Brace for It

There used to be a time when the only men who rocked the bling were rappers, 
Gumbas and fresh off the boat immigrants eager to show off their newly acquired 
wealth. But these days it seems like men are opening up to accessories. 

Men have a strange relationship with jewelry. The atypical American male (80% red states) has an 
aversion to anything beyond a watch and wedding band.  Beyond that it seems that 
the only other form of acceptable man accessory is a ring that's tied to a 
specific achievement such as a college graduation ring or the kind you get from 
winning the Super Bowl. 

You would never see John Wayne rocking a diamond grill out on the prairie. But 
today you have an Olympic swimmer accepting his gold medal with enough diamonds 
in his mouth to make the queen mother smile with envy. Even Ryan Lochte's 
diamond bling collection would put most rappers to shame.  Not bad for a humble 
white boy from the suburbs. So what changed?

The cowboy archetype is fading away to make room for a new kind of environment 
where women are playing a greater role in board rooms across America. This means 
that men have been sexualized like never before. And like the women before them, 
they feel the pressure to look as good if not better than they would normally. 

It's not that men never cared about the way they looked. It's just more obvious. 

Equal rights means equal sexualization and the price and time spent to maintaining how you look. 

YES: A little bit of jewelry won't hurt you

NO: Ankle bracelets for men are never okay...even if you're gay or a woman

MAYBE: Your watch is enough jewelry for you...it just better be a damn good watch