Opinion: don't be so quick to diss the male crop-top trend

I love my trendy men's crop-top so stop making such a fuss about it, writes Sandiso Ngubane

"Something refreshing is becoming more mainstream this summer," read a Buzzfeed listicle towards the end of the northern hemisphere summer (our winter) last year. What were they talking about? The increasing visibility of men in crop-tops.

Long associated with women's wear, the midriff-baring T-shirts began appearing on Instagram worn by dudes, some with envy-inducing six packs and others - well, not so much.

Some people found it sexy but others were, predictably, quick to express their disgust.

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I'm a keen wearer of crop-tops, and yes, I'm male, and because I suspect some of you are already speculating about my sexuality, I'll go ahead and confirm it. Yes, I'm gay. Which is perhaps why, in some people's view, anyway, I would think it's okay to rock a crop-top. Not really. I know a lot of gay men who think I'm crazy. One of them asked me just the other day if I'd decided to go full-on drag, so that should tell you something about the nuances of sexuality and maybe help rid your mind of those gay stereotypes.

Sexuality has very little to do with sartorial choices unless, of course, you think the late singer Prince was gay. Remember Johnny Depp in the 1984 film Nightmare on Elm Street? No? Well, his character wore cut-up sweatshirts, and Will Smith embraced the crop in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Fast-forward to this decade and it would have seemed like rapper Kid Cudi sparked a revolution when he rocked one at Coachella Music Festival in 2014. As history would have it, this was hardly the case, but he may be among those who are responsible for bringing back the crop-for-dudes trend.

For me, it's been a revelation to walk around in a crop-top because even though I'm male I was not exempt from the kind of abuse women experience at the hands of men who seem to think baring one's skin is an invitation for them to touch, grab or cat-call.

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There's something about femme bodies, or anything perceptibly femme, that makes people feel it's okay to subject that body to abuse. But for me wearing a crop top is about wearing what I feel comfortable in - and why should I compromise that to fit into other people's notions of what I should wear? The "likes" I've racked up on my social media channels whenever I post an image of myself rocking a crop-top tell me I have no business worrying about other people feeling uncomfortable.

There are many out there who, like me, think it's silly to reduce the conception of a human to the item of clothing they choose to wear. So, while I'm not too sure that the trend has gone mainstream yet, as Buzzfeed suggests, it's the intelligence of those who are unsettled by it that I call into question. Frankly, I just crop the negativity out of my life.

• This article was originally published in The Times.