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10 butch and trans masc style icons who make looking good look easy
If you're struggling to build your own masculine sense of style, we've got some inspiration for you!
If you're looking for masculine fashion inspiration, but find yourself disappointed by "men's fashion," you're not the only one. A lot of traditional menswear in the 21st century can be incredibly boring, ill-fitting, and lackluster. Have you looked up "men's fashion inspo" on Pinterest lately? It's not promising! Why is it always a guy in pants so tight they might as well be painted on? And why do the pants always appear to be ribbed for her pleasure?!
The good news is, there is good masculine fashion inspo out there, you're just looking in the wrong place. You need to be looking at butches and trans people.
Butch lesbians, as well as trans masculine people, have all had to build a sense of style and masculinity that exists outside of cisheteronormative ideas of menswear. Butch culture is more than just an aesthetic, it's an identity and a lifestyle. But like many cultural identities, clothing can be an important component. Butches and the trans masc community have figure out how to tailor clothing and culture that were never designed to fit them into something bespoke and beautiful.
As butch lesbian icon Alison Bechdel once wrote in her comic Dykes to Watch Out For, "Being queer is not just about your sexuality. it's about embracing a unique way of seeing and being in the world." All parts of queerness are connected, and some may call it vain but fashion is an important part of life and culture, and should be respected as such. So, here are 10 butches and trans masc individuals with impeccable taste helping pave the way for other's to find their own unique sense of style.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
