How to Come Out to Your Parents As a Stylish Person
Somehow, they probably always knew.
Image via Complex Original
It's high time you had a talk with mom and dad. For a while, they might have suspected the truth: you cut your hair into one of those slick side parts, wore graphic tees less and switched it up to slim-fitting buttondowns, and your neckwear collection went from non-existent to taking up a whole drawer in your dresser. You've been spending more time talking about designers and brands than your old hobbies like baseball and philately. Now, there's nothing left but to clear the air and say it loud, and here's how to do it. Stuff your tongue firmly in your cheek and find out How to Come Out to Your Parents As a Stylish Person.
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10. Don't blame yourself
Hey man, it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. 99% of guys have to learn how to dress. Inside every man is a more stylish version of himself waiting to be let out—usually under a few layers of ill-fitting clothing. It might take weeks, months, or even years, but eventually you'll get to a point where you realize you dress a lot better than you used to—and people will notice. And that's okay. You're a new man now. There's no need to try and hide your taste for good clothes, but you also don't want to flaunt it too much either. Just embrace your stylish self and be confident.
9. Don't blame the Internet
The Internet may have shown you the light, but it didn't baptize you in super-120s fabric. Other well-dressed dudes online may have given you inspiration to layer in a certain way or take a style risk you wouldn't have otherwise, but it did not consciously drape you in your newfound steez. The hardest part of truly being stylish is taking your taste into your own hands.
8. Admit that you experimented a little in college
Just get it out: you wore a bowtie with a short-sleeved buttondown a few times before you hit the club. Maybe you popped your collar too, or had a phase where you thought critter pants were awesome. That's perfectly fine. Part of finding your style is realizing what doesn't work for you, and sometimes that evidence lives forever on Facebook. So if mom or dad asks if you really thought you could pull off an ascot with a tuxedo that one time, just own up to it.
7. Say that it "might run in the family"
Your parents may find it easier to accept your stylish self if you point out there's precedent for it. Maybe mom used to take you shopping at the mall's best shops, or maybe dad was on his suit tie game way before Justin Timberlake met a tailor. Perhaps it goes back even further than that, and grandpa was a dead ringer for Roger Sterling on Mad Men. On the other side of the coin, maybe your steez comes from a badass uncle with a penchant for Harleys and motorcycle jackets instead.
6. Have a support system in place
If your parents just don't understand, be sure your friends got your back. Sure, you may only know most of them off the Internet, but at least they totally get your clothing hobby and can chop it up about labels, brands, and designers. And besides, who else would be down to walk around in a stylish clique and puff away at cigarettes for imaginary street style photographers?
5. Invite your tailor over for dinner
Confess that you have a close relationship with your tailor, the guy who knows your body best. Maybe it's time for the parents to meet the man who makes you look good. It doesn't have to be a formal occasion, but perhaps it's just a nice gesture to have them meet the most important person to your style.
4. Show them how happy it makes you
Fur vests and Margiela masks may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they definitely float Kanye's boat. Just tell mom and dad that dressing well really brings out your confidence and does wonders for your posture and overall body image. Maybe they'll like the more stylish version of you after all.
3. Tell them this is just a part of who you are
Just because you dress a lot better than you used to doesn't mean you're not yourself. Look at Justin Timberlkae, he might've gotten a new hairdo and a Tom Ford tuxedo, but he's every bit the crooner, dancer, and funnyman that he's always been. Becoming stylish doesn't mean giving up your own identity, it's just one part of being the best version of you as possible.
2. Be adamant that there's no going back
Tell mom and dad that this is the sort of thing that isn't reversible. You know yourself a lot better now, and you won't resort to the ill-fitting clothes and cheesy brands of your youth. You're older and wiser now, and your style will reflect that. Yes, it may change a little, but things will only move forward, not back.
1. Promise to pay off that credit card debt
Apologize for the mountain of money you've spent reinventing yourself, and reassure them that you didn't get that carried away, and all your finances will be back in order in no time.