The Continuing Decline of the Male

First we drug boys with Retalin to make them mire ‘manageable’. Then radical women demand that men find their feminine side. Next remove games like tag and dodge ball from playgrounds because they're too violent. Next we celebrate the meto-sexual. Then we watch as males hide under their desks when a loan shooter appears and fail to protect their women.

This is the end result.

I pity the poor females. Soon the world will be filled with wimps and appeasers to choose from.

See ya, Julia; bye-bye, Chloe; later, Beyoncé. I’ve cleared out my mental file of Why-can’t-I-be-her? style icons and have no more time for the same old girls in an epic shoe and must-have bag. These days, I am all about boys … in an epic shoe and must-have bag.

Perhaps you haven’t really noticed yet, but fashion-forward men, like my new trinity of adoration — Bryan Boy, Yu Masui and Jean-Paul Paula — have been feminizing their ensembles and pushing past females in the next-level department. And I, for one, am rapt.

The look, to be clear, is not at all about cross-dressing. It’s men dressing mostly like men but with accessories and the odd (Prada lace) halter from the women’s department. It’s so genius that it makes you wonder why every guy doesn’t do this. It also makes me think I am getting sartorially lazy; it’s time to step up the game.

Believe me, to see Yu Masui in tattered khakis and an old white tee beneath a Jil Sander spring/summer ‘08 sheer color-block dress is to know that you are really not thinking outside the box.

I’m obviously not the only one with a folder on my desktop that’s full of pictures of boys with Birkins and Balenciaga; Marc Jacobs had Cole Mohr model the dresses for the Marc by Marc Jacobs fall ‘08 women’s campaign (the vibe and style of which is more than a little bit of an homage to Bryan Boy), and Marc himself has taken on a man skirt and leggings as his daily uniform. The Paris shows for men just ended, and I counted at least five collections that included dresses or skirts. While that touches upon something in the ether, I would have liked to see some statement jewels or maybe a bro clutch. Is that too much to ask? Maybe for spring/summer ’10.

Whither the real male.