No Gentlemen, It’s Just Pride

I leave for 16 days and this explodes the moment I come home? The Fates have a way of making me work like hell.

Some of you may have already heard about “The Gentlemen’s Pride”.

Many people have met this “Pride”, this group of 6 men, with derision and negativity. Already, commentary has started to flow in, with this one particular Coconuts Singapore article really ripping a new asshole in every member of this Pride.

This group of “influencers” banded together to start a new movement to encourage refined dressing and behaviour in men, dubbing this as being “gentlemanly”. Honestly though, the only true “influencer” here is that Benjamin Kheng from The Sam Willows. They dress up in fancy suits, tell everyone being a gentleman is about “lifestyle” and “what you do” then throw words like “bespoke”, “lapels” and “tweed” around.

That, if they haven’t realised it already, is exactly why everyone dislikes them.

Now, let’s take a good look at what this Pride believes maketh a Gentleman.

Showing up at fashion shows in suits seem to be a gentleman thing:

Expensive shoes seem to be a requirement:

Benjamin Barker Shirts, it seems, are key here:

Aaaaaand Fancy Watches are a given:

Let’s boil it down to what this is: 6 guys who want to tell everyone how they THINK gentlemen should be. Their very narrow definition of what it is and how to achieve it.

But really, are Gentlemen truly only dandy, well-dressed and behaved in a certain way? No. In fact, in no definition of the word “gentleman” does it say dandy, well-dressed and specifically behaved. In fact, a gentleman may well be a servant of royalty:
Gentleman: A male personal servant, especially of a man of social position; valet.
Gentleman: A male attendant upon a king, queen, or other royal person, who is himself of high birth or rank.

I believe the meaning they were shooting (but fell flat) for was this:
Gentleman: a man of good social standing, as a noble or an armigerous commoner.

So a gentleman may be this:

This:

This:

This guy for sure:

but certainly not just good looking dudes in a suit:

Look, I get it. Men look good in suits. Dressing up is important and it makes people treat you differently. Going out to eat awesome food and drink great alcohol is superb.

The thing is, not everyone subscribes to that lifestyle, and that lifestyle is not what makes a gentleman. It’s a status lifestyle and thusly, it’s possibly the most ungentlemanly thing to espouse.

If the men of The Pride really want people to start “influencing”, then maybe they need to hear this: Take that chip off your shoulder, make meaningful contributions to society and quit showing off.

Maybe then, we’ll refer to all of you as the “gentlemen” you say you are.