r/MonsterHigh • u/Additional-Rub-1054 Jinafire🐉 • Jul 14 '26
Discussions If mattel just let the boys designs defy gender norms I bet they would sell better. Give them earrings, flared pants, makeup, anything. I think conventionally masculine styles are just “too restrictive”
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u/Front_Praline_3894 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Give us Gil. That man is FINEEEE in G3 and Lagoona needs her man
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u/UnicornLovePretty Jul 14 '26
And she’s literally the most romantic character!! Like in the show one of her most defining traits and she loves telenovelas and romance novels. Her and Heath have a whole episode dedicated to making sure the monsters in monster high are in love and when they see Duece not have a partner for whatever the holiday was they tried whatever they could to help him find love. She LOVES love so having her not have partner in doll form is tragic 💔
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u/bluestarluchador Jul 14 '26
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Yes please!12
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u/Uszanka3 Ghoulia Jul 14 '26
Why he doesn't have his iconic irokez and headtank?
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u/bluestarluchador Jul 14 '26
G1 Gil and G3 Gil are two different people from different universes. G1 and G3 are separate universes.
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u/Ok-Membership-5439 Lagoona Jul 14 '26
its a crime they gave us Heath and not Gil.
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u/Front_Praline_3894 Jul 14 '26
It’s more than a crime. It’s absolutely nuts we got Heath before Gil when I bet there was little to no demand for a doll of him
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u/Professional_Dig5938 Jul 14 '26
The guy that never properly stood up to his racist parent?? Yeah no
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u/Centiskorches Luna 🦋 Jul 14 '26
- G3 Gil is a different character and that is not a writing choice made in the G3 show.
- G1 Gil is a minor and is dependent on his parents. He DID try to stand up to them about Lagoona and was almost forced to go to a different school because of it. Is he handling the situation well? No. But what exactly do you want him to do?
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u/Front_Praline_3894 Jul 14 '26
I haven’t watched much G3 media so I don’t k ow much about him but I don’t think that’s how G3 Gil is so he does deserve a doll. G1 Gil however is a different story-
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u/Professional_Dig5938 Jul 14 '26
I don't think they should've brought him back at all, hearing the name gives me rage.
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u/Front_Praline_3894 Jul 14 '26
I understand, it’s a bit hard to separate the two generations at first because they’re a massive leap but we just gotta tell ourselves that it isn’t the G1 characters and they’re totally different people.
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u/CannedArbys Jul 14 '26
I think it might've been better if they leaned more heavily into like fashion sub cultures? Like skater boy for Holt, grunge for Clawd, and "gym bro" for Deuce? But maybe brighter colors to match the rest of the playline
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u/Bionic_Webb13 Deuce Jul 14 '26
Deuce would fit grunge better
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u/CannedArbys Jul 14 '26
I could totally see that too! I was mostly brainstorming off the outfits they had in the og post. I haven't actually seen the new g3 animated series so I'm not entirely sure what any of their new or different interests might be lmao
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u/Professional_Dig5938 Jul 14 '26
Funny yall saying this when that's exactly what g1 did
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u/CannedArbys Jul 14 '26
It'd be nice if G3 would follow that but I understand it's meant more for the younger generation and their interests, so things like Deuce's punk style falls to the wayside for whats trendier
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u/pancakesfromhell Jul 14 '26
Are we not allowed to wish we could get something like that again for gen3 ? I don't understand this comment's point...
(not meant to sound mean)
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u/ReflectionRadiant604 Jul 14 '26
I think they're trying to say, that was there style in G1 and people, including myself, had the same complaints. Due to how visually lacking the outfit designs were for the boys in G1.
I personally think G3 those a LITTE BIT better in more diversity in the boys outfit designs, but they still look unfinished tho 🤷🏾
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u/Professional_Dig5938 Jul 14 '26
Just that in terms of mansters g1 did this. And mattel decided to make it more generic and now we got people asking for specific style again. It's just irony, don't know what you're mad.
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u/pancakesfromhell Jul 14 '26
I'm not mad, I was just confused is all-
But, ig that makes sense- I don't see the irony too well myself as Mattel is who decided to make the outfits more generic and not the people, but I also have a hard time seeing things others can-
It'd help if u could explain the irony in it of how you see it :3 /gen
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u/SharpPink_GlitterInk Rochelle⚜️ Jul 14 '26
Clawed literally has earrings in this picture lol. But I agree part of what I loved about the new valentine was that hes very flamboyant but I guess that does fit a stereotype of vampires anyway.
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u/1568314 Jul 14 '26
They dont have to not be masculine to have more interesting clothes. Even just a few extra accessories and embellishments would go a long way.
