Billy Porter thinks there's a big problem with how we respond to men in dresses

"Men are strong, women are disgusting? I'm not doing that anymore."
By Rachel Thompson  on 
Billy Porter thinks there's a big problem with how we respond to men in dresses
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Billy Porter has been the talk of the town this week after donning a showstopping dress-suit hybrid to the Tony Awards.

Fashioned out of the Kinky Boots curtain — yes, curtain — Porter's Tony's outfit featured a uterus motif as a statement about women's reproductive rights.

Speaking to Stephen Colbert, Porter talked about social views towards men who wear dresses — and what those views say about how society views women.

"We've moved beyond the idea that women wearing pants is a problem. Women wearing pants is powerful, it's strong, everybody accepts it, and it's associated with the patriarchy, it's associated with being male," Porter explained.

"The minute a man puts on a dress it's disgusting, so what are you saying? Men are strong, women are disgusting? I'm not doing that anymore.

"I'm done with that. I'm a man in a dress and if I feel like wearing a dress I'm gonna wear one."

An image of journalist and author Rachel Thompson on a pink backdrop. She has long brown hair and is wearing a light pink dress.
Rachel Thompson
Features Editor

Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Based in the UK, Rachel writes about sex, relationships, and online culture. She has been a sex and dating writer for a decade and she is the author of Rough (Penguin Random House, 2021). She is currently working on her second non-fiction book.


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