Few people, especially his enemies, would ascribe to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas a sense of humor, not to mention consider him an arbiter of men’s fashion. But, thanks to a caption contest run by the Washington Free Beacon, he seems to have accomplished both roles with alacrity. Cruz also may have “ruined” or saved us from, depending on one’s point of view, men’s rompers or, as some are calling it, the RompHim.
What Ted Cruz did
The Washington Free Beacon ran a photo of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas.
Sasse is wearing athletic attire, red shorts and a white shirt and the other two senators are in business suits. Schumer is holding forth about something. In any case, as his answer to the caption contest, Cruz cheekily tweeted, "So anyway, it's a romper for guys, and it's called the RompHim and I just ordered two." GQ sniffed that Cruz had “ruined” the latest fashion trend that most men would not be caught dead in wearing in public.
What is the RompHim?
Traditionally, rompers are one piece garments that one puts a baby or toddler in. The RompHim is a full sized outfit for adult men, with shorts and a delicate shirt. They come in a variety of prints and pastels. The ads for the outfits show a group of very hunky, viral male models lounging around in the getups.
Depending on who one asks, the RompHim is a cutting edged fashion statement for men who are extremely confident in their masculinity or a fashion atrocity worn only by pajama boys who are bereft of manliness. In defense of the former view, the purveyors of the romper for men are displaying a still of Sean Connery wearing a pale blue romper while playing James Bond in the 1964 film “Goldfinger.” If the getup is good enough for 007, it should be good enough for anyone.
On the other hand, we are talking about Sean Connery in his prime, a man who could make a dress seem masculine. Not that he would ever wear such a thing.
Where would one wear a romper for men?
Apparently, the RompHim is meant as casual wear, to lounge around the house where people cannot see, or perhaps at a garden party. It certainly looks too delicate to be worn while exercising.
Sweat would ruin the outfit, by all appearances. One may have to be confident in one’s masculinity to wear such a thing in public, but not, one suspects, in one’s liberation from fashion trends, if such a thing is even fashionable, which one doubts,