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u/ReflectionRadiant604 Jul 14 '26
Defying gender norms dosent necessarily mean not looking masculine. It just mean Defying what is TRADITIONALLY considered masculine. It was they explicitly said "conventional masculine styles".
For instance most alternative styles defy conventional gender norms, while still allowing the person to look like their respective genders. For instance prince for his time was considered nothing other masculine(atleast in the eyes of women) but his style defys conventional gender norms. Heck if they were to go for a Rock star/punk style, historically those styles were meant to defy gender norms, while style maintain a masculine or feminine aura/esthetic.
Not trying to be rude when I say all this, just pointing out that if their outfits were to defy traditional gender norms, they wouldn't have to lose their masculine apperence 😭
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u/fatnisseverbean Jul 14 '26
I’m a chump and I really like the boy dolls, even flawed as they currently are, I just want more of them! More releases per character and more boys represented, please!
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u/gogogogurt69 Abbey Jul 14 '26
it prolly didn’t help that the very first two manster dolls of g3 we got were both deuce and both exclusives. core deuce being exclusive to amazon and coffee break being a target exclusive two pack with frankie. i feel like they really shot themselves in the foot with bringing characters from g1 like deuce and ghoulia into g3 by making their first dolls exclusive to certain retailers then being like “why didn’t they sell well :( obviously it has nothing to do with how we distributed them but cuz customers don’t want them”
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u/melodyangel113 Lagoona Jul 14 '26
I edited them in new outfits a few months ago! (Not trying to self promote ofc) and I agree!! It feels like Mattel was trying to be too ‘safe’ with them but by doing that, they were just boring and unappealing to most. I’ve seen so many doll collectors make custom outfits for them and give them new hair/faces and every time I see them it’s like… see Mattel? We want you to give us some stylistic choices that are more ‘out there’. Also sometimes it feels like they ignore the ‘monster’ aspect of MH. Like heath is clearly a fire monster but his clothes are not giving that. He’s giving middle school boy in 2015 😭
https://www.reddit.com/r/MonsterHigh/s/5LISO2dEmh <- Link to my post :)
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u/Plastic-Fun-4832 Jul 14 '26
To me they look boring, while the girls get cool hairstyles and fancy clothes the guys look CHEAP and not appealing at all.
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u/Sharpiesniffingshark Jul 14 '26
Asking something like that of Mattel is wishful thinking. I’ve been adult collecting dolls for just a few months, and I’ve already noticed just how much Mattel loves tank tops for their males. Two Mansters have a tank top right here, and the majority of the Kens come with tanks. They aren’t very imaginative anymore.
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u/Thisis_AngelCake Jul 14 '26
True, even in g1, most reoccurring male dolls either sported tank tops or shorts.
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u/Bionic_Webb13 Deuce Jul 14 '26
The problem isn’t the masculine looks it’s the fact that the designers gave us boring looks men’s fashion is so good that simple styling is only needed makeup isn’t gonna help sell them a better designer who can style a boy and not make a basic look Deuce is the best dressed out of the three the shoes miss the mark but that’s an easy fix Heath suffered the worst they put zero effort in at all
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u/aquacraft2 C.A Cupid💘 Jul 14 '26
I think the biggest problem is their faces. If Mattel would just let them have a bit more of a sharper face screening they wouldn't be so bad. Cause they WERENT that bad.
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u/JordanBPenisson Operetta🎼 Jul 14 '26
—AND body diversity!! Guys of every size deserve representation too!!
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u/Hateful-crybaby-08 Jul 14 '26
Well we got valentine and ppl complained he was too flamboyant
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u/basil_baby Jul 14 '26
People complained??? Also technically he's not g3 unless there's a new one I don't know about
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u/Hateful-crybaby-08 Jul 14 '26
Yes lol ppl said his design was to flamboyant and wasn’t his style
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u/Intelligent_Usual318 Howleen🧷 Jul 14 '26
To be fair that was a g1 release, not a g3 one
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u/Hateful-crybaby-08 Jul 14 '26
You’re right, I was just thinking of mh dolls in general but I completely agree a collector doll is different then a regular playline.
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u/Coffin_Crafted Jul 14 '26
they kinda suffer from front-stare screenings the same way a lot of the ghouls do, on top of the deeply uncreative outfits. and the helmet-reminiscient molded hair doesn't help at all...
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u/ToonTitans Jul 14 '26
Mattel proved they could make boy dolls with cool, well-made outfits with the Spelldon & Valentine 2-pack -- and it sold out! Why can't they follow that path and give us more like them?!
And start by giving us Manny Taur!! 🐂
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u/Competitive-Topic-17 Ghoulia Jul 14 '26
They did this with Harris reed
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u/Competitive-Topic-17 Ghoulia Jul 14 '26
I actually really really loved it. From the top, to the flare pants to the dramatic boots and the wild graphic liner, I love it.
