Hey, 1957 man!
by Justin Morrow
On Sept. 24, 2007, as I browsed through the magazine rack at the grocery
store, GQ’s 50th anniversary issue with a young Paul Newman on the cover
grabbed my attention.
I didn’t know it at that time, but an article within that issue was about to change the purpose of my life on earth: 1957 Man was here to save me.
1957 Man was the persona taken on by GQ senior writer Michael Paterniti. His mission was to tackle modern society by acting out the life of a man who lived in 1957.
Although he is older than I am, the writer and I were simultaneously looking for the Holy Grail of questions regarding our gender: What happened to men, and when did we loose that edge that makes us who we are?
In 1957, we got divorced less. Kids had a father in the household. And, men wore suits and ties everywhere, the article says.
Paterniti was telling me not to feel guilty when partaking in a three martini business meeting. I could wear a suit and tie. I could be a man and not have to apologize to anyone for it.
Boy, oh boy. I really enjoyed the sound of this. If being 1957 Man had this many perks, I sure wanted to be in on the action.
I was so happy with this idea that I brought it up with my friends. They thought it was a joke at first, or maybe I had lost my mind. I told them to read the article and see what they thought about it then.
Well, let’s just say a week later, with a couple of chances to read through Paterniti’s article, the boys had changed their mind.
They also wanted to recapture the brash nature and self-indulgence that comes with being a Gentleman of yesteryear.
Of course, we were a few steps behind 1957 Man.
The first step was our clothing, which needed an upgrade.
According to a Jan. 2006 Business Week article, men are shopping more, and their buying habits have started to “mimic those of women.” The article says the workplace environment is beginning to move toward the professional look that 1957 Man helped make famous.
I went to Men’s Warehouse -- Valentino will have to wait for a few years -- and bought two new suits, six new dress shirts and six new ties. Thank you financial aid, because looking like 1957 man is expensive -- but well worth it.
People liked the new look. They might laugh a bit along the way, but they said they liked it.
My four friends, who also took the idea head on, suggested a weekly business meeting to make sure we were all on the same page.
Nathaniel Mouw, this writer’s roommate, understood the importance of the task we were about to undertake.
“Whether it’s through the sound of his wingtips announcing his presence, or his amusing stories sending a room into a state of hysteria, the Gentleman is a national treasure,” Mouw said. “Because of 1957 Man, I now understand the type of lifestyle modern society has cheated me out of for the first 23 years of my life. It’s time to fix that.” —>
Copyright © 2005 Western Washington University