Anger at Giorgio Armani’s “don’t dress gay” comments
Giorgio Armani
In the wake of the Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana furore, another Italian fashion icon has been ridiculed for his comments on homosexuality.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Giorgio Armani, a 40 year fashion veteran, revealed that he doesn’t approve of gay men dressing “too gay”.
The 80-year-old told the newspaper: “A homosexual man is a man 100%. He does not need to dress homosexual. When homosexuality is exhibited to the extreme — to say, ‘Ah, you know I’m homosexual’ — that has nothing to do with me. A man has to be a man.”
He added, “I don’t like muscle boy. Not too much gym!”
Armani’s been accused of perpetuating the “straight-acting” masculine ideal in the gay community.
Writing for The Telegraph, Patrick McAleenan commented that, “The problem with such glib comments is that they reinforce negative stereotypes about gay men. We all should have the freedom to express who we are and be supported, rather than ridiculed for it. Surely a fashion designer of all people should be OK with that?”
In March, Dolce and Gabbana sparked outrage and a boycott after they said in an interview that they “oppose gay adoptions” and that gay families are “a fad.” They also claimed that, “The only family is the traditional one” and described children born through surrogacy and IVF as “children of chemistry, synthetic children.”
Like Dolce and Gabbana, it’s rumoured that Armani is himself gay, or at least bisexual. In 2000, he told Vanity Fair. “I have had women in my life. And sometimes men. But you know very well that to do this work one must have a free mind.”
Armani’s comments about what kind of homosexuality is acceptable to him were also met with incredulity on social media.
How’s Giorgio Armani going to knock gay men (or ANYONE) dressing however the hell they want when he made this? pic.twitter.com/BzLhBBbuo6
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) April 21, 2015
Giorgio Armani said that homosexuals should “stop dressing gay” but he needs to realize that his clientele is all gay men Y IS HE TRYING US
— J (@kalediva) April 21, 2015
First Dolce & Gabbana, now Giorgio Armani – who do these gay fashion designers think their customers are???
— Chris Pollard (@crispy40) April 21, 2015
i for one think he is completely correct in what he said. i am so tired of the gays with ‘flair’. give me a normal gay man any day. i will always buy armani because he stands for men. gay or straight.