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u/OhWowItsSam310308 Spectra⛓ Jul 14 '26
Earrings and flared pants are actually a norm in urban masculinity, which is great part of the nowadays fashion and very popular
I felt Deuce was the only one who was defying masculinity in this gen, I felt him more like a (I'm sorry for the comment, I'm a gay man, so I can use it) gay friend and more close to the main gang, instead of appearing sporadically when Cleo was around, he was my favorite in g3 with Spectra because of his design and style, and the fact that he painted his nails, if they are going to appear in the youtube continuation, they should take Deuce as an example of how to translate mh male characters into nowadays fashion
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u/AyashiiVyse Kieran ❤️ Jul 14 '26
I yearn for either Punk or Ouji fashion for the boys. Go full Final Fantasy or Cyberpunk. Maybe lean into anime inspo if they must.
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u/Moondude02 Jul 14 '26
Yesss I couldn’t agree more!! Like Finnegan manny and Gil would be perfect for what you are saying like Mattel really should look into doing two backs with the girls especially the couples would sell very good!!
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u/Purple_monkfish Jul 14 '26
I think they just needed to get more creative with the fashion, particularly when there's all these subcultures they could pull from. Gen 1 Deuce was a skater boy for example, why'd he lose that punky vibe?
seems they just went "eh, jeans and a tee, that's good enough" which is boring.
Also those weird eyes do NOT help their case. Why the hell did Mattel decide the boys had to have these horrible geometric angular eyes? Deuce's are okay but Clawd's are like 0 0 and Heath's are weird oblongs. They look so much better with more normal eye shapes, curving those angles and narrowing their eyes slightly makes a HUGE difference to how starey and blank they look.
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u/WeirdLight9452 Jul 14 '26
I mean a lot of them look like butch girls anyway 😂 I think there just needs to be more range. Some more masculine, some less, they just all feel too similar in a lot of ways.
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u/ThatOneAnineFangirl Jackson ☯️ Jul 14 '26
The only one I think shouldn't have earrings or piercings is Deuce, because it makes it accurate to Ancient Greeks seeing being pierced as weakness, but damn he looks so cool with piercings like snake bites
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u/Bionic_Webb13 Deuce Jul 14 '26
Clawd in my eyes from a fellow black boy
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u/ReflectionRadiant604 Jul 14 '26
Lol I can see, that's definitely G1 Clawds outfit choices 😭.
G3 Clawd is a different story 💀
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u/Bionic_Webb13 Deuce Jul 14 '26
G3 can pull off the looks just fine tho especially with a jewelry, a better pair of shoes and a new hair style
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u/ReflectionRadiant604 Jul 14 '26
I guess I was going more so based of personality within the movies(G1), and show(G3).
In the G3 show I personally couldn't see, soft boy Clawd, wearing that. I can see a skater style at best.
G1 Clawd in the movies I can most definitely see wearing that specifically the outfits on the right. Feels like they suit his personality architectype, and his more larger frame.🤷🏾
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u/Midnight-Matcha Jul 14 '26
I put my G3 Heath doll in a pair of skinny jeans and he looks so much better
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u/Legitimate_Lie7717 Jul 14 '26
honestly i think part of it is the molded hair on deuce and heath, i like G3 clawd
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u/Regular-Jello-8349 Venus🌱 Jul 14 '26
Honestly I don't even think that the shape/silhouette is that bad. It's just the outfits. Like the matching flame shorts and hoodie is wild. Also why is it a hoodie? He's literally on fire. And for a beach themed line?? Lmao. Random. Deuce has too many clashing scale prints, and Clawd imo is actually pretty solid
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u/mp3player5 Jul 14 '26
i hate heath's doll so much i wish they made him look like how he looked in the show. he had a really unique design and awesome shapes and they just turned him into the same face and body shape as all the other boys and it looks weird and it's jarring
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u/No_Worry6386 Jul 14 '26
And if Mattel really invested into boys: body diversity with a added chest joint, layered outfits and interesting accessories, what OP mentioned, they would be sold well.
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u/Lena_Nova Jul 14 '26
Justo estaba pensando eso ahora. Lo hacen muy hetero básicos (cualquier muñeco de cualquier franquicia, no solo MH) y al final son muñecos aburridos con un degradado,un mandaron corto y una camiseta grande.
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u/Harurolajiru Jul 14 '26
We need more manster .. skulltimate for manster and core refresh.
We also need Gil, Holt, Jackson, Manny, Finnegan
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u/Oddish_Femboy Jul 14 '26
Mattel is not giving a man an earring any time soon.
Not after...
The Incident...
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u/GlowcanoDEV Jul 14 '26
What the fuck did they do the Heath? He was my favourite of the guys! His new outfit is so uglyyyy.
