Mark Bryan Defies Gender Norms & Proves Skirts With Heels Are For Everyone
Simply a heterosexual, happily married guy who loves Porsches and beautiful women and likes to wear high heels and skirts: This is how the American Mark Bryan, who currently works in Germany, describes himself in his profile on Instagram. This is the one thing that sets him apart from most men.
The fact is that heels were initially made for men - after all, the oldest known shoes with transparent heels are shoes of the members of equestrian peoples. Heels came to Europe around 1600 and were a representative symbol in the baroque era. Initially, high heels were not linked to gender. This did not change until the end of the 19th century - since then, the high heel has been almost exclusively associated with women's shoes.
He recently started going to work in high heels and skirts and wearing them as regular outfits. The sixty-one-year-old robotics engineer, who coaches a local football team living in southern Germany with his wife and three children, is usually preoccupied with work, family responsibilities, and passion for cars. Not long ago, he also counted fashion among his hobbies.
How Mark Bryan Started Wearing Heels
About forty years ago, Mark dated a woman who was six feet tall and feeling slightly emasculated, and he decided to find a way around this. He tried on his first pair of heels and fell in love with them.
"I'm at the age where I don't care what people think. Either they like me, or they don't like me."
Even after the relationship did not work out, Mark did not stop wearing heels. Now, he's married, and he says his wife has no problems with his choices but does not like the fame and attention he appears to be receiving in recent times.
On His Skirts
Mark would typically wear suits and patent shoes to work, but he was not comfortable and so decided to wear his heels. He felt his work clothes were boring and decided to add life with his heels.
His colleague later admired his legs and suggested he started wearing skirts. That was how Mark delved into the world of skirts. He believes skirts are comfortable though his legs get cold during winter.
How Many Pairs Of Shoes Does Mark Own
Mark, who documents his style on his Instagram page, has well over fifty pairs of shoes. That's more than some women can boast of owning. His shoes come in various colors, but he draws the line when it comes to shoes with glitters and sloping platforms.
He prefers to wear shoes with twelve centimeters heels. That is except when he has to be on his feet a lot in one day. Then he opts for a maximum of eight centimeters. In the winter, Mark would rather wear heeled boots to keep his legs warm.
On Criticisms
He is not bothered about what people think of his fashion choices. For him, the most important thing is being comfortable in his skin and what he is wearing. Women love his shoes, and men are concerned about how he can walk in them. Only very few teenagers tend to make snide remarks about his outfit.
Bryan sees his outfit as a social criticism on a small scale. He believes that clothes and shoes shouldn't define what gender anyone is. He doesn't feel any different when he's out and about in heels and a skirt because he's still a man irrespective of his clothes.