When you think of pearl necklaces and earrings, you don’t often think of men wearing them. Traditionally, women have been known to wear pearls.
Generally, women will wear pearl necklaces, earrings, or bracelets with formal dresses. Sometimes they might also be worn with sweaters or other types of clothing, though.
Things have changed substantially in the modern era. Not only are there differences in how gender norms are perceived, but you’ll also find that men are choosing to use pearls in different ways.
Pearls aren’t being used only as formal dress jewelry in modern times. If you’re interested to learn about the topic of men wearing pearls, continue reading to dig into this topic deeper.
Table of Contents
- History of Men Wearing Pearls
- Opinions on Men Wearing Pearls
- Current Fashion Trends for Men
- Celebrities Wearing Pearls
- Should Men Wear Pearls?
- How Long Will This Trend Continue?
- In Closing
History of Men Wearing Pearls
It’s true that men wearing pearls in American society is a new thing. This is not something that you would generally see men doing even one decade ago. However, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t a history of men wearing pearls that you should know about.
Men have been wearing pearls for centuries, but this mostly involves cultures that you likely don’t know much about.
In the distant past, Chinese royalty would wear pearls to signify their importance. This happened all the way back in 2300 BC.
In the 16th century, English Kings were known to wear pearls and other types of jewelry. 18th Century Indian Maharajas were also known to wear pearls.
There’s so much evidence that points to men wearing pearls in various cultures throughout history. You’ll find evidence of men wearing pearls in Ancient Greece and many other parts of the world. Often, pearls were worn by important men.
The rarity and beauty of pearls were usually meant to signify that someone was in a position of power.
So why is it that pearls have been seen as distinctly feminine for so long? Simply put, women have been the ones popularly using pearls in American culture for a long time.
There might be isolated instances of men wearing pearls in the early 1900s in America, but this has not been a common practice until recently. Things are shifting now in part due to male celebrities wearing pearls.
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Opinions on Men Wearing Pearls
Opinions on men wearing pearls are divided in America. There are many people who still see pearls as feminine, but some embrace pearls and don’t care about the historical American perception of them.
When thinking of pearls, you think of women wearing them with beautiful dresses. You might also think of women wearing pearl earrings or bracelets.
The way that men use pearls currently is a bit different than the way they have been historically used by women. Men choose to use them casually in many situations.
There are also some male celebrities that will wear pearls with formal suits or other fancier clothing options, though. There are diverse types of people who choose to wear pearls, too.
You’ll find that men from many different cultural backgrounds choose to wear pearls. These jewelry items are being used in rap and hip-hop circles as well as by pop music icons. So the current trend of wearing pearls is more diverse than you might think.
It’s interesting to note, but that doesn’t mean that it’s likely you’ll see an average man wearing pearls to go grocery shopping anytime soon.
Current Fashion Trends for Men
The current fashion trend for men involves wearing many types of pearl jewelry. This isn’t ubiquitous, though. It’s mostly a trend among celebrities and other influential males in society. You won’t see as many everyday individuals wearing pearls at this time.
This doesn’t mean that the trend couldn’t permeate culture to such a degree that men wearing pearls will become common, though. At the moment, young millennials and generation z male celebrities are the most likely ones that you will see wearing pearls.
When looking at older celebrities, the trend is far less prevalent. It’s also interesting to look at the types of jewelry that men wear.
Men aren’t just wearing standard pearl necklaces. You’ll see some men wearing pearl bracelets, earrings, and rings. It’s simply becoming a more common type of jewelry among men of certain demographics.
There are some athletes that have been seen wearing pearls recently, and this gives the overall look of pearls more of a masculine flair.
Often, pearl jewelry is worn with casual outfits such as t-shirts, jeans, and hoodies. Sometimes the pearl jewelry will be paired with a more dressed-up outfit as well.
This is something that is challenging gender stereotypes and changing the perception of pearls. Even if this isn’t being widely adopted at this time, there’s no doubt that celebrities can and will influence others to follow suit.
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Celebrities Wearing Pearls
There are so many male celebrities that have been seen wearing pearls that it wouldn’t be plausible to mention them all are. It’s interesting to note the diversity in the types of celebrities that have been seen wearing pearls, though.
Harry Styles is one of the names that stands out to many. He often wears pearls and has been seen doing so at awards shows and in casual settings.
Justin Beiber is a pop star who has been spotted wearing pearls. You’ll also find hip-hop stars and rappers such as A$AP Rocky wearing pearl jewelry sometimes. Drake is one of the most popular modern rappers, and he’s been associated with this modern pearl trend. You’ll also see some male athletes wearing pearls.
There have been noteworthy moments where MLB players have been spotted wearing pearls while playing baseball.
Some of the most fashion-forward athletes in various sports have been seen wearing pearl jewelry when arriving at games.
It’s intriguing to see just how many different people are wearing pearls now. The idea that you can wear pearls with t-shirts and jeans makes it more appealing to men than it was in the past.
It’s not purely seen as a type of formal jewelry now. Celebrities are redefining the way that pearls are worn. Men are starting to want pearls more and more now, and the demand for pearls has shot up as a result. Time will tell if the celebrities wearing pearls will cause everyday men to consider buying pearls.
Should Men Wear Pearls?
The question of whether men should wear pearls is a personal one. You shouldn’t let how others feel about the subject deter you. Some men might have strong opinions against other men wearing pearls. This is because they grew up with the perception of pearls being distinctly feminine.
Others will be more open to other men doing what they want to do with fashion. How you feel about the subject is entirely up to you.
If you think you’d be comfortable wearing pearls, it’s perfectly fine to try it out. You might discover that you’ll enjoy the look. It’s also possible that it won’t be your style and you’ll want to shy away from it.
It all comes down to whether you personally feel you can pull the look off or not. Some men find wearing pearl jewelry to be great, but others might not enjoy it as much. Many men from many different backgrounds have been able to utilize the look effectively, though. So you can look to celebrities for inspiration if you so desire.
Take a gander at how some celebrities and athletes are utilizing pearls. If you feel inspired to try it out you can go for it. At the moment, this trend is bigger among celebrities and athletes than it is the general population.
Some expect that more men will begin wearing pearls, but what will happen remains to be seen.
How Long Will This Trend Continue?
Fashion trends generally don’t last forever. Something will become wildly popular for a short period of time and then fizzle out. The trend of men wearing pearls has been growing for several years, though. It seems that it started percolating during the pandemic.
Men started to look into jewelry options more and more during this period. Some chose to give pearls a shot. It’s speculated that some people find comfort in the classic look of pearls.
There are some men who have been heard saying that they think of pearls as “a classic look that can be used as a source of strength.” Currently, many male celebrities and athletes are continuing to use various types of pearl jewelry.
It might be a trend that will go on for years. Or it could be dead within another year or so. Determining fashion trends is difficult, and even the most observant and wise fashionistas have a hard time accurately predicting how long each trend will last.
If you like this trend of males wearing pearls, it’s best to get in on it now. Enjoy it and have fun with it if it appeals to you.
In Closing
Men wearing pearls isn’t necessarily new since men have historically worn pearls. In modern history, it’s not common for men to wear pearls.
Pearls have been traditionally seen as feminine in Western culture for quite some time, but men are challenging that perception now.
Many celebrities and athletes are wearing pearl jewelry and the trend has been going on for a few years now.