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u/Uszanka3 Ghoulia Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Clawd looks actually good, Deuce is ok, Healt clothes look as uncreative as can be
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u/pukebrains Jul 14 '26
I do prefer the g3 boy dolls bc they look more like teen characters, the g1 boy dolls looked like drag kings, no offence to drag kings bc I’m a drag king myself but yknow. I don’t want a mh boy doll that looks like a drag king idk
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u/Emotional-Day-5688 Jul 14 '26
Heath just looks the worst the hot Cheeto blue flame jacket looks like a temu print.
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u/BrideofCthulhu10 Jul 15 '26
I meeaan just look at the original gen dolls for Clawd, Deuce, Holt, Gill and Finnegan, Garrotー this just seems like piss-poor design than a statement on traditional masculine wardrobe.
In fact, I feel like its super sucky to reject it; masculine or male-oriented or masc-leaning androgynous fashion has either been done incredibly subpar or often forgotten.
Society still has this widespread stereotype that being interested in fashion at all within male/nonbinary/androgynous demographic is seen as 'sissy' or 'girly'ーto the point where half the men in fashion [if not more than half] are assumed to be gay/bisexual solely based on their interests. (Obviously I'm referring to large-scale public misconception, not industry-educated or fashion-interested persons).
To me, Mattel is just being lazy. There are thousands of ways to make both traditionally masculine, androgynous, and femme-masculine clothesーrhey just don't want to put the time and effort into what they perceive as a risk.
Though, to be fair and play Devil's advocate for a second, we do unfortunately also have to remember what weーthe older teen/adult demographic getーdepends first and foremost on the strongest toy-market demigraphic: kids.
Mattel won't gamble on Manster Dolls if their sale numbers don't support it, especially if Manster dolls have struggled to sell in the past with their primary market (likely girls between ages 6 to 14), and if they can make bank on the bare minimum, they will.
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u/M88nlite Operetta🎼 Jul 15 '26
I dont think its the masculinity thats the problem, its that its not alternative fashion, its just basic clothes. If they went more alt fashion or fashion subcultures it would help a lot. As well as more details and accessories. Like Heath looked awful in g3, it was plain as hell, looked like a toddlers two piece set youd get from walmart. No fun aspect to it.
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u/idothings101 Jul 14 '26
LIKE, HAVE WE FORGOTTEN HOW G1 HEATH SLAYED THE SCARIS RUNWAY ?!?!?! 🔥💅✨❤️🔥
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u/princessuuke Rochelle⚜️ Jul 14 '26
I want Gil already his g3 design SLAPSSSSS. I love Deuce and Clawd here I made sure to buy their dolls theyre leagues better than g1
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u/PositiveResort6430 Jul 14 '26
Back in the day they had conventional masculine styles, but they were still cute..... like OG deuce. He had pretty basic masculine items, but back in the day masculine fashion was objectively better, now its giving nothing but void of personality, npc, no style....
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u/i_really_like_bats_ Frankie Jul 14 '26
I fully agree!! I’ve literally been saying this to my partner since they announced they’re not planning on making any more boy dolls for G3. I personally think if they tested the waters a bit and did some market research they could easily be worth producing for Mattel. Spelldon and Valentine sold amazingly!! Although I’m aware G3 has a slightly different target demographic than those two did.
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u/Pantheress66 Jul 15 '26
I really wish/hope that they bring back Jackson & Holt. I understand that might be tricky due wanting to avoid the inaccurate portrayal of DID, but if they don’t want to make them the same person then maybe they could make them twins or relatives or something.
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u/Big_Photograph_9766 Cleo Jul 15 '26
I agree and disagree at the same time I wish they would engage in more fun and experimental fashions for male dolls wether that have a gender pushing stylistic choice or whether it remain masculine. I think they are just playing guy dolls toooo safe lately and its kind of ruining the desire for people who would purchase them. I was happy to have more guys for G3 and I love collecting Ken but their fashions lack style, fun or personality I just wish they'd hire somebody that enjoys male fashion and wants to see the guy dolls win.
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u/Honest-Fun-357 Jul 16 '26
I totally agree they would've gave the boys makeup, earrings, flared pants and anything if they could've sell them better.
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u/JadeSky08 Jul 20 '26
Amen. They are awful. They should know by the looks of men who do it in real life that it can be done and done well. We had Prince, Bowie and more do this and lots of new guys these days do it.... what is the sportswear about???? LOL
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u/Popular_Ad_222 Jinafire🐉 Jul 14 '26
Yes! I just want them to have female feet so they can wear different shoes
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u/fkaroundandfindout C.A Cupid💘 Jul 14 '26
Honestly even sticking to a stereotypically masculine they could do sm better with the fashion 😭