Straight men are dressing “gay chic” and gay men are dressing “macho,” according to TikTok
The internet is buzzing with style discourse after a string of viral TikTok videos reignited an old debate: is the style code broken? In cities across the U.S., straight men are leaning into "gay fashion" items like pastel colors and mesh tops, whereas gay men are embracing traditionally masculine looks like workwear and soccer jerseys. As style and fashion become increasingly fluid (particularly with each younger generation), the internet is having fun with it, while asking serious questions about what it means for identity when a visual shorthand for sexuality no longer applies.
Fashion has a sexuality crisis
On April 23, 2025, TikToker @notolsennchris captured the internet’s attention with a relatable plea. He said, "If you live in a liberal city, we need to all get together and recalibrate our gaydars, because gays are looking straight and straights are looking gay. It's getting hard to tell." His comment wasn’t just about fashion, it was about the chaos of visual assumptions in a post-gender-norm world.
Then, nearly a month later, @bran__flakezz added to the conversation. In his May 18 TikTok, he compared his outfits from 2016 to those of his straight friends today. "Whoever said that straight guys now dress like gay guys?" he asked, incredulously, panning the camera between his friends and himself. "It’s crazy."
Straight guys are borrowing from "gay chic"
In recent years, style once associated with gay and queer culture has made its way into the wardrobes of straight men. Pastel tones, cropped shirts, slim-fit pants, and even pearl necklaces, which were once seen as bold or flamboyant, are now part of mainstream menswear. Although it’s a shift, it didn’t happen overnight.
This aesthetic, rooted in early 2010s gay fashion, was all about confidence and flair. Now, straight guys are picking it up with enthusiasm. As a result, the visual cues people once relied on to guess someone’s sexuality have started to become irrelevant. It's not uncommon anymore to see a straight man in a mesh top or with painted nails.
Meanwhile, many gay men are veering toward aesthetics traditionally labeled "masculine." Inspired by construction-core, workwear, and a clean, minimalist vibe, these outfits favor function and grit; think Carhartt jackets, sports jerseys, and raw denim.
This evolution isn’t about going back into the closet but rather indicates a wider spectrum of self-expression. Gay fashion has always been about challenging norms, and today, that includes co-opting conventionally "straight" styles.
As this TikTok discourse proves, fashion no longer functions as a reliable indicator of who’s into whom.
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