One man is fighting toxic masculinity after he wore heels and pantyhose to the airport.
Over the holidays, the video of Paul Duane started to trend online. Duane, who hosts a podcast called “Soul Anarchist,” was seen wearing the outfit at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida.
The original video, which was first uploaded to TikTok by @miguelrm15 before then making its way to Twitter, garnered several negative comments. It also gained 7 million views on Twitter.
Okay what am I looking at🤔
Men! What is this called?!
— Gretchen Smith🇺🇸 (@MAGAgpsmith) December 23, 2019
After seeing the viral video of himself and some of the negativity surrounding it, Paul Duane decided to respond to the situation. Duane first made a joke of the fact that so many cared about him just walking through an airport. He then responded to some frequently asked questions.
“1. It’s not a skirt, but a custom tailored shorts suit
2. Leg routine: go up two stairs at a time at every opportunity
3. Great hosiery are half of the secret to great legs.”
Duane then gave a link to his favorite pantyhose.
1 million views of me picking up my luggage. 😂🤷♂️ https://t.co/9sUU9L70SN
— Paul Duane (@_soulanarchist) December 24, 2019
Answers to a few common questions:
1. It's not a skirt, but a custom tailored shorts suit
2. Leg routine: go up two stairs at a time at every opportunity
3. Great hosiery are half of the secret to great legs. My favs: https://t.co/CBJHeB05gU#menintights #pantyhose #heels pic.twitter.com/to8FFmdT7m— Paul Duane (@_soulanarchist) December 26, 2019
A lot of life’s hard questions open up into simple answers once we let go of ‘this OR that’ and think in terms of ‘this AND that… and maybe that other thing too’.
AND is the magic word of problem solving. #SoulAnarchist#crossdressing #mormon #anarchist #tights #heels pic.twitter.com/UMh5rRaD67
— Paul Duane (@_soulanarchist) December 26, 2019
But ultimately, Paul Duane says he’s just a man who enjoys wearing heels and nylons. As the video continued to gain views and judgment, Duane decided to share pictures of himself on social media. He also shared the original video on his Instagram account. All of this was to show people just how crazy they were to sensationalize what he was wearing.
Funny thing is, Paul Duane noted how this isn’t his typical attire. While he is fully comfortable wearing short shorts and pantyhose, Duane shared later that he typically wears jeans and boots. It’s funny that one of the times he strayed from his, and society’s, norm, he became the target of conservative internet users.
I like the way my suit, nylons, and heels look and feel. Quite simple. Most days , however, you’ll find me in biker boots, jeans and t shirts. Pretty boring. Lol. https://t.co/52SvLnjoYP pic.twitter.com/83yxBsC8OL
— Paul Duane (@_soulanarchist) December 28, 2019
At the core, this is a conversation about conservatism and gender expression. And honestly, it’s a pretty poor one too.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
The societal norm is weird to begin with. In our so-called West, it’s that it’s only ok for women to wear high heels and show off their legs – be that to either make themselves feel good, to attract attention, or to attract a mate. But that same norm says that it’s not ok for men to do the same.
In countries like Iran it’s not ok for either women or men to wear high heels and show their legs.
Which of the above social norm is worst? They are both forms of control.