Coolness is a concept that has become popular since the 20th century, and these days more and more gay men want to be cool. Are you a cool gay traveler? If you are keen to find out how to become the coolest gay tourist, this blog post is for you 😉 Enjoy!
How to define “coolness”
According to Thomas W. Hodgkinson (author of How to Be Cool: The 150 Essential Idols, Ideals and Other Cool Sh*t), there are nine defining qualities of cool:
- Style: You know how to dress and you are physically coordinated.
- Rebellion: You genuinely question authority.
- Recklessness: You highly value current pleasure over what might happen in the future, meaning you worry less than the average Joe / Jane.
- Rootlessness: You travel a lot.
- Celibacy / Promiscuity: You are not interested in the idea of monogamous commitment.
- Self-expression: You are an artist to some degree.
- Austerity / Flamboyance: Either is fine.
- Eloquence / Taciturnity: Your words count.
- Emotional self-control: You are very relaxed.
Do you have any of the above-mentioned qualities? Or perhaps you have all of them already?
Personally, I have seven out of nine at the moment. Let me explain.
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- I’m very stylishly dressed. I even use some makeup. I remember my idol Darren Hayes used lipstick / lip gloss when he was doing an interview, so I think it’s perfectly okay for gay men to wear makeup.
- I question authority all the time because I always want to find out the truth.
- I’m not really reckless, but I do enjoy life whenever I can. My highest value is pleasure 😀
- Yes, I’m a gay traveler.
- Previously, I was celibate for many years. Now I’m in an open relationship with a very sexy and open-minded gay guy.
- Obviously, I’m an artist – I write blog articles every single day; I can sing, dance, draw pictures, etc.
- I’m very flamboyant – My favorite fashion brand is Dangerfield.
- My words definitely count – I am eloquent when I’m writing; I’m quiet while socializing with boring people.
- I’m still learning to be relaxed – I have had tension in my body for a very long time and it is said that anxiety is literally tension in the body, so here is my plan: I use candles for aromatherapy every day for three hours; I dance to the music for one hour each day; I have a facial and a massage once a week.
Why Coco Chanel
Many gay men are interested in fashion, as evidenced by the fact that a lot of fashion designers, personal stylist and makeup artists are gay guys. As a gay traveler, I’m also very interested in fashion and makeup, so while traveling the world, I learn a lot from various fashion icons, fashionistas, famous designers and supermodels in the industry.
Coco Chanel is one of my idols when it comes to fashion. She famously said, “I may be French, but my p*ssy is international.” What a statement! Coco Chanel is a personally liberated woman who freed herself by creating designs which were both practical and chic, e.g. espadrille shoes, stripy sailor tops, bell-bottom pants as well as the famous little black dress. At that time, many fashion journalists were terrified by Chanel’s tomboy styles. Actually, when Coco Chanel’s designs appeared in movies, it didn’t make Chanel popular.
From a gay tourist’s point of view, I think Coco Chanel was a true leader in the fashion industry, and she also broke taboos in her personal life. She rose to be one of the wealthiest women in France from a working-class family. Of course, she was very strategic – she became an entertainer / singer first, thereby becoming glamorous and attracting male attention (read: PR) – that was how she met various rich men quickly. Coco Chanel never got married; however, she had so many affairs. When people asked her why she never married a rich guy, she once said, “There have been several Duchesses of Westminster, but there is only one Coco Chanel.” Even when she was involved in some scandal, she still said, “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself.” How cool is that?!
Why Vivienne Westwood
As I see it, another fashion designer Vivienne Westwood is also incredibly cool and we gay travelers can learn from her coolness.
Vivienne Westwood is a British fashion designer who said, “My aim is to make the poor look rich and the rich look poor.” Vivienne Westwood was born in a poor family in Derbyshire, then she moved to London at the age of 17 and worked as a primary school teacher. Though she never had any formal training, Vivienne Westwood always loved clothes. She even made her own wedding dress when she was marrying her first husband at the age of 21. Then that marriage ended because she met her lover Malcolm McLaren.
Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood launched the punk movement in the 70s. After this couple broke up, Vivienne Westwood used her anger as the fuel to work on her career, so she became much more successful than Malcolm McLaren. Then the fashion label created by them became Vivienne Westwood’s alone. Now Vivienne Westwood promotes Britishness as a way to market her business. Vivienne Westwood even said, “It’s impossible to produce anything exotic except through something traditional, e.g. old-school fabrics like tartan and tweed.” That’s very, very cool.
Why Kate Moss
Kate Moss is a supermodel in the fashion industry. On the day of her wedding, she told her friend John Galliano (a fashion designer) that she was actually freaking out. She literally demanded, “Who am I? You’ve got to give me a character.” Then John Galliano said, “You are the last of the English roses.”
Kate Moss stay at the top of her profession for about 25 years – that is 5 times longer than the shelf life of most supermodels. Well, indeed, Kate Moss started at a scarily early age (she started when she was only 14 years old). Also, because people are not entirely sure who she really is, she looks mysterious. So, people want to know more about her! That’s my theory as a gay traveler.
Her motto is “Never complain, never explain”; therefore, she didn’t give interviews for many years. Interestingly, Kate Moss looks ordinary and beautiful at the same time, which is hard to explain. I guess that’s because this world loves flavor and dislikes vanilla.
This is how I look at Kate Moss’s beauty: She looks like the kind of sexy lady you might see in the street – a fresh canvas onto which you can paint whatever character most appeals to you.
Gay travelers love sophisticated fashion worldwide, so if you admire Kate Moss because of her very good sense of fashion, you may be aware of the fact that Kate Moss is extremely inspiring – her coolness is manifested in her blend of lightweight mystique and bohemian rebellion.