#red flag men

[stellegaze]

let’s talk about the girls who simp for the greenest of green flags, and in the same breath, simp for the absolute reddest of red flags

#where are you people #i know you exist #green flag men #red flag men #stellegazes and thoughts

[cuddlytogas]

So I accidentally almost got into an argument on Twitter, and now I'm thinking about bad historical costuming tropes. Specifically, Action Hero Leather Pants.

See, I was light-heartedly pointing out the inaccuracies of the costumes in Black Sails, and someone came out of the woodwork to defend the show. The misunderstanding was that they thought I was dismissing the show just for its costumes, which I wasn't - I was simply pointing out that it can't entirely care about material history (meaning specifically physical objects/culture) if it treats its clothes like that.

But this person was slightly offended on behalf of their show - especially, quote, "And from a fan of OFMD, no less!" Which got me thinking - it's true! I can abide a lot more historical costuming inaccuracy from Our Flag than I can Black Sails or Vikings. And I don't think it's just because one has my blorbos in it. But really, when it comes down to it...

What is the difference between this and this?

Here's the thing. Leather pants in period dramas isn't new. You've got your Vikings, Tudors, Outlander, Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time, Will, The Musketeers, even Shakespeare in Love - they love to shove people in leather and call it a day. But where does this come from?

Obviously we have the modern connotations. Modern leather clothes developed in a few subcultures: cowboys drew on Native American clothing. (Allegedly. This is a little beyond my purview, I haven't seen any solid evidence, and it sounds like the kind of fact that people repeat a lot but is based on an assumption. I wouldn't know, though.) Leather was used in some WWI and II uniforms.

But the big boom came in the mid-C20th in motorcycle, punk/goth, and gay subcultures, all intertwined with each other and the above. Motorcyclists wear leather as practical protective gear, and it gets picked up by rock and punk artists as a symbol of counterculture, and transferred to movie designs. It gets wrapped up in gay and kink communities, with even more countercultural and taboo meanings. By the late C20th, leather has entered mainstream fashion, but it still carries those references to goths, punks, BDSM, and motorbike gangs, to James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Mick Jagger. This is whence we get our Spikes and Dave Listers in 1980s/90s media, bad boys and working-class punks.

And some of the above "historical" design choices clearly build on these meanings. William Shakespeare is dressed in a black leather doublet to evoke the swaggering bad boy artist heartthrob, probably down on his luck. So is Kit Marlowe.

But the associations get a little fuzzier after that. Hook, with his eyeliner and jewellery, sure. King Henry, yeah, I see it. It's hideously ahistorical, but sure. But what about Jamie and Will and Ragnar, in their browns and shabby, battle-ready chic? Well, here we get the other strain of Bad Period Drama Leather.

See, designers like to point to history, but it's just not true. Leather armour, especially in the western/European world, is very, very rare, and not just because it decays faster than metal. (Yes, even in ancient Greece/Rome, despite many articles claiming that as the start of the leather armour trend!) It simply wasn't used a lot, because it's frankly useless at defending the body compared to metal. Leather was used as a backing for some splint armour pieces, and for belts, sheathes, and buckles, but it simply wasn't worn like the costumes above. It's heavy, uncomfortable, and hard to repair - it's simply not practical for a garment when you have perfectly comfortable, insulating, and widely available linen, wool, and cotton!

As far as I can see, the real influence on leather in period dramas is fantasy. Fantasy media has proliferated the idea of leather armour as the lightweight choice for rangers, elves, and rogues, a natural, quiet, flexible material, less flashy or restrictive than metal. And it is cheaper for a costume department to make, and easier for an actor to wear on set. It's in Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, Runescape, and World of Warcraft.

And I think this is how we get to characters like Ragnar and Vane. This idea of leather as practical gear and light armour, it's fantasy, but it has this lineage, behind which sits cowboy chaps and bomber/flight jackets. It's usually brown compared to the punk bad boy's black, less shiny, and more often piecemeal or decorated. In fact, there's a great distinction between the two Period Leather Modes within the same piece of media: Robin Hood (2006)! Compare the brooding, fascist-coded villain Guy of Gisborne with the shabby, bow-wielding, forest-dwelling Robin:

So, back to the original question: What's the difference between Charles Vane in Black Sails, and Edward Teach in Our Flag Means Death?

Simply put, it's intention. There is nothing intentional about Vane's leather in Black Sails. It's not the only leather in the show, and it only says what all shabby period leather says, relying on the same tropes as fantasy armour: he's a bad boy and a fighter in workaday leather, poor, flexible, and practical. None of these connotations are based in reality or history, and they've been done countless times before. It's boring design, neither historically accurate nor particularly creative, but much the same as all the other shabby chic fighters on our screens. He has a broad lineage in Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean and such, but that's it.

