THEGAYUK

Day: 5 February 2017

  • 5 things that are actually the worst about shopping

    Last week I experienced something horrific: shopping on Oxford Street.

    I avoid clothes shopping until my wardrobe is decimated. I wait until I’m down to a few pairs of socks and my underwear is looking like the type of thing your parents warned you not to wear in case of being run over before I venture out to rectify the situation. I try to ignore the dwindling collection of shirts and trousers that have been ravaged by over washing, deodorant marks and time until I can do it no more.

    Last week was the turning point and I had to face the ugly truth: I needed to go clothes shopping. It was my bi-annual clothes procurement mission and I gritted my teeth, revved myself up on caffeine and went for it.

    ALSO READ: 17 you only know if you’ve worked as a go go boy in a gay bar

    Maybe Oxford Street on a Sunday wasn’t the best choice for a pathological shopping hater but needs must. I needed new basic items and chain stores are the place to go. I just needed to suck up a whole world of pain.

    I won’t go into all the messy details. I won’t describe the moment (fifteen minutes in) when my partner offered to go home and leave, as he couldn’t take my mood any more. I won’t describe the inner demon that emerged and the childish tantrums, rages and traumas (for everyone else, not me). I’ll just tell you why it was so bloody awful.

    1) Un-priced garments:

    It’s a shop. You sell things. If there’s no price on it then you can keep it. I’m not asking around or waiting for some glassy eyed teenager to go and check. I’ve got a life to live. I also hate that concealed price/size thing. A whole stack of shirts, neatly folded, with every one having a tag tucked discretely away so that you have to wade through each one and extricate the size label only to find after 10 minutes that they only have extra small and XXL. Strangely a lot of shops seem to cater solely for the very burly or the painfully thin.

    2) Changing rooms:

    Bright lights and mirrors at all angles are not something most of us need. I know I’ve got a bald spot. I know that years of smoking have ravaged my skin. I really don’t want this hammering home in an overheated cupboard as I puff and pant and try to ram myself into the sizes I wore 20 years ago.

    3) Vacant automaton shop assistants:

    Working in retail is tough, I’m sure, especially with people like me about. Being British, I kind of expect you to show that to me though. I don’t mind surly, truculent and disinterested. What displeases me is the false, robotic eagerness to please. It’s terrifying and disingenuous. I don’t trust the fakery, especially when it’s clearly being delivered through a world of pain and has been taught by a smiley man called Bob on an away day in Milton Keynes.

    4) Other shoppers:

    Faster, quicker and out of my way. They’re the only words I need to say. Unfortunately, shouting them out loud only gets you into trouble so I keep them in and just get angrier and my ulcer grows deeper by the moment. People also seem to be having a good time, lingering over the whole experience, which of course, makes me even angrier.

    5) It’s illegal to carry a Taser:

    I don’t need to explain that one

     

    The ordeal is over. I have clothes. Project forward in time to six months down the line: that’ll be my next foray into the world of retail. I’d mark it in your diary and avoid the day.

  • Where should I get my style inspiration from?

    I recently received a question from a reader; “Hi, you always look so great day-to-day, where do you get your inspiration from?”

    I look to the stars for help. No, I don’t just stare at the sky and wait for inspiration I mean ‘stars’ as in ‘Celebrities’ of course. Guys lets admit it sometimes we all need a little help when it comes to choosing our outfits and picking out on trend styles that are going to turn heads for the right reasons and not because we’ve left the house looking like a crazy birthday cake.

    Celebs have stylists and fashion experts on hand to that are paid to do this job for them every day. It’s only fair that we also benefit from this, right?

    But be careful, not all celebrities get it right… Ok, ok you’ve twisted my arm, here my list of on-trend celebs that I take inspiration from when delving into my wardrobe. You’re very welcome.

    DAVID BECKHAM

    CREDIT: © s_bukley Depositphotos

    Fan favourite David Beckham has grown to be one the best dress and most looked up to men when it comes to fashion and style. People sometimes forget what it is he’s actually famous for. No, not marrying Victoria I mean that other thing… Oh, what was it? Oh yes, football. Blah. David’s classic, English gentleman style is relaxed and perfect for everyday wear in or out of the house.

    JARED LETO

    Embed from Getty Images
    Slowly becoming one of my favourite men in the spotlight is Jared Leto. This American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, director, producer, activist, philanthropist and businessman (the man gets around) has his own unique style. It’s a mix of punk rock, hipster and couldn’t give a crap I just pulled this t-shirt from a pile on my bedroom floor. It’s modern, sexy and perfect for days when you want to rough up your look.

    ZAC EFRON

    CREDIT: ©-Jean_Nelson-Depositphotos

    Who doesn’t love a bit of this man? He’s come a long way since wildcats but let’s face it, we loved him back then as well. His laid back style is effortlessly sexy and masculine. He pairs simple pieces with a natural pallet and classic lines to make this fashion style a comforting choice for any man to wear at any time.

    TOM FORD

    Actor Matt Bomer and his publicist husband have three children together. They’ve been together for 13 years.
    ©-S-Buckley-Depositphotos

    The god of male designers Tom Ford knows what style is and how to werk it! Before launching the iconic Tom Ford brand he lent his powers as creative director of both Gucci and YSL doing great things with them. His style is glamorous, chic, classic and timeless. Perfect for a gent looking to impress.

    A FINAL NOTE
    Fashion is unique to each individual. Use this guide as a template and play around with trends, patterns and colours to find your own unique look. Most importantly of all have fun with it!

    If you have any questions regarding fashion and trends that let me know and I will do my best to answer

    Follow Stephen on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/StephenCroweFit

  • Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer is HILARIOUS

    Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer is HILARIOUS

    Melissa McCarthy’s send up of Sean Spicer, knocked it out of the park.

     

    Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary has become the latest member of President Donald Trump’s admin team to get the “Saturday Night Live” treatment, as Melissa McCarthy takes him on… and knocks it out of the park.

    Last week, Sean Spicer refused to discuss whether President Donald Trump was going to enact an executive order which would drastically role back LGBT+ rights in the US, he said,

    “I’m not getting ahead of the executive orders that we may or may not issue,”

    Spicer said. “There’s a lot of executive orders, a lot of things the president has talked about and will continue to fulfill, but we have nothing on that front now.”

  • Openly gay rugby ref Nigel Owens asked doctors to be chemically castrated

    Openly gay rugby ref Nigel Owens asked doctors to be chemically castrated

    Rugby ref Nigel Owens asked his doctors to be chemically castrated after he realised that he was gay.

    By Mark Geater (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
    In a horrifying revelation by one of the world’s only openly gay professional sport’s referees, Nigel Owens, 45,  asked his doctor to chemically castrated him when he realised he way gay. He also revealed that he suffered from bulimia and also attempted suicide as a young adult after describing that his sexuality was “totally alien” to him.

    ALSO READ: There is a depression crisis amongst gay men as one in four reveal they’ve tried to kill themselves

    The referee came out in 2007 at the age of 35 and was the first openly gay referee at the highest level of the game.

    Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, he said,

    “Refereeing that World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand in front of 85,000 people and the millions of people watching at home, scrutinising every single decision you make under a huge amount of pressure, was nothing compared to the challenge of accepting who I was.”

    When he released he was gay he went to his doctor and asked, “I do not want to be gay. Can I get chemically castrated?”

    He told listeners on the popular BBC radio programme that he had felt great support from the Welsh Rugby Union.

    He went on to say,

    “Unless you are happy with who you are, you cannot excel and be the best you can be at whatever you are doing. You cannot enjoy life if you are not happy within yourself.”

    Owen’s full interview can be heard on Desert Island Discs at 11:15 GMT on Sunday.