What Was So Great about the Great Male Renunciation?

 

Picture credits: coilhouse

The “Great Male Renunciation” is a historical phenomenon that took place at the end of the eighteenth century in which western men stopped using brilliant and refined forms of dressing and left the dressing shenanigan to the females of the society. The “Great Male Renunciation” is considered a major turning point in the history of clothing. Because it showcased how the colour simply drained out of men’s clothing. It was like how men abandoned their claim to be considered fashionable. They, instead, aimed at being useful in society.

Something happened that made men’s clothing far more muted, colourless, washed out and no-nonsense. It's quite astonishing to think how did the epitome and the very structure of masculinity go from a high-heeled man that decked himself with jewels and donned colourful, bright and rich fabrics like silk that complimented their powdery and made-up complexion.

How it all started

The Great Masculine Renunciation was explored by the renowned psychoanalyst John Flügel in his famous book, “The Psychology of Clothes”. It is a fact that fashion is one of the best indicators of changes and transformations that take place in social settings, people’s ideologies and political changes.  It depicts changes in social settings, our society functions and peoples' outlook.

And as a piece of evidence, men's fashion in modern times has seen the most significant transformation.  Heeled shoes, bright colours, bejewelled and sparkly jewellery, and wigs were not off-limits and were a common sight for men before the Great Masculine Renunciation took place.  One of the purposes of the decorative dress was to emphasize class distinctions in terms of rank and wealth. 

The Great Masculine Renunciation included the abandonment of bright colours, loud patterns, high-heeled shoes, shiny accessories, jewellery and adornments that were considered a bit over the top. Being decked in expensive brocade, fancy ruffles, and shiny jewellery used to be a common sight on wealthy men. And then the year 1800 came when men gave up their claim to beauty in favour of looking sober and not over the top. This shift in the male fashion segment can somewhat still be felt today.

Reason for the Masculine Renunciation

Those who have studied The Great Masculine Renunciation, agree that the causes for these changes were primarily of political and social nature. They also believed that in their origin the causes were linked with the great social upheaval of the French Revolution. These distinctions, however, were among the chief of those that the French Revolution, with its slogan of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," aimed at abolishing.

The French Revolution was an important reason that ended up changing men and fashion. There were also multiple factors that ended up playing out. The Industrial Revolution too fired up the move from being all jazzy and over the top to wear more simple and functional clothes. This change highlighted that men now wanted to be portrayed as dutiful, practical and respectable. In short, it was a menswear revolution.

Impact on the society

Its impact has been associated with making the role of women pivotal in fashion, a role which had previously been held by both genders of the upper class in society. We can say that while the Great Male Renunciation blurred class distinctions, it also increased gender stereotypes. Seeing a man wearing heels and colourful clothing was considered very fashionable during the 1700s, especially between the royals and the high-class society. There was never a moment in history when everyone was dressed alike and similar.

Conclusion

The recent Met Gala was proof of the disparity between male and female celebrity fashion. Most actors were only decked in black and navy blue. It is quite shocking to see the contrast in men's fashion in the 20th century and back in the 18th century. Back in the 20th century, all you got to see were men in standardized clothes with limited to no options.

Talking about the 21st century, we all can see a bit of a change in the men's fashion segment evolving. Now people are wholeheartedly accepting men wearing clothes that are considered out of the box. Now, men wearing nail polish and necklaces is not an alien concept. Fashion is the very proof that we have seen how masculinity has been redefined before, and how it can be redefined again.

Written by: Varma Tandon