In Our Flag, however, the lineage is much, much more intentional. Ed is a direct homage to Mad Max, the costuming in which is both practical (Max is an ex-cop and road warrior), and draws on punk and kink designs to evoke a counterculture gone mad to the point of social breakdown, exploiting the thrill of the taboo to frighten and titillate the audience.

In particular, Ed is styled after Max in the second movie, having lost his family, been badly injured, and watched the world turn into an apocalypse. He's a broken man, withdrawn, violent, and deliberately cutting himself off from others to avoid getting hurt again. The plot of Mad Max 2 is him learning to open up and help others, making himself vulnerable to more loss, but more human in the process.

This ties directly into the themes of Our Flag - it's a deliberate intertext. Ed's emotional journey is also one from isolation and pain to vulnerability, community, and love. Mad Max (intentionally and unintentionally) explores themes of masculinity, violence, and power, while Max has become simplified in the popular imagination as a stoic, badass action hero rather than the more complex character he is, struggling with loss and humanity. Similarly, Our Flag explores masculinity, both textually (Stede is trying to build a less abusive pirate culture) and metatextually (the show champions complex, banal, and tender masculinities, especially when we're used to only seeing pirates in either gritty action movies or childish comedies).

Our Flag also draws on the specific countercultures of motorcycles, rockers, and gay/BDSM culture in its design and themes. Naturally, in such a queer show, one can't help but make the connection between leather pirates and leather daddies, and the design certainly nods at this, with its vests and studs. I always think about this guy, with his flat cap so reminiscient of gay leather fashions.

More overtly, though, Blackbeard and his crew are styled as both violent gangsters and countercultural rockstars. They rove the seas like a bikie gang, free and violent, and are seen as icons, bad boys and celebrities. Other pirates revere Blackbeard and wish they could be on his crew, while civilians are awed by his reputation, desperate for juicy, gory details.

This isn't all of why I like the costuming in Our Flag Means Death (especially season 1). Stede's outfits are by no means accurate, but they're a lot more accurate than most pirate media, and they're bright and colourful, with accurate and delightful silks, lace, velvets, and brocades, and lovely, puffy skirts on his jackets. Many of the Revenge crew wear recognisable sailor's trousers, and practical but bright, varied gear that easily conveys personality and flair. There is a surprising dedication to little details, like changing Ed's trousers to fall-fronts for a historical feel, Izzy's puffy sleeves, the handmade fringe on Lucius's red jacket, or the increasing absurdity of navy uniform cuffs between Nigel and Chauncey.

A really big one is the fact that they don't shy away from historical footwear! In almost every example above, we see the period drama's obsession with putting men in skinny jeans and bucket-top boots, but not only does Stede wear his little red-heeled shoes with stockings, but most of his crew, and the ordinary people of Barbados, wear low boots or pumps, and even rough, masculine characters like Pete wear knee breeches and bright colours. It's inaccurate, but at least it's a new kind of inaccuracy, that builds much more on actual historical fashions, and eschews the shortcuts of other, grittier period dramas in favour of colour and personality.

But also. At least it fucking says something with its leather.

#everyone say 'thank you togas' for not including a long tangent about evil rimmer in red dwarf 5x05 #Our Flag Means Death #Togas does meta #and yes these principles DO fall apart slightly in s2 and i DON'T like those costumes as much #don't get me wrong they're fun and gorgeous - but generally a bit less deep and more inaccurate. so. :( #I'm not sure this really says anything new about Our Flag but I just needed to get my thoughts out #i hate hate hate Gritty Period Drama costumes they're so boring and so ugly and so wrong #god bless OFMD for using more than 3 muted colours and actually putting men in heels (and not as a shorthand for rich/foppish villainy) <3 #looking at that Tudors still is insane like they really will go to any lengths to not make men feel like they've got bare legs XD #image descriptions in alt text #and yes i DID just sink about two hours into those so you'd better appreciate them

[canisalbus]

You mentioned before that the people who would have access to Machete's bedchamber would likely already know about Vasco. How did that come up in your mind? Did they get caught in the act or was the subject broached with enough trust? How did those people handle it? Sorry if this is a bit vague but I thought about it today and I'm very interested. :)

I think it just has to be the case, I can't imagine how they could manage to hide the fact Vasco is bunking with him from everyone, for years and years. Machete doesn't live alone, he has staff and servants who do his housekeeping and run his errands. Even if Vasco didn't stay there for any extended periods of time and snuck out the back door to avoid attention, I'm assuming at least the people who do his laundry and change his sheets would eventually detect that some sort of funny business had happened. But the number of people who are in on it is still very very small and tightly controlled. His assistant Vittorio definitely knows and helps to manage this situation, so does his personal doctor, and on top of that maybe a handful of most trusted high-ranking emplyees, which he has vetted extremely carefully and pays handsomely for their discreetness and prudence.

