Today, as you may know, is International Men’s Day, a pale Men’s-Rightsy imitation of International Women’s Day that is so pointless and uninspiring that even A Voice for Men forgot to write an article about it this year.
Here on We Hunted the Mammoth, we celebrate a much more entertaining holiday: International Male Day, a holiday I made up during which we pay homage to the fashion sensibilities of the legendary International Male clothing catalogue in its 80s and 90s heyday.
International Male, catering to horny gay men, featured an assortment of mesh tops and barely-there swimwear alongside less-risque but equally flamboyant outfits which brave and/or foolish men apparently bought in large enough quantities to keep the catalog solvent for many years. (It stopped publishing in 2007, though the brand lives on, sort of, on a website called International Jock.)
Here’s a typical swimwear spread:
And here are some classic catalog covers I swiped from the Tom and Lorenzo blog, which has many, many more examples if you wish to peruse further.
Happy International Male Day!
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I like the outfit on the last one on the page, it’s got an interesting design.
It’s also International Toilet Day, a day for the millions who do not have access to sanitation.
I like that the holiday catalog features the puffy shirt from Seinfeld. 90’s memories.
I had a ruffled shirt just like that one.
Man, the 80’s were weird.
I think I know what I could say about that last one.
“When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city, to see a marching band…”
Ha, I remember during the 90s, my husband getting a similar catalog for awhile, unsolicited. Or, maybe it was this one? I don’t remember. I do wonder why he was on their mailing list. Perhaps because he worked in retail, or went to art school? Who knows. We used to have a good laugh over it.
While it is important to discuss how MRAs have co-opted the wider men’s movement, I think it is interesting that WHTM misses that International Men’s Day is historically a feminist occasion, founded by a feminist academic in 1993.
Apropos nothing, but this was scarily prescient:
A bit Croc Dundee, a bit new romantics, a bit Adam Ant! Noice!
My boyfriend wears only T-shirts (all of them freebies or gifts, and many of them with holes caused by cat claws) and (unless it’s really cold and rainy) shorts. Often I have to point out the hot sauce or whatever on his shirt. I’m pretty sure he’s not going to wear the puffy pirate shirt. Not even (once Covid is over) to work. It’s just as well. I’d hate to have to try to get hot sauce out of a $500 white satin ruffle shirt.
Alan: That’s an insult to dinosaurs everywhere, aniamatronic or otherwise. Much like the poor turtles being compared to House Speaker ‘Looks like someone very proud of having pooped himself’.
Happy International Toilet Day!
@ battering lamb
A case report came out today. It’s in reference to a defamation claim. The judge made the follow finding:
As a matter of law that’s probably correct. I love though that someone would sue for libel over an article suggesting they knew Trump.
That “buccaneer” shirt seems familiar – remember Romeo Rose?
Slightly off-topic, but I wonder how we’re going to change the 13th Amendment to ban slavery in the States once and for all? We’ll have to amp up the pressure for Biden but I’m not feeling very optimistic. Could be a way to help men too, especially men of color.
I wish I could do something but I’m not in the US and I’m dealing with my own personal demons – I’m on benefits too.
One of those guys is wearing the puffy shirt from Seinfeld!
International Male was one of the plethora of catalogs I used to get. I didn’t “get” it back then (figured it was the men’s version of Fredericks of Hollywood), but loved it just the same. Oh, and there was one other catalog I eschewed; it was a cannabis paraphernalia catalog (pipes and bongs and stuff) and I was still in the military, so I tore it up and took it directly out to the dumpster in the dead of night in my paranoia!
I’m celebrating International Toilet Day with my box of Who Gives a Crap toilet paper. 50% of their profits go to building toilets in places where they’re needed. Pretty good toilet roll, too, everything is 100% recycled/recyclable except the tape used to seal the box.
@rv97
There’s pretty much no chance of it being changed. It would require another amendment and ratifying amendments to the constitution requires 3/4 of state legislatures. Most state legislatures are held by the GOP, and they’d never vote to ratify.
I always loved the absurd fashion in International Male. “Just hanging out on this rich tycoon’s yacht, for no reason, wearing nothing but a pair of billowy Aladdin parachute pants”. “And I’m lounging beneath an umbrella at a public beach, slathered with oil and wearing a tearaway fishnet thong. As one does.”
That last cover model looks like he paid for one of Prof. Harold Hill‘s band uniforms and then hung out at the River City pool hall anyway.
I quite like that hat. I would definitely wear it on appropriate occasions; i.e. any time I fancied wearing it.
Huh, missed the day… #sadface
Oh well, gonna have to content myself with the other 360 days of the year (give or take) that aren’t set aside specifically for women. /s
That said, the last 2 pics are quite interesting, I agree. If I was richer (and braver) I’d probably have quite a few similar pieces in my wardrobe. And I’m a cishet dude (something that will no doubt blow the minds of the manospherian lurkers reading this).
What can I say? I love period-ish clothing.
@Naglfar
I wonder what’s the next best thing we can do.
I have the shirt from the second to last image. The white one with the puffy sleeves.
The guy in the poofy shirt looks a lot like Antonio Sabato Jr., former model, soap actor, and current right wing creep.
This also reminds me of the video for Flock of Seagulls’ hit ” I Ran.” Supposedly the band wore women’s blouses in the video that had been bought at short notice at the urging of the video director.
These must be the “Buttery Males” I keep hearing about. :p
I usually use the day to encourage guys to get health checks done. Yes, I know I’m being boring. Call me Buzz Killington if you like, but I would feel wrong about not doing something useful with the day.
The guy at the top of the page, in the yellow shirt and suspenders…
I can’t help but wonder if his nips chafed under that.