Here's another guy with a big build. Would you also say he's more stylish than Charlie Sheen? I'm including four outfits in case people want to say that big guys have to "hide" themselves in layers. TIktok thespencermcqueen

I don't think this is true. Let's run through some examples. 🧵

It's true that some people have more charisma (or we'll say "aura"). And that certain body types are more celebrated in society than others, which will lead to people's judgements of a person's overall aesthetic. But I wouldn't say "it hardly matters what you actually wear."

Here's the same person in two different outfits. Which has more "aura?" Could it be that our judgement of aura here is determined by the outfit?

Here's another example. These two photos were taken in roughly the same time period, so we can assume the body underneath the clothes is the same. Which has more "aura?"

These two photos were taken far apart from each other, so the person's body has changed. But we are at least looking at the same person. Which photo conveys more "aura?"

Let's move on to different people. These two people are not totally dissimilar in terms of build (broad shouldered, relatively athletic body type). Both are famous. Which has more "aura?"

Here are two body types on different people. Which person has more "aura?"

Here's someone who's is more famous and widely beloved and someone who is relatively anonymous. Who has more "aura?"

Here's someone with aura coming out of his pores.

Here's a larger guy whose style I admire. This is @toneloki73, who runs an independent brand called AWMS. Would you say he's more stylish than Charlie Sheen? IG toneloki

The original tweet says you can't be fat to look good but I can't think of anyone with more aura and style than Matty Matheson. Dude constantly looks amazing. IG mattymatheson

In his 1991 book Eminently Suitable, Bruce Boyer has a chapter titled "Fitting Everyman." He wrote: “You hear it all the time—the idea that some men simply look better because their bodies ‘wear’ clothes better. It's the kind of non-explanation we give when we feel we're ...

... dealing with some unfathomable mystery, like why paper is always strongest at the perforation. It's the reason fellows give for shunning hats or double-breasted jackets or plaid suits. Even some men who work at keeping in shape, who exercise and watch their diet, have ...

... this fatalistic attitude. The truth is that anyone can look ridiculous; some men choose not to. Those who choose not to have learned that many of the much-mouthed opinions about dress are lumbered with myth, misinformation, and misguided prescription. Such men ...

... have learned, in short, to dress themselves without relying on public opinion." I have seen guys of all shapes, backgrounds, and budgets get into menswear as a hobby, and while not everyone comes out looking like Colman Domingo, most look better (more "aura").

The idea that it "doesn't matter what you wear and it just comes down to aura and not being fat" is both fatphobic and cedes your own power. IMO, this fatalistic attitude effectively functions as gatekeeping.

Few people will look as good as @urban_comp because he is, admittedly, very handsome. But even he looks much better today because he learned some principles about dress. Compare pic 1 to pics 2, 3, and 4. IG urbancomposition

My friend Marco has great bohemian style, but this is something he developed after wearing things that were not quite right for him initially (compare pic 1 to pics 2, 3, and 4). Sometimes "aura" is that mysterious quality someone has cultivated. IG marco.pants

In an interview, Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach) once said: "Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant. I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me. Or we met at some point."

Btw would love a thread on how to dress well as a big guy with some brand names that do big size - and do them well.