#or something along those lines surely there has to be a way for this to work people have had secret affairs since the beginning of time #if you hire someone #or more likely promote someone you know who has worked for you for years and has proven to be trustworthy and unlikely to betray you #and there's a very high risk that that person will find out your secrets it's better to bring them to their attention yourself #in a controlled setting ahead of time #instead of waiting to see if/when you're caught and not knowing how they will react #right? #and his private quarters are indeed private you don't go snooping in there without a good reason and an official permission #answered #anonymous #Vaschete lore #Vasco hanging around there often probably isn't an immediate red flag it's a big house and people can have friends and guests #plus at the time it was generally more common and accepted for two men to be close friends and openly attached to each other platonically #it's sunday morning and I'm awake trying to piece together the practical logistics of #maintaining an undercover long term relationship between two 16th century statesmen

[sixtynineinchnails]

idc about the try guys but i really hope that y’all understand that men openly loving their wives is NOT a bad thing or a sign that they’re going to cheat. the bigger issue (aside from the cheating itself) lies in the way celebrities get boxed (or box themselves) into stereotypical roles, such as “man who loves his wife” and people are often unable to see them any other way until things have already gone off the rails

#try guys #ned fulmer #men SHOULD be all about loving their wives btw. if a guy has a wife and isn’t mad in love with her THAT is a red flag

[anatryhard]

Doodle

#fanart #boyfriend to death #btd #strade btd #gatobob #drawing #tpof #ykmet #ykmet strade #btd strade #i am not doing okay #fictional men will be the death of me #especially red flags #Strade to be more specific #Character AI is NOT helping

[ranminfan]

Some peace and quiet by the fireplace before singing a whole song about being hrny.

I just love seeing his clavicle tease man I can't- I wanna bite

.......

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• Commissions

#My taste in fictional men are walking red flags #Judge Claude Frollo #The hunchback of Notre Dame #THoND #my art #disney #claude frollo #digital art

[wejustvibing]

"he must have outfits until my last days on this earth" 😭😭

#but not liking crop tops for men is a red flag pierre #lewis hamilton #pierre gasly #f1 #monaco gp 2024

[shirkers2018dirsanditan]

also the RE the men are obsessed with rome stuff sure is amazing considering how women will be accused of nazism and fascism and bigotry and hatred over the littlest things yet the pointedly right wing white supremacist obsession with the “fall of rome” has been memeified as some endearing male trait. okay lol

#an obsession with the roman empire and specifically its fall is very much a massive red flag in men #the fall of rome is not even a dogwhistle atp #its a bullhorn

[fluffymaxsworld]

i just realized how much of a red flag i am like i literally enjoy seeing grown men cry.

#red flags #men #ghost x reader #cod simon riley #ghost x you #miguel o’hara x reader #simon ghost riley #simon riley #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #theo nott x reader #theodore nott #theo nott x y/n #atsv miguel #miguel x you #miguel o'hara #emotionally unavailable #ptsd

[mazzystar24]

Just read a fic where Tommy gets with someone right after buck and him break up and whoever wrote that i want you to know I out loud went “is this fucking play about us”

cos do you know how I’ve been making jokes about my grudge against Thomases (and all variations) and me having just dated and been done dirty by a queer dark-blonde tall man with light eyes who’s name was a variation of the name Thomas when 7x04 aired?

Guess what caused a bunch of drama between us and our mutual friends? He dated the girl he was pining for the entire time THE DAY AFTER I ENDED IT WITH HIM

So dear author I can’t find the fic now but I found it a very funny coincidence so had to share with the class

#anti tommy kinard #but hypothetical fanfic Tommy #also anti men who’s name is Thomas #cos y’all keep doing us dirty #for realsies a red flag name #jk jk #or am i #buddie #911 fox #evan buck buckley #911 #911onfox #evan buckley #911 abc #eddie diaz

[classycookiexo]

#red flags #men #lmao #honestly

[midnightwriter21]

red is my favorite color fs

especially in flag form 🚩🚩🚩

#all these men are red flags #argue w ya mama #i can fix them tho #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #kny #7ds #seven deadly sins #sds meliodas #hunter x hunter #hxh #chrollo lucilfer #hisoka #hisoka marrow #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #geto suguru #sukuna #one piece #one piece zoro #roanoa zoro #black butler #sebastian michaelis #shinazugawa sanemi #sanemi shinaguzawa #toji fushiguro #kny tengen uzui #tengen uzui #kny douma #sasuke uchiha

[high-quality-tiktoks]

This was originally 4 separate videos. I thought you might enjoy the super cut.

