Men are so BACK?

Lueder is Marie Lueder’s eponymous menswear brand that takes inspiration from medieval armour to address mens’ mental health and anxieties about society. Implementing themes including disillusionment, vulnerability, and sensitivity, Lueder blends contemporary loose fits and historical elements to create 2020s-appropriate armour for mind and body. Additionally, Lueder operate with the intention of sustainability embedded in the workflow, such as using less water-intensive dying (LFW) and wood pulp faux fur (merde magazine).

Back in February much was made about the incoming controversy (that seemingly never materialised outside of a few Instagram comments) wrought by one garment from Lueder’s AW25 show at Berlin Fashion Week.

Photo: Lueder

It’s a white tank with shiny, plastic-looking red iron-on letters that reads: “Men are so BACK”. It seems cheap and low-quality, “like something you’d pick up from a Jersey City t-shirt shop” (Dazed). As well as the “so back” reference, the font is reminiscent of (if not actually - I don’t know) Impact, further fuelling the 2020s wave of brainrot-inspired creations. The space between lines is a centimetre or so too large, adding to the impression of poor quality and general atmosphere of an affirmation meme. The white tank is possibly the masculine garment; simple, shows off the upper body, etc. (although it's my personal opinion that slogan tees are for the girls... call it the iCarly effect) Paired with sagging, straight-fit jeans and a low puma trainer it reflects a modern masculinity that favours a vaguely fashion-conscious simple look.

Under backstage interrogation Lueder confirmed conclusively that the piece is about her fear of Trump: “being scared of him coming back” (Dazed). Although obviously humorous (or tacky, as per a few comments), the piece is very much in line with Lueder’s interest in masculinity and vulnerability. Lueder’s statement is that men are back - for the worse. Indeed it may be true – the simmering misogynistic violence, the pushback on LGBTQ+ existance, the political Olympics – but the overtly celebratory undertones of “so back” are somewhat overpowering and I wonder if it’s the best choice of pop slang to employ here.

Lueder debuted this on the runway in Berlin but also created a club-like show where models danced around guests with techno and strobe lights. But my first sighting of this tank was Lexie Liu’s music video for her song FFFFF, featuring vampire-Lexie alternating between hanging out with her human pizza delivery boyfriend, drinking blood for dinner with her blonde moms in their stately home, and doing mascara in the webcam of a laptop from 2005. 

Lexie Liu wearing Lueder in her vampire mansion

The masculinity presented here is starkly different that which Lueder pictured while designing the garment. It’s passive and in some ways lower status. It’s “boyfriend as accessory”, it's Ken. In this context the phrasing comes across almost entirely differently; men are validated on authority of Lexie’s it girl-ness. Not only does she have the power to turn her 2013 boyfriend into a vampire, she seemingly decrees that men are so back, as in: back in fashion.

Can we produce a new masculinity through it girl decree? I don’t think so. Undoubtedly iconic and a top-10 concept for the girls (myself included), it still suppresses any self-actualisation or reflection. More hopeful than Lueder’s ominous intention, but not going anywhere. We’re already past the point where it’s revolutionary to have the ditzy boyfriend replace the ditzy girlfriend, and well into the era where “positive masculinity” influencers are finding audiences. The accessory boyfriend isn’t contemporary enough to exist in real life, and this is reflected in Liu’s Y2K sensibilities, a trend which often draws more from nostalgic cosplay than historical reenactment.

Boyfriend in tow

So men are back, but maybe not all of that has to be terrifying. While the fragile, misogynistic nonsense portrayed by Trump and his ilk is in full catastrophic swing, their counterparts are working hard online to reclaim space for men to thrive. The it girls are toting their boyfriends around on Instagram and showing off how they care. Perhaps this piece can help us encourage that side of masculinity - manifest it, if you will. 

We can hold the fear and the celebration together. And of course, the club is the perfect place for that.