Buffy Acacia
That’s the feeling we see over and over again. Whenever a gender imbalance for luxury watch enthusiasts develops, an immediate defense is to assert that the watch is the only jewelry that men are allowed to wear. Of course, they all agree that it is not a literal imposing, but a social expectation that led to these situations. Well, they are not only wrong in a vast historical aspect, but also in all modern senses.
Let’s start with a little context and move on. The concept of wearing jewelry is so old, the earliest known examples are not attributed to Homo sapiens, but to Neanderthals more than 100,000 years ago. Jewelry of all kinds has been worn by all genders of all cultures, from the elaborate, gem-filled breast jewels of Egyptian pharaohs to simple twisted torches of Celtics and Scandinavian Vikings. In Renaissance Europe, men wore far more jewelry than women. Their collection of rings, earrings, necklaces and brooches was the same status symbols that all jewelry had been around for thousands of years. So, where does the connection between femininity and exclusion come from?
The first whispers of change came mainly from France in the Age of Enlightenment and in the post-Revolutionary Paris. But it wasn’t originally a gender issue. Fashion has been trended towards usefulness rather than exaggeration, simply because too many wealth-related people are at risk of beheading. In Victorian England, emotional oppression and moral panic reached their peak, and homosexual behavior was criminalized for the first time. This spread widely in Europe and was exacerbated by the impact of the Industrial Revolution on class dynamics. With more and more men using heavy machinery in dangerous factories, jewelry was less practical to wear and didn’t have the room to spare. Working class women tended to be more sedentary, so they caught jewelry and there was no chance of losing their body parts in an industrial accident. In the upper class, men’s fashion has also been simplified by standardization of three-piece suits, but women’s clothing has allowed for more creativity.
The first half of the 20th century solidified the Western world’s commitment to gendered jewelry, not only because of the number of men who fought in both World War I, but also because of the rise of targeted advertising as a science. The role was presented based on idealized caricatures, including a professional father who knows how to repair a car, or a loyal housewife who loves to suit her man. That cultural change was not merely an attempt to sell more products, but not the artisan or family business that previously sold or traded directly to the community, and did not hurt the world seeing an increase in brand power and department stores. The emphasis on the nuclear family has led to an increase in scrutiny of men’s behavior and self-expression, throwing enough misogyny and homophobia to the point that it makes women embarrassed to wear the same fashion they wear.
Despite this, men’s jewelry never actually disappeared. Most free people can choose their own style, and there are always men who wear jewelry even in the most conservative environments. Also consider that cuff links, belt buckles and glasses are as adjacent to the gem as a wristwatch, and other ornaments such as hats can fit in the same role as self-expression status symbols. If someone is walking around wearing an Akubra Rough Rider, you already know something about them so that you can guess the information from a recognizable watch. Items considered acceptable in the business field and all other jewelry men are still free to wear. If you feel otherwise trapped, you probably need to look into your own comfort or your environment, and realize that negative comments about men’s jewelry are extremely rare outside of internet comments.
In fact, it can be argued that the popularity of men’s jewelry peaked in the last century. Seeing recent Oscars, we saw Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey JR, Jeff Goldblum, Colman Domingo, Kieran Culkin, Adrien Brody and others wearing elaborate brooches covered in precious stones. Red carpet events may not represent most masculine cultures, but they drip. The number of men who have been comfortable wearing jewelry on the street has increased significantly since the 1970s, starting with simple curb chains as necklaces and bracelets, and now evolved into pearl necklaces and earrings. If you feel that the old-fashioned nature of the watch world is exempt from this, consider the burgeoning popularity of integrated bracelet watches and how they are worn very similarly to cuff-style bracelets.
If there’s nothing else, this is a call to pay more attention to the world around you. With your eyes open, you can find more men than you would expect in the exhibit where rings, fine chains, earrings and pendants are proud. It’s not that the rules don’t apply to them, it’s that there are no actual rules in the first place. Take it slowly if necessary, but experiment and wear whatever you like. That way, the results will be absolutely happy.
