Guest Author - Nicola Jane Soen
The saying goes ‘In days of old knights were once bold’, are they still? Once the English man was so straight laced he was like lamp post; Tall, upright, and immovable. Top hats and bowlers, three piece suits or deerstalker outfits were the norm. Many a harassed maid, boiled, starched and ironed the hard collar of the Master to wear to work the next day. His trusty cane, another mainstay of the gentleman was never far from his side, as was his newspaper. The Times was for the more learned and more dignified. The Gentleman saved the lady at his side, always. She was not allowed an opinion, but should anyone insult her. LO! The chivalrous gentleman with his cane would come swiftly to her defence. Ladies first was the motto.
This changed from the ‘formal’ man to the MAN, man. Large sideburns, brash manner and never, never let the woman pay! Or still never let her have a say for that matter! Minder shows well what the seventies man was like. Rough, ready and hard in all things, living, drinking and smoking. A cigarette dangled from his mouth and showed how hard he was! And his paper was still there but now it was The Sun or the Star, with more bare ladies than uncovered news!
Hairy too! One must not forget the hair. Clean shaven he may have been but those sideburns were a formidable sight. Also bare chests and medallions also showed the man who was groovy and, in his eyes anyway, would make the ladies swoon with lust at his prowess!
In the eighties and nineties something more began to change. The lone, tough male Brit began to show his feminine side. The sideburns disappeared, long gone were the top hats into history and the real cool man was now called dude, with his cap on. Instead of collars he now wore chains such as bling in more recent times or skating leather thong necklaces and instead of a button up long sleeve shirt, a tea shirt, No fights for him! He showed his prowess on the dance floor by gyrating his hips to the beat! Now instead of keeping a safe distance from his fellow man, they hugged, rather than the distant shaking of hands.
No more did he pay the entire bill, as for his girl keeping quiet; she would show him another view of his beer if he tried that one!
So how has this change affected our lads really? Clean shaven, casual and good house trained men they are. Taking matters of fatherhood to heart in away that would have scandalized their ancestors’. Now the modern man treats woman as his equal, our British men’s manners and attitudes have vastly improved but somehow I miss the top hat!!
