On November 13th, Harry Styles appeared as the first ever solo man in American Vogue. What ultimately brought Styles’ cover to dominate the news cycle was his choice of apparel: a dress. His attire seemed to shake republicans to their core, with Candace Owens’ infamous Tweet calling to “bring back manly men.” Owens took to Twitter for her tirade, referencing outdated and misogynistic ideas. 

What Candace and other republicans must have missed, however, is the lengthy history of other men wearing dresses. Many iconic males have worn dresses over the years including David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Young Thug, Benedict Cumberbatch, Billy Porter, and, as MSNBC pointed out, Jesus. The list goes on and on, but Harry Styles seemed to be the catalyst for conservatives’ anger. It is possible that Styles seemed more vulnerable to attack than a figure like David Bowie, although Styles’ fanbase is quite enthusiastic. 

Still, Owens even attempted to connect “the steady feminization of our men” to the rise of “Marxism,” stating in her Tweet “In the west, the steady, feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack.” Her attempted connection to Marxism is not only delusional, but also largely resembled propaganda. Owens’ Tweet is harmful to the progression of society and largely spreads misinformation, as it is unclear where Owens believes that Marxism is being taught to children in the United States. Additionally, educating children on important historical ideas is not a crime. 

The issues residing in conservative figures such as Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro’s responses to Harry Styles’ dress are harmful to many. Not only has it shown how present toxic masculinity remains, but it also shows the regression of progress on sexism during the Trump era and our inability to accept others. 

Styles responded with an Instagram photo picturing him in a fitted suit, eating a banana; he captioned it “Bring back manly men.” His photo seemed to prompt a positive response from both his fanbase and other celebrities such as Jameela Jamil, Olivia Wilde, and more. 

Ultimately, contrary to Candace Owens’ belief, there is no harm to men dressing how they wish. Society does not rely on “manly men;” in fact, the Y chromosome is depleting, and will likely be vacant in 4.5 million years.