The American Mark Bryan lives his life as a man in high heels and women’s clothes in the southern German province. As a result, he became a star and role model for hundreds of thousands via Instagram, because the message behind the look of the 61-year-old family man reflects the zeitgeist and touches people’s hearts.
Stuttgart – The American Mark Bryan loves fast cars, beautiful women and his job as an engineer. So just a normal guy like so many others? Not quite. Because, the native Texan also loves high heels – on his own feet. He stumbles into them every day to work at a German robotics company. He also combines tight, knee-length pencil skirts that complete his office look.
When the 61-year-old waits for his train in this elevator in the morning on the platform of a small train station in the southern German province, he uses the time to take photos of himself in his business outfits for his Instagram channel. He currently has over half a million followers and the number is increasing every day. In the continuous flood of images in the social media comedy, his photos stand out – because they break with viewing habits and question gender stereotypes.
Instagram star Mark Bryan: “I just take the liberty of wearing what I want”
In his hometown somewhere between Stuttgart and Nuremberg, Mark Bryan is known as a sore thumb. While the men on the train would avoid eye contact with him, women occasionally gave him a smile. He is rarely spoken to, says the 1.80 meter tall crossdresser in an interview with vogue.de. People would notice him, of course, but are too polite to say anything negative.
Anyone who is interested in fashion knows what influence clothing can have on mood and attitude. Mark Bryan also draws pure life energy * from his way of dressing. Before he started to wrap himself in women’s clothes, it was always a matter of getting the next dark suit out of the closet and wearing the same brown or black one, as he reveals in an interview with Vogue: “How boring!” Bryan even in white pumps and white miniskirt with the pump nozzle at the local gas station when his car needs fuel.
Men on high heels and in skirts are nothing new. They have been present on the catwalks of top international designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier since the early 1980s, and numerous artists such as Prince, David Bowie and Elton John have proven that as a guy in a feminine garb you can win people’s hearts. What is new, however, is the increasing acceptance of the reversed fashion codes of the sexes in the mainstream, without having to declare themselves as crossdressers.
Mark Bryan: You won’t find Chi Chi in your closet
Mark Bryan is not afraid that someone might attack him physically because of his appearance.
“I think if you show uncertainty or are afraid that someone might say something against you, then you literally attract attacks,” Bryan told Vogue.
But his sovereignty seems to protect him from that. So Bryan neither frantically wags his hands, nor jingles his eyes theatrically – in other words, he does not act in the least bit affected. In addition, his clothing is free from Chi Chi * – no sequins, no feathers or any other glamor – instead high-quality pieces in a business look. As a result, he is not perceived as a travesty artist, but for what he is: a guy who likes to wear women’s clothes.
Bryan’s German wife is also wholeheartedly behind her husband’s choice of clothes: “You only live once. And you should savor that as much as you can, ”she says. Both believe that there is absolutely no need to put yourself in any category. What really annoys Bryan about his style is his constant reduction to something sexual. His way of dressing doesn’t excite him, he just feels more beautiful in his outfits and, what’s more, he’s not gay, which most people who meet him initially assume.
Fashion has no gender
Mark Bryan is the father of three grown children who live in the United States and have absolutely no problem with their dad’s dress style. His daughter comments on almost every photo he has published on Instagram and has informed him that even Rihanna is following his account. And his son once complimented him that he never expected: “Dad, that looks really good.”
Bryan wants people to understand that clothing has nothing to do with sexual orientation. He is convinced that everyone should be absolutely free in what they do and what they wear. To this end, he sets a new example every day; always in the morning when he goes to work in high heels: “Even in high heels, I’m still a man.” * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
