STRAIGHTENING OUT FRENCH MEN: TOPS (SHIRTS)

What makes a top "gay"? (and no, it's not a good bottom)

Dressing chicly is not restricted to below the waist, as we discussed in previous articles, French men also apply the same aesthetics to their top half. While well-tailored and fashionable shirts aren't the norm in non-European countries, Parisians especially always seem to hit the right mark.

This category isn’t as easy as the others to make a clear distinction between gay and "European" men. But, we’ve done our best to give you a few indicators that may not be so obvious to outsiders.

Let’s start with what the straight French men wear – which would be considered somewhat "gay" in other parts of the world. Mind you, the gays also adopt many of these tops:

Deep-V t-shirts. Why? Not really sure. When? Whenever they feel like it.

Button down shirts. Why? They’re chic. When? All your round, all the time, any event, and not just at a wedding or office situation.

Blazers. Why? They look good. When? Not just for work, also for going out, paired with a tee and jeans.

We think he may be gay...

Now for the gays. These are some indicators we find generally point towards the man in question being gay while in Paris:

Tank tops: This is probably a fairly normal part of gay fashion (but also a very large part of the stereotypical straight Australian male wardrobe, but that comes with the geography). If you see a guy in Paris wear one, he is mostly likely a tourist or gay.

Skin-tight tops: You will see some guys around that look like their t-shirt was painted on (which may have been the case). The guys that wear a skin-tight top are mostly likely on our team.

Designed tops: It could be the pattern, the cut, zipper on a diagonal, extra collar, whatever it is but when they tops is overly designed, it’s a clue. Straight men have fun with their shirts, but not as much fun as gay men, in general.

Finally shirts men want to wear!

In the end, it's not always clear if their gay or just European, but the discerning eye will start to put it all together and things will become a bit more obvious. So take some time, sit at a café and partake in the Parisian pastime of people watching. Try our tips and let us know if they help.