How to Be A Man
“If more men read Glenn O’Brien, women would have a lot less explaining to do.”
As a man, if your education in dressing went something like this, “Here, put this on,” unbeknownst at the time, you suffered a huge injustice at the hands of your dad, mom, your ugly uncle—or heaven forbid, your mother-in-law. Glenn O'Brien has rightly observed that "looking good, or actually looking right, is not high on the cultural curriculum of the American male." And why should it be? Many of us spent the entirety of our childhood in costume. And for those who weren't, their clothes were neatly laid out on their beds for them each morning by their mums.
Now, this is all good and well if your mom was Jackie O., Princess Di, or even C.Z. Guest. Odds are, they weren't. It is for this reason that we find Glenn O'Brien's How To Be A Man: A Guide to Style and Behavior for the Modern Gentleman required reading. Not only does O'Brien draw upon 30 years of sartorial expertise in expounding on style (versus fashion), but he delves into areas of behavior (how to deliver the correct insult anyone?), manhood, and philosophy. And it's all delivered in his trademark droll prose. Brush up on how to be a man...and make your ugly uncle proud at the next Christmas dinner.