#video #tiktok #tiktoks #wtf #men #misogyny #sexism #sexist #red flag #red flags #women #speechprof

[dyketubbo]

not to be a woman womaning all over the place but i feel like if you genuinely like. do not have friends that are women then you have something to work on. if you cant think of any female characters that you treat the same way you do male characters then you have something to work on. if you cant handle even seeing "i dont like being called a guy/bro/lad/etc because it doesnt feel gender neutral to me" but can understand when one of your masc besties is uncomfortable with being called girlie or sister then you have something to work on. if your default in regards to how you handle other people and even characters is to assume masculinity then you have something to work on. if you cant even let women and otherwise feminine people speak about our experiences without bringing up how you suffer too then you have something to work on.

it doesnt matter if youre queer or a poc or a minority in whatever which way, if you do not include women in your life and cant even stand a fucking inch of genuine feminism (and i dont mean terfs but god is it fucking agonizing that thats all you people can think of when you hear feminism anymore) where the point is to treat women, all women, equally then you have something to work on. listen to women, even the ones whose experiences completely dont align with yours (hell ESPECIALLY the ones whose experiences completely dont align with yours). just like how we all have to check ourselves for racism, ableism, queerphobia, we all have to check ourselves for misogyny too. stop acting like it got solved at some point. it still exists and it exists within you and you have to actually fucking work on that. "women should be included in your life and you should listen to them" shouldnt be a hard goddamn pill to swallow.

#mask mews #truly i dont think if you can call yourself a feminist then thats a red flag. actually. like legit #yes fuck terfs we all fucking hate terfs but if thats all you can think of when you hear feminism youre letting them win #youre lettin the misogynistic assholes who call people 'feminazis' win. the mras the pieces of shit who treat our rights like a debate topic #and no transmascs yall are not exempt from them just because youve experienced misogyny too #i see misogyny from queer men all the time and yall need to stop acting like being a minority #prevents you from being harmful to other minorities #black men often perpetuate misogynoir. trans men often perpetuate transmisogyny. gay men often perpetuate lesbophobia #just as women can perpetuate the harmful shit against all of those groups too #we're all being shit to each other and we all need to check ourselves and im tired of people acting #like its just okay to like. exclude women from shit #its exhausting and its misogynistic and i think especially in this fandom none of you ever moved on from thinking gaming is only for men #watch yourselves. watch how you talk about women. about femininity. #how when yall talk about the annoying cis white women #its clear which of yall are annoyed about the cis white parts. and which of yall are annoyed about the woman part

[tornoleander]

men whimpering pt 3 still hasnt met the goal!!! do you still plan on continuing the series??

Ah shit someone remembered I made those LMAO

I probably will eventually the clip gathering is a pain but the comments are the best thing ever and it’s quite fun to edit but I have other projects first my YouTube upload plan right now is:

1. Skybound Video

Really the accumulation of my S6 Fixation will talk about everything that I love in skybound but also FINALLY lay out all horrors. Skybound discomfort explained. Trying to see all sides and be as objective as possible emphasizing canon/implications/theory Will be voice reveal also I guess lol. The episode summary’s at the beginning should be funny.

2. Animatic

Been working on since December. I’m like, Half done. Posted some bits. Very angsty keeping it for the adult audience only. Won’t talk to much here unless I get asks. But I will post what can be enjoyed separately here disconnected. Cause I trust YouTube more at keeping out the kids.

3. Ninjago but only when men are whimpering.

Yes my channel’s tone is… eh not what I want but that’s not new. (I’m two lazy for two Ninjago accounts to organize my madness)

Once I’m done with the first two I will likely change the goal to 666 likes which we are close too. The only way I would prioritize 3 is if it was getting close to my ridiculous like goal.

I did collect and edit down clips from just Skybound already because I was rewatching it for other reasons and oof. The tone 😭 it’s so funny in a dark humor way like… Jay after learning he’s adopted. I- won’t say more but it’s a lot.

I need to finish this very important analysis of ninja over the seasons. I am very confident in my accuracy and standards.

#oli’s skybound insanity #Oli asks #ALSO PERSON WHO ASKED WHY DISLIKING NYA IN SKYBOUND IS A RED FLAG I AN GETTING TO IT #there is much I wanna say #ninjago #ninjago skybound #lego ninjago #ninjago but only when men are whimpering #the men whimpering rewatch #ninjago jay #ninjago thoughts #mmm all my co workers see is a normal functional adults lol #they shall not know about the Ninjago fixation

[rudy-icons]

Sacando los pasos prohibidos😹😹

#anime icons #anime #anime news #manhwa bl #yaoi manhwa #yaoi #red flags #boys #gay men #low tide in twilight