ABSTRACT

This chapter introduces the basic concepts in fashion and its connection to masculinity by providing examples of how men manage their identity via dress. We present a narrative of fashion in modern historical Euro-American societies to establish the slow change from fashion as a reflection of dominant hegemonic masculinities to the more fluid and complex masculinities appearing in fashion since the 1960s. We also review a few examples of global geopolitical masculinities to illustrate that men around the world use fashion and appearance management to either comply with or rebel against notions of localized masculinities.