Married Dad Wears Heels And Dresses To Challenge Gender Stereotypes

A married father-of-three wears skirts and stilettos every day to challenge gender stereotypes.

Mark Bryan, an American robotic engineer now living in Germany, is like any other 61-year-old bloke - except he has a huge wardrobe of skirts and high heels.

That's because Mark believes clothing should be genderless, so when at home, work or around town, he typically pairs a shirt with a skirt and some heels - 'cause that's what he likes.

Instagram/Mark Bryan

Speaking to Bored Panda, he explained: "I dress like this because I can. Just to be different. I have always admired the women that wore tight skirts and heels. Not sexually, but the power they presented. I don't dress to be sexual, but to dress like any professional woman would.

"To me, clothes have no gender. I prefer skirts to dresses. Dresses don't allow me to mix the genders. I prefer a 'masculine' look above the waist and a non-gendered look below the waist. It's all about clothes having no gender."

Mark - who has more than 55,000 followers on Instagram - said people often assume there is a sexual element to the way he dresses, but he insists there is not.

Instagram/Mark Bryan

He said: "I do this for non-sexual reasons. Men can wear this style without being labelled as gay or queer. I don't act like a sissy, which is one of the most frequent comments I get from men. They just assume I'm gay and a sissy until they start talking to me.

"I am just an average, normal, straight, and happily married guy. I love beautiful women, Porsche, and I just want to incorporate a skirt and heels into my daily wardrobe."

Indeed, Mark has the full support of his family.

He said: "My wife often makes suggestions on what I should wear. My daughter wishes she could borrow my shoes at times."

As you might expect though, Mark does turn heads in the street.

Instagram/Mark Bryan

He said: "Take a person with bright green hair. Green hair is not normal. You look up and see this person, your mind tells you it's a person with green hair, you think to yourself, that's odd or interesting, then you go back to do what you were doing and don't give it another thought.

"I believe this is the same when people see me in a skirt and heels."

However, Mark hopes that over time attitudes will change, as clothing becomes less and less gendered.

He said: "I am old enough to remember that in school, the girls could not wear pants. Pants have now become a non-gendered article of clothing. So why can't skirts and heels be non-gendered?"

Topics: Interesting, Community

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey