June 17, 2005

What do you mean today's male no longer wants to be macho or a super hero to his family?

It is true, monsieur. French marketing and styling consultants Nelly Rodi conducted a study on male fashion. This study has concluded that the traditional male is gone.

Gone! What do you mean the traditional male is gone?

Monsieur, whereas the traditional male valued such things as authority, infallibility, virility and strength, the new male rejects such burdensome traits.

But my father celebrated such traits. He sacrificed for my sisters and me, and he accepted his fatherly burdens with grace and dignity. How could any successful civilization produce men who do not embrace such values?

We do not care why, monsieur. All we know is that today's male is turning inward deep into his own thoughts and feelings. He celebrates his creativity, sensitivity and multiplicity.

What the hell are you talking about, Frenchy?

Monsieur, the new male wants to be in charge of his own life. He demands autonomy, not to be shackled to a wife and family. He is determined to look and feel good. He is not afraid to take chances.

Chances?

The new male is not afraid to wear a pink shirt, monsieur. He is not afraid to experiment. Why not swap his girlfriend at a swinger's party?

Ah, a real risk taker. My father took risks, too. He gambled his freedom when he married my mother and lost. He had to spend most of his life providing for six kids.

The new male wants no such a life, monsieur! He wants to feel pampered -- to feel alive! It is the role of the fashion industry, then, to help him dream. If we help him find his dream, will not the world be a better place?

The world will be ruined, Frenchy!

Monsieur?

I've never much cared for the superficial nature of the fashion industry. It is parasitic and will promote any behavior to make a buck. But it's Father's Day and here's your chance to lead.

But how can the fashion industry lead, monsieur?

Unfortunately, Frenchy, people sometimes need to change their outward appearance for more meaningful change to take root on the inside. Instead of launching fashion that celebrates the new male, why not offer a line that promotes the male values of old?

I do not follow, monsieur.

Instead of celebrating selfishness, inwardness and self-absorption, why not launch a line that celebrates selflessness, sacrifice and duty? Why not promote the fatherly virtues that are the bedrock of any successful civilization, such as love of family, courage, fortitude and prudence?

But monsieur, we cannot do that!

But you must do it. Did it ever occur to you that any civilization in which the men have gone soft is one that is headed to the trash heap? Is it a coincidence that China, where your study says the traditional male is still in vogue, has an explosive economy whereas the French economy is a mess?

Monsieur?

China is filled with traditional fathers who are working hard to make a better future for their children, while the new males in many European countries sprint off for vacation after a 35-hour workweek to nurture their tan and indulge their need to be autonomous, pampered and left free to swap their girlfriends?

Then what line of clothing do you recommend, monsieur?

Maybe it's time to bring back flannel, Frenchy. How about thick plaid shirts, pants made of burlap and work boots cut from the skin of dead cows? It's a drastic measure, I know, but maybe it will make today's highly sensitive male FEEL the need to embrace the virtues of old.

Sacra bleu, monsieur! Can we at least do something in a pink flannel?

You're killing me, Frenchy.

Tom Purcell