Opinion

Why I feel misunderstood as a "man repeller"

25.11.2018

Translation: machine translated

Man what? Women who dress primarily for themselves and not for the opposite sex are called "man repellers". This often leads to a lack of understanding, as many men don't understand fashion trends at all.

The other day, colleague A ordered a stylish oversize coat. The feedback from colleague B came like a shot: "Send that thing back, it makes you look shapeless." A "Better ask a woman. Why do you care what B thinks of it?" I couldn't stop myself. The jacket was sent back, of course...

I think it's a shame because, in my opinion, there are enough women who adapt their fashion for the admiring glances of men and, for example, dress extra figure-hugging, squeeze into a skimpy skirt or ruin their feet with high heels. I don't want to do that because I feel comfortable in my clothes and don't want to spend all my time picking at them. I wear what I like, even if I sometimes get a shake of the head from a colleague.

I gave up trying to please my husband (in an outfit) a long time ago. Because his credo is: figure-hugging equals beautiful. Unfortunately for him, I can't do much with that. For me, no jumper can be too loose or no dress too long. I always buy everything one size too big. I prefer denims in a shapeless mom style and when it comes to shoes, I go for mid-height block heels with a granny look. Why? Because I love playing with style breaks.

How it works: To make sure you don't sink into an oversized jumper, combine it with tight skinny jeans and pair mom trousers with a T-shirt (in my case it's one from the men's department), which you tuck into the waistband, and mini heels. For example, when I wear Ugly Dad trainers, (stylish) trainers or my polka dot granny dress to the office, I sometimes get a stupid comment from a colleague. At times like that, I say to myself: "So what, you fashion slob." [[image:17877117]] The most common men's question about this pair of shoes: «Who are you going to stab with these?»
The best barometer of whether and how well an outfit is received is my better half. If he asks me in the morning whether I really want to leave the house like this, then that's usually an indication that I'll get compliments from women about said look during the course of the day. As we women generally have a hard time with nice comments, I'm all the happier for it. On the other hand, if a man praises me for an item of clothing, I'm irritated and wonder if I didn't try hard enough. 😉

Bringing it to the woman

The American blogger Leandra Cohen Medine hit the nerve of the times with her blog Man Repeller. Unlike other female bloggers, she writes about how few straight men are compatible with flamboyant fashion. The brunette has mastered the game of gender roles like no other and she makes no secret of the fact that she doesn't give a damn what men think of her look. For all those who are now asking about her relationship status: the author is a mother of twins and (happily) married.

Dear men, you don't have to understand and question everything, you usually leave that to the women anyway. Do yourself and me a favour and think twice before you open your mouth next time to get rid of a stupid outfit slogan. After all, you're simply revealing your ignorant fashion muffle.

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Vanessa Kim

Editor

vanessa.kim@digitecgalaxus.ch

When I’m not exploring the depths of the sea as an open water diver, I enjoy plunging into the world of fashion. On the streets of Paris, Milan and New York is where I keep my eyes peeled for the latest trends. And I’ll show you how to take them from the catwalk to your everyday life.

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Why I feel misunderstood as a "man repeller"

Bringing it to the woman

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