by JASMINE GARNSWORTHY
The man-repeller. It’s an affectionate little name that my girlfriends apply to my wardrobe. You see – I dress for girls. Not in an I-want-to-take-you-home sense but in that what I wear is often appreciated by women and leaves men… well, less than impressed. Okay, repelled.
‘Man-repelling’ is a phrase coined by fashion blogger Leandra Medine:
man·re·pell·er1 [mahn-ree-peller]
–nounoutfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive mode that may result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include but are not limited to harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls (see: human repelling), shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.
Yes it’s silly and yes it shouldn’t matter what you wear when you have sparkling conversation skills and nice manners but let’s face it, I’m yet to find a man who loves me and my printed pants, just the way we are.
For a second opinion, I went to my housemates. They’re relatively blokey and the type of men others would called Good Guys. So my source is solid. Together we created this gallery of their major offenders:

Shoulder pads
If you read Wardrobe Week on Mamamia, you will know some of these items of clothing were pulled from my own wardrobe.
And with Spring fashion trends resembling a car crash of clashing prints, the forecast is fairly grim. Floral jeans with a matching blazer and neon heels? Line up, gents.What other trends would you add to the list of man-repelling fashion?
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Comments
72 Comments so far
Ooooh! Can’t wait to read the comments on this. Maybe it will solve the mystery of why I am eternally single..
I often quiz my two male housemates on this very subject. They both have varied and very strong opinions. Results are as follows:
- wedge/platform/clogs-style shoes are all kinds of wrong;
- very few women can actually pull off red lipstick; same for dark nail polish;
- leopard print is never a good idea;
- they are genuinely perplexed by clothing like ponte pants and maxi skirts;
- dead straight hair. Big no.
- opaque tights are one of the sexiest things a woman can wear, as is a subtle scent.
Having worked in women’s fashion for many years, i can also report that men will ALWAYS choose the shoe with the stilletto heel for their partners. Always.
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Yes, I had a similar conversation with a male friend just yesterday, he said he was a BIG fan of the stiletto heel.
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Too bad I can’t walk more than 10 meters in teeny tiny stiletto heels!!
Loved it when the chunky heel trend came along!
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Well I should be stuffed then. My hair is naturally dead straight.
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I think they might be more repelled by the high-maintenance hours-of-straightening-and-not-a-hair-out-of-place look than the straight hair itself.
I could be wrong though
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