
Billy Porter and his statement-making, gender barrier-breaking red carpet looks have undoubtedly been a topic of conversation lately, but I think that this look is without question his best. It walks a beautiful fine line between being utterly unique and bold to being totally appropriate for the black tie occasion. The latter is very important; I think that this look is so successful because it does not disrespect the event with wild, flashy, or crude extravagance, as a person who is skeptical about gender fluid fashion may want to criticize. This ensemble feels authentic, thoughtful, and tasteful, as all Academy Awards looks should strive to be. I look forward to seeing more gender fluid looks on such grand scales, but also normalized in everyday attire and made more accessible by consumer brands. While Billy Porter’s look was undoubtedly a statement, we need to get to a point in fashion where it’s not a spectacle for a person to dress according to their unique gender identity.
I think what Billy Porter did was absolutely fantastic, and challenged the stereotypes that face masculinity, while also redefining what masculinity is. Recently the focus has been on women challenging the gender norms and societal pressures that are seen in today’s world, and while these are important, it is also equally important to acknowledge that men can do the same. The fact that Porter has the mindset of “I do not care what you think and I will continue doing me” emphasizes the masculinity he himself possesses, while allowing him to challenge the standard definition of it. By not caring about what others think, he is simultaneously able to inspire other young men who want to dress similarly while challenging the norms that have been previously set in place. And while we are all taking note of how incredible it is that Billy Porter chose to make this statement and break these barriers, I think the point that Davine made is equally important… it shouldn’t have to be a statement for someone to dress in opposition of their gender identity.
What I am most interested in, with all this fuss, is Billy Porter’s disdain for the opinions of others. He is not interested in what anyone else has to say, particularly if they aim to tear him down. On the other hand, Porter says he uses clothes, as visible as they are on the award show platforms, as political art. It feels a bit sad and strange that an individual’s self-expression can draw such a political maelstrom. From what I understand, the political message is along the lines of “live and let live,” and although that stands on the shoulders of a complicated history of identities, the idea is simple enough. Rather than tearing down someone who does not follow the pattern, we ought to celebrate the fact that someone is breaking the pattern. Someday, because each of these individuals have lived in fierce denial of the societal molds, we may all live more freely.
I love Billy Porter and I think his style is iconic so this article made me really happy. I think it is sad that he is getting hate for this because he looked amazing and it was very classy. Billy Porter is known to make statements with his clothing and this was certainly one. I think that using clothing to send a political message, like what Billy Porter is doing, is something that has changed so much in the past 100 years. It used to be women wearing pants was a political statement and now it is so much more - it is people wearing times up pins, words on clothing, etc. I think that Billy Porter has come up with a way to make those statements in a very clear way without having clothing that is tacky or makes you forget about him and focus only on the statement. He has really perfected his red carpet style over the years.
I love both the idea behind and the execution of Billy Porter’s Oscars statement. The gender of clothing items is such a weird concept- what’s feminine about a long tube of cloth other than societal expectation? I think it’s interesting that while now it’s totally accepted for women to wear pants in their everyday life, as opposed to 100 years ago, the reverse isn’t true of men wearing women’s clothes. I think part of that comes down to a kind of ingrained misogyny- masculinity is praised while femininity is degraded. This is particularly relevant for the LGBT community, who often turn to gender non-conforming ways of expression either as a political statement or as a means of free self-expression; Billy Porter seems to be doing both, and admirably doing so at the Oscar Red Carpet of all places. On a final note, props to Christian Siriano for creating such a gorgeous look!
When I first saw Billy Porter’s outfit for the Oscars, I lost it. He looked amazing in it, and it’s upsetting that anyone would give him grief over wearing something that’s a little bit different from the normal wear. It makes me a little sad that the fact that he wore something like this is considered doing something ‘inspiring’ or ‘controversial,’ rather than just something else any man could do. Like a woman could wear a suit jacket or pants and no one would bat an eye anymore, but god forbid a male ‘threaten’ the standard for men. Either way, I love the way he dresses and that he can be an inspiration for things to change for masculinity. I’m glad he doesn’t care about any of the negative comments he receives and that he won’t let society get in the way of him expressing himself authentically. Lastly, the design of the velvet tuxedo dress by Christian Siriano looks amazing regardless of who it’s on.
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