Men In Babushkas
Men are taking designer headscarves and wrapping them around their heads babushka style, and even though some people are eating it up, others are criticizing them for trying something new.
478.6k Likes, 22 Comments - Frank (@blonded) on Instagram: "FaceTimes in Babushka"
Frank Ocean posted a picture on Instagram in the beginning of this year wearing a Versace headscarf. He captioned his photo “FaceTimes in Babushka”, which received mostly positive comments. Then A$AP Rocky wore a headscarf to the LACMA’s annual Art+Film Gala accompanied by oversized Gucci sunglasses, which resulted in a bunch of memes— most were lighthearted and weren’t meant to critique Rocky’s style. According to Dazed, Rocky said “I just wanted to show off my babushka today, honestly. I’m just encouraging all guys to wear babushkas from here on out. Silk gang, silk city. You know how we do it.” He has since worn it again in his latest music video “Babushka Boi”. Men in the music industry have recently been embracing their feminine side when it comes to fashion, and fans have been welcoming it.
Photo: AP Images
But when the Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton decided to try out this trend, he was greeted with rejection by the sports community. Some jokingly created “who wore it better” tweets, pairing a picture of an old Russian women next to Newton. But others were downright wrong. One compared him to a “homeless dude”; another suggested that he might not have any male friends, and the worst one of all questioned if Cam Newton has become transgender, all because of his fashion choice.
Members of the sports community aren’t as accepting of fashion exploration because they’re typically submerged in a culture of toxic masculinity. This is problematic because whenever men choose to express themselves with fashion they are often subjected to comments about their sexuality/gender identity. Men should be able to wear whatever they desire without receiving this amount of backlash, and hopefully this hate won’t discourage other men from trying out fashion forward trends.
Here’s a look at some of the